Echoing the Ministry of Culture's efforts to promote and inspire a greater love of reading for World Book Day, the Taitung-based National Museum of Prehistory (NMP) and its Tainan branch will launch a total of 24 walking tours covering three main themes — nature and ecology, prehistoric discoveries, and Austronesian cultures — from April 25 through August 16.
Organized by the NMP, the walking tours seek to woo participants with megalithic archeological sites at the Peinan Site Park, the splendor of natural landscapes, and the cultures of Taiwan's indigenous peoples. It is hoped that through these upcoming explorations, participants will recall a sense of wonder and renewed interest in reading about such sites and tribal lore.
Offered on both weekends and weekday evenings, the carefully tailored tours will consist of segments focused on introducing local sites, with the segments broken up by activities that include archery and do-it-yourself workshops where participants can learn how to make such crafts as eco-friendly bags woven from locally sourced materials.
The museum will also team up with secondhand bookshops and neighboring primary and secondary schools to promote the walking tours in the hope of fostering greater appreciation of Taiwan's unique natural beauty and cultural diversity, while instilling the sustainable habit of reading among members of the general public.
The Ministry first launched the "Literary Walking Tours of Taiwan" program on World Book Day on April 23, 2019. This year, as the COVID-19 pandemic has severely restricted public gatherings, the program has been moved online, but the original two-week timespan has also been extended from April 23 to the end of the year.
To contain the spread of the coronavirus, all participants will be required to have their temperatures tested and to wear surgical masks throughout the tours. Attendees should also uphold good hygiene, maintain clean hands, and remain a distance of at least one meter apart if outdoors, and 1.5 meters apart for indoor events.
More details on the NMP's walking tours are available here.