The National Taiwan Museum (NTM; ), established in 1908, is the oldest museum in the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

(Taiwan). It was founded by the colonial government during Taiwan's period of Japanese rule. The museum is located in

Zhongzheng District Zhongzheng District (also Jhongjheng District) is a District (Taiwan), district in Taipei. It is home to most of the national government buildings of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan), including the Presidential Office Building, Taipei, P ...

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

History

Established in 1908, the museum is the oldest in Taiwan. The colonial government of Japan set up the Taiwan Governor Museum (臺灣總督府民政部殖產局附屬博物館()), which officially opened on 24 October 1908, to commemorate the inauguration of the North-South Railway. The museum had a collection of over 10,000 items in its initial stages. In 1915, the new building of the museum in Taihoku New Park was inaugurated and became one of the major public buildings during Japanese rule. In 1935 it was used to house the ''First Cultural Pavilion'' at The Taiwan Exposition: In Commemoration of the First Forty Years of Colonial Rule. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

, the Department of Education of the

Taiwan Provincial Government The Taiwan Provincial Government was the government that governed Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. Its functions have been transferred to the National Development Council and other ministries of the Executive Yuan. History At the ...

took over the administration of the museum in 1949 and renamed it Taiwan Provincial Museum until 1999. The museum underwent two major renovations in 1961 and 1994 respectively. Since 1999, the museum has been administered by the Central Government and renamed "National Taiwan Museum." Throughout the years of war and political transition and after twice being renamed, it stands as the only museum established during the colonial years, which is still in operation on its original site. In 1998, the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

declared the museum a "National Heritage." On 21 November 2017, the museum reopened after two months of renovation works.

Capital Museums System

The

Council for Cultural Affairs The Ministry of Culture (MOC, ) is the ministry of the Republic of China (Taiwan) that promotes cultural and creative industries. The ministry also maintains thNational Repository of Cultural Heritage History Established in 1981 by Executive Y ...

started a project in 2005 to combine the National Taiwan Museum with nearby historical sites into the "Capital Museums System". The National Taiwan Museum System currently consists of 4 museums: * National Taiwan Museum * Land Bank Exhibition Hall: Formerly the head office of the Land Bank of Taiwan, in the old Kangyo Bank building ( 勸業銀行舊廈()). Designated as a natural history museum. * Nanmen Park: The camphor factory of the

Monopoly Bureau The Monopoly Bureau Building is a Renaissance-style red brick building located in Nan Chang Street, Taipei City, Taiwan. It is in the Zhongzheng District, near Aiguo West Road, Park Road and Nanchang intersection ring, and Taipei's city south ...

(專賣局舊樟腦工廠()). Renovation completed in 1990, highlights Taiwan industrial history with exhibits on camphor-processing and modern industry. * Railway Department Park: On the site of the former Railway Department of the Transportation Administration ( 台灣總督府交通局鐵道部()), features exhibitions on Taiwan’s railway history. The following historical buildings will also be restored and added to the system as museums: *

(臺灣總督府專賣局()): Currently the head office of the

Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL; ), is a state-owned manufacturer and distributor of cigarettes and alcohol, and also formerly (until 2002) a state-sanctioned alcohol beverage brewing and retailing monopoly, in Taiwan. Its most famou ...

, it will be used for industry exhibition in the future. * The old Mitsui Bussan Company building ( 三井物產株式會社舊廈())

Exhibitions

The museum has witnessed Taiwan's history and recorded its natural and humanitarian developments. Through this window, one may catch a glimpse of Taiwan's evolution with regard to the fields of earth sciences, humanitarian developments, zoology, and botany. The museum maintains its original scale, with five departments —

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

earth sciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four sphere ...

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and education. The collection features specimens of Taiwan's indigenous animals and plants as well as cultural artifacts. Through its regular exhibitions and special exhibitions, publications and various educational programs, the museum is serving the public as an educational establishment. In February 2021, an exhibition titled “Exploring Taiwan” opened at the museum. The exhibition features over 300 cultural and historic items divided into two parts: People of Taiwan and Nature of Taiwan, telling the story of the nation’s past, culture and environment. The exhibition will continue until 31st December 2026. * Special exhibitions * International exhibition

* Touring exhibitions: every year, the museum organizes exhibition tours selected from among the special exhibitions that are suitable for showing in natural history educational halls around the island. * Permanent exhibitions: **Section on Taiwan's pre-history culture. **Section on Taiwan's indigenous culture. * Outdoor exhibitions: includes bronze buffaloes, Collection of Stone Tablets, relics of the Giant Stone Culture, old cannons, and old locomotives.

Transportation

The museum is accessible within walking distance northwest from NTU Hospital metro station, NTU Hospital Station of the

Taipei Metro Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the State-owned enterprise, government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ...

References

External links