Day 24:Tainan to Hsinchu

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Today, we had a later start time than usual. Before our checkout, which was at 10:30, some of us went out to enjoy a cup of coffee, take a walk, or buy some buns for breakfast. Personally, I took the opportunity to sleep in a bit, and luckily, a friend was nice enough to bring me a bun (thanks, Derrick!). 



After checking out of our lovely book-themed hostel, we took a coach bus to the National Museum of Taiwan History. This beautiful museum, which is the first of its kind, focuses exclusively on Taiwanese people and their history. The exhibition building and extensive grounds opened to the public in 2011 and has since attracted plenty of visitors.

 


We first had the chance to view the museum’s special exhibitions. One exhibition featured a Taiwanese song called Wang Chun Feng, which has come to be a sort of national anthem. It has been sung at countless occasions, from political demonstrations to sporting events. I thought it was really beautiful, especially since the lyrics and tune change depending on the time period and the singer. 



The second special exhibition was more experimental. Replicas of some of the museum’s artifacts have been digitized so that visitors can move the objects around and explore every angle. There were also models of the real items available to touch; the curator explained that these models provide everyone, especially the visually impaired and children, a chance to interact with these treasures of Taiwanese history.


We later visited the permanent exhibition, which gives the story of Taiwan's beginnings about 6,000 years ago until today. The histories and perspectives of Taiwanese Aboriginals, Han Chinese Taiwanese, and various European settlers were described in the exhibit. There were full-sized models of ceremonies and scenes from daily life scattered throughout, which were a little startling at first!




After our guided tour of the museum's exhibits ended, we sat down to a healthy lunch. We then had an hour to explore the museum ourselves (although some of us rested in cozy beanbag chairs).


Our last activity at the museum was a dialogue with the curators, and then we rushed through the pouring rain to make our train back to Hsinchu. In the evening, we finally settled into our dorms, which were in the same nice building we had before.



I really enjoyed our stay in Tainan! I plan to come back after the end of our program to explore a bit more. It seems to be a cultural center of Taiwan, so I am eager to visit more museums when I return. The small shops, temples, and restaurants we visited this past weekend made Tainan a great spot for a weekend trip.





- Grace
























































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