National Museum of TaiwanLiterature: We Deliver the Museum to Your Home

According to the traditional concept of a museum, its mission should be the preservation and exhibition of artifacts. Yet, with the development of new ideas about museums, the establishment of a museum should emphasize caring about human beings, and enhancing the communication between a museum and people as well as communities. Many museums established in recent years in Taiwan are mandated to preserve the local memories or local features. They are established, not simply for preserving artifacts, but also to create a museum-like environment.

The main building of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature was originally a national historic site with a history of one hundred years.The Museum was official opened in 2003 to systematically collect and preserve the works of literature written by different ethnic groups from the different periods, including: the early indigenous inhabitants, Dutch and Spanish Formosa, Ming Koxinga, Qing rule, Japanese Occupation, and the Republic. Inaddition to the functions of collecting, preserving, and conducting researches,the National Museum of Taiwan Literature also brings literature closer to the public and promotes cultural development through exhibitions, activities and public education.

In recent years, the Ministry of Culture has eagerly promoted “the Policy of Soil” to distribute cultural resources evenly so that the gap of culture and art between cities and rural areas can be bridged. In order to provide local services for people from remote areas so that they can appreciate the rich contents of NMTL without travelling far, NMTL initiated the tour of “Mobile Museum of Taiwan Literature.” Through exhibitions with specific themes and education activities related to literature, the tour introduces the world of Taiwan literature to visitors. This tour also enables more people to know about NMTL, so that they can use different educational resources provided by NMTL by visiting the Museum or via the internet.

This year, with the belief of deepening the local cultural roots, NMTL initiated the second tour exhibition “Tone of Rhythm: Interpreting Taiwan Literature through Voice” to promote Taiwan literature through mobile exhibitions. These exhibitions show the power of literature conveyed through sound. Reading is not the only way to appreciate literature; the beauty of Taiwan literature can also be presented through storytelling, folk songs, slang, and drama.

Results of Every Year

Located in Tainan with a national mission, NMTL initiated “Mobile Museum of Taiwan Literature,”which was carried by a container car, without being restricted by geographical limitation. “The Literature Tour” project also delivered literature resources every where in Taiwan.The Mobile Museum has toured around Taiwan and travelled through 19 counties and towns, and the number of visitors totaled more than 100,000. “The Literature Tour” also held 15 activities with about1,000 participants.

Since the beginning of the tour in 2010, this is the fifth year of Mobile Museum of Taiwan Literature, and it is going to finish another round of touring Taiwan.A new tour is going to start this year. The tour route since 2010 is marked on the chart.