National Taiwan Museum is Taiwan’s oldest museum, tracing its origins to a 1908 institution established during the Japanese colonial period. Its classical building and collections link natural history, industrial development, and the changing ways Taiwan has represented itself.
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The museum’s history begins with a public exhibition in 1908, established to mark the opening of Taiwan’s north-south railway. Its original purpose included showing the island’s industries and natural resources, so the collection developed at the intersection of science, commerce, and colonial administration.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The museum traces its institutional origin to 1908.
- Its present main building was completed in 1915.
- It received the name National Taiwan Museum in 1999.
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