Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at Washington, D.C.-based German Marshall Fund of the United States, visited the National Museum of Taiwan History Feb. 22 in the southern city of Tainan.
The U.S. expert was in the country as head of a 14-member delegation from the think tank’s Taiwan-U.S.-Europe Policy Program (TUPP). The international cohort of young scholars comprised specialists in the fields of artificial intelligence, commerce, information and communications technology, international politics and public health.
According to the NMTH, this was Glaser’s fifth visit to the museum since 2018 as head of a TUPP delegation. This year’s attendees showed particular interest in the interactions between Indigenous and Han peoples, as well as Wangye beliefs. They were especially curious about the traditional costumes of the vanguard that leads parades in honor of these deities.
During a sit-down at the venue, the visitors explored topics including responses to transitions of power in Taiwan, local museums’ use of historical studies to organize exhibitions for domestic and international audiences, and methods of communicating effectively with patrons of all ages.
Glaser said she continued to visit the NMTH because its permanent exhibits present historical perspectives that are relatable to patrons from home and abroad, adding that the museum’s English tour guide services also help visitors from the western world better understand Taiwan.
NMTH Director Chang Lung-chih said the museum reopened its permanent exhibition hall in 2021 to showcase Taiwan’s connection with the world. In addition to highlighting the country’s multiethnic history and experiences with colonialism, exhibitions at the site also focus on contemporary studies on topics such as Indigenous groups, maritime history, post-war social development, social movements and new migrants.
Chang said the NMTH aspires to showcase Taiwan’s soft power by becoming a museum for the world, adding that it also hopes to serve as a platform preserving the people’s collective memory and promoting civic dialogue. (SFC-E)
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