Being an island, the sea was always important to the people of Taiwan, and still is. The nation's largest marine museum, which opened its doors Oct. 7, 2008 in Taipei, celebrates this relationship.
The Evergreen Maritime Museum is the brainchild of tycoon Chang Yung-fa, chairman and founder of the Taipei-based Evergreen Group, one of the largest container shipping companies in the world, and owner of Eva Air, the second major airline in Taiwan. The inauguration of the museum coincided with the 40th anniversary of the company.
Lin Ting-shyang, director of the museum and a master mariner, explained that setting up the museum had been one of Chang's long-cherished aspirations. Chang, who worked on a ship until he founded his own shipping company in 1968, is passionate about the ocean.
"I grew up near the coast, so the sea and ships played a big part in my hopes and dreams," Chang wrote in the introduction of the museum guide book. "So great is my love for the sea that I consider myself a 'son of the ocean.'"
The tycoon is also an avid collector of maritime artifacts. Over the years, he has accumulated over 4,000 objects from ship models to paintings and nautical instruments that Chang all donated to the museum, according to Lin. During his frequent traveling abroad, the tycoon also visited many naval museums. The National Maritime Museum in London impressed him particularly by the work it had done in educating children about the sea. This inspired Chang to offer a similar experience in Taiwan.
"While mastery of the sea has mirrored the rise of human civilization, Taiwan's education system has always focused on the land. This meant that most of our citizens had little knowledge of the sea and shipping. It was therefore a dream of mine to set up a maritime museum where people could learn about the ocean," Chang stated.
Located next to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in the heart of Taipei, the 9,000-square meter museum occupies the first five floors of the former Kuomintang headquarters building. According to Tsai Yi-fang, one of the museum staff, the curator carefully arranged the collection to ensure visitors interested in global maritime development and those interested in local or regional issues are both satisfied.
Upon entering the spacious lobby of the building, visitors will see three wooden vessels. Tsai explained they represent three different perspectives of maritime history, more specifically from the angle of Taiwan, mainland China and the rest of the world.
The traditional fishing boat used by the indigenous Tao people from Orchid Island, off the eastern coast of Taiwan, was selected to represent the nation's maritime heritage because of its unique design. The white, red and black wooden vessel has a raised bow and stern and is decorated with painted images and symbols.
A model of a treasure ship represents instead mainland China. With its nine masts and 12 sails, the large wooden vessel was part of the legendary Ming dynasty fleet Adm. Zheng He (1371-1433) led to explore the western seas, reportedly as far as East Africa.
The dhow is a typical Arab sailing vessel usually seen along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, India and East Africa. The museum chose it to symbolize the passing down of cultural heritage from one generation to the other, Tsai said.
The other four floors demonstrate the museum's permanent collection. Tsai recommends visitors start from the fifth floor to better understand how boats and the maritime industry have evolved.
Titled "The History of Ships," the fifth-floor exhibition details how the evolution of boats has closely followed that of mankind, from prehistoric times to the present. There are models of bamboo and wood canoes made by the first inhabitants of Taiwan; Chinese junks; Egyptian, Roman as well as Viking ships; European vessels such as Columbus' "Santa Maria" on which he crossed the Atlantic to discover the Americas in 1492; or "Le Soleil Royal [Royal Sun]," one of the best designed warships of her time, named after the French King Louis XIV (1638-1715). In addition, several scale models of shipyards clearly explain how boats were built through the ages.
The fourth-floor exhibition displays several models of modern ships, from passenger liners to cargo ships and warships. The most popular model is the tragically famous Titanic, displayed together with several objects saved from the shipwreck. The warships section will delight fans of military history. By observing the evolution of military vessels, visitors will learn how marine warfare tactics developed and will be fascinated by the stories surrounding such famous warships as "The Aurora," a Russian cruiser which contributed to the start of the October Revolution in 1917, or the Japanese battleship Yamato and its suicide mission against the American fleet during World War II. This section includes as well models of aircraft carriers, submarines and torpedo boats.
The third floor is divided into two sections, titled "Marine Paintings" and "Maritime Taiwan" respectively. The paintings cover a wide range of topics, from ship portraits, to famous naval battles and seascapes. The "Maritime Taiwan" section focuses on the relationship between the island and the sea over the centuries. Visitors walking through the exhibition will gain a new understanding of how the island developed and its trade expanded, from the first Western explorers to the settlers from mainland China. Also displayed are several old maps still bearing "Ilha Formosa," Taiwan's former name given by Portuguese traders when they first sighted the "Beautiful Island."
The exhibition on the second floor will give visitors first-hand navigating experience. A container ship's wheelhouse--the area where the captain steers the ship from--was recreated with observation windows through which viewers can see computer-generated images to simulating the view as the vessel enters Kaohsiung Harbor. Other areas were re-created in order to give visitors the feeling of being on a real ship. The chart room, for example, with its maps open on the table, looks as if the mariner has just left the room on an errand.
One of the main attractions of the museum can also be found on the second floor. Shaped like the Earth, the 1.5-meter diameter WITH-GLOBE is a 360-degree screen system that shows the latest meteorological data around the world in real time. It also indicates the currents, gives the temperatures at the surface of the oceans and seas, and even the exact position of every Evergreen container ship. It was offered to Chang last year in celebration of his 80th birthday by Weathernews Inc., the world's leading meteorological company headquartered in Japan.
According to Tsai, the museum intends to continue expanding its collection and pursue its educational goal of teaching the public in Taiwan about the maritime history and industry. In addition, the Evergreen Maritime Museum has launched several programs in cooperation with National Taiwan Ocean University in Keelung, north of Taipei, and Taipei College of Maritime Technology to give students in the marine field hands-on experience.
The museum is administered by the Chang Yung-fa Foundation. Established in 1985, the CYFF contributes to public welfare on behalf of the Evergreen Group. It also provides financial support to students who lack funds to complete their studies.
Write to Eric Chao at clchao@mail.gio.gov.tw