By Fanny Tsoi
Textile Department <Minor in English>, Fu-Jen

Taiwan is a small island but develops with rich history. She had been through Chinese ancient dynasties, the foreign ruler, Japan Empire, and now a democratic government elected by people in Taiwan. As the changes of political power, Taiwan has various cultural treasures and special locale features. Many of them are well preserved in reputable museums and some are lively presented in local spots. If you would like to have a good cultural trip in Taiwan, several destinations are what you must go.

First of all, Taiwan has many historical museums, such as National Imperial Palace Museum, National Museum of History, and Museum in Memory of Li Mei-shu. In my opinion, the Museum in Memory of Li Mei-shu is the best place to know about the history of Taiwan. Li Mei-Shu was an important local artist. He was famous for portraits of Taiwanese women. Through his work of different periods, you see the trend of Taiwanese fashion. He recorded Taiwanese people’s lives with paints and colors. If you appreciate his work closely, you may also find that Taiwanese culture he captured is embodied with foreign feelings.

As to the modern arts, there are many good options, too. Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Miniatures Museum of Taiwan, and Taipei Modern Arts Museum all display many Taiwanese artists’ creations, especially Taipei Modern Museum. The museum exhibits many modern art devices that fully represent contemporary Taiwanese life and thinking. For example, in a recent exhibition, a Taiwanese artist contributed a unique work. He set many electric wires on the ground, and put ceramic boats above these electric wires. In this work, he actually commemorated his youth life in Taiwan. The electric wires symbolized a river, and ceramic boats represented his failed examination papers. Whenever he failed a test, he curved the exam paper to a boat and then let it flow with the river. With this work, this Taiwanese artist not only expresses his feelings and memories, but also depicts a particular educational culture of Taiwan. If you often get in touch with this kind of artwork, you will understand more about modern Taiwanese people’s spirit.

On the other hand, what is far from elegant and tranquil atmosphere of museums yet characterizes Taiwanese peoples’ lively spirit is - the night market. There are many night markets in Taipei city such as Shihlin Night Market, Taoyuan Tourist Night Market, and Hwahsi Street Tourist Night Market. Most traditional Taiwanese food as well as newly invented snacks can be found in these places. The areas are always hustling and bustling. People get crowded for delicious food and good bargains. Among these choices, I think Hwaihsi Street Tourist Night Market is particularly interesting for experiencing special Taiwanese dining culture due to its famous product – snake meat. Many Taiwanese people believe that the snake soup, baked and stir-fry snake meat are very good for health. Eating for health is a common belief for locals though the choice, like snake meals, sometimes may shock some foreigners away. Nevertheless, a good cultural trip in Taiwan should never miss trying some delicious Taiwanese local food.

Some people travel around Taiwan without knowing how to understand Taiwanese culture. In fact, it is not that difficult to make a trip not only interesting but also meaningful. People can access to the local culture through historical, modern and daily experiences. Museums, galleries and night markets are what recommended here. If you (or your foreign friends) have time to visit them all, I believe you will have a wonderful trip of culture in Taiwan!

*http://www.limeishu.org/ /李梅樹紀念館/館藏作品選粹。
*http://www.hwahsistreet.com.tw/main/index.asp /台北市華西街觀光夜市/美食類。