Museum – Taiwan Insight

Taiwan’s Austronesian Diplomacy: The Taitung National Museum of Prehistory as an Actor of Museum-Indigenous Diplomacy

10 September 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Simon Delpeuch. This article examines Taiwan’s Austronesian diplomacy, highlighting the deep tension between the state’s political exploitation of indigenous heritage to counter diplomatic isolation and a more authentic, community-driven approach. It focuses on the National Museum of Prehistory (NMP) as a vital model of informal, reciprocal museum-indigenous diplomacy. By explicitly abandoning Taiwan-centric “origin” narratives, the NMP fosters genuine regional partnerships, despite facing ongoing constraints from broader state agendas and complex geopolitical pressures.

Welcoming Home Ancestral Objects: A Report of the Ki cacepeliw Collaboration

15 June 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Michel Lee. This article explores “Ki cacepeliw,” a three-year collaborative project between Sweden’s National Museums of World Culture, the National Taiwan Museum, and the Southern Paiwan community of Shizi Township. By centring on the century-old Nakahara collection at Stockholm’s Museum of Ethnography, the initiative embraces shared stewardship to reconnect descendants with their heritage. Culminating in a landmark 2025–2026 homecoming exhibition, the collaboration has breathed new life into Paiwan cultural identity, inspiring local artisans to revive and recreate long-lost traditional crafts and instruments.

From Objects to Relationships: Indigenous Collaboration and the “Engagement Turn” in Taiwan’s Museums

12 June 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Tzu-Ning Li. Shifting from studying Indigenous peoples to actively collaborating with them, museums have initiated emotionally charged “objects returning home” projects. The author demonstrates that ancestral artefacts are not passive specimens but active extensions of kinship and spirit. Ultimately, collaboration is framed as a slow, relational practice that challenges institutional authority and transforms museums into spaces for dynamic dialogue and historical justice.

When Cultural Exchange Is Forced to Tiptoe Around Authoritarian Red Lines

15 December 2025 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Isis M. Lee. A landmark exhibition in Prague displays 100 masterpieces from Taiwan’s National Palace Museum — yet Taiwan itself disappears from the story. This erasure reveals how authoritarian pressure increasingly shapes cultural spaces far beyond China’s borders.

Love is Impossible, but Justice will not Suffice.

20 March 2025 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Patricia Huang. This article analyses the budget cuts to Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, including the freezing of funds for museums and the possible impacts of under-budgeting. It explores the debate around subsidising culture and the concept of “Cultural Exception”. The author also examines alternative funding sources for culture, taking examples from other countries, such as lotteries and TV licensing fees.

Inherent Powers of Objects: Resonance Across the Online Exhibition

11 December 2023 Yu-Chen

Written by Zuzule Demalalade & Tien-Li Schneider. When we believe that there is power behind every object, it signifies our departure from mundane perspectives and a return to the cosmic space we share with our ancestors. As Indigenous cultural curators based in Taiwan, our involvement with the Kuroshio Odyssey: Maritime Memories, Culture, and Landscapes (hereafter KO) exhibition project began on an ordinary workday when KO’s curator, Jiun-Yu, returned from the United States to Taiwan and visited our office one afternoon. He mentioned that the Burke Museum had some collections from Taiwan’s Indigenous tribes. Together with Nikal (Margaret), a law doctoral student at the University of Washington with Amis Indigenous roots in Taiwan, they were planning an exhibition on Taiwanese Indigenous artefacts. This sparks the idea of collaboratively establishing an online platform, a digital bridge across the 14-hour time difference between Taiwan’s Indigenous artefacts and the Burke Museum’s exhibits.

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