Tracing a Hundred Stars’ Memories: Permanent Exhibition at the Hsinchu General Village
Author: Chen, Yun-Ju (Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, Taipei National University of the Arts, M.A.)
Translator: Hsieh, Chia Chun (Executive Editor, Museum Island by the Ministry of Culture)
From Village to Cultural Hub: Tracing the Transformation of Memory
Along the bustling streets of Hsinchu City stands an old red brick wall, out of place at first glance, yet quietly marking a boundary between eras. Behind it lies the Generals’ Village, a former military village that carries the memories of war and migration. Located in Hsinchu’s East District, General Village, also known as Jincheng New Village (金城新村), was originally built in 1943 as dormitories for workers at the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Sixth Fuel Factory. After WWII, it was taken over by the Nationalist government and, in 1985, transformed into a settlement for high-ranking officers of the Kinmen Defense Command and their families, earning it the affectionate name “The Home of a Hundred Stars.”
Outside the exhibition space, nameplates of the generals who once lived here are still preserved. (Photo by Chen, Yun-Ju)
With time, Generals’ Village is no longer the closed-off military community it once was. In 2015, its 15 remaining buildings were officially designated as historic structures. Following restoration, the site was transformed into the General Village Open Library and Information Park. The permanent exhibition, “Make a Turn and Walk into Generals’ Village”, features four main sections:“Village Stories,” “Village History,” “Voices of the Village,” and “Village Relics.” These areas present the life experiences of the residents and their descendants, bearing witness to the village’s military past while serving as a space where memory is preserved and the future imagined.
At the entrance and exit of the exhibition, a cultural map of the areas surrounding Generals’ Village is displayed, encouraging visitors to further explore other nearby military village sites. (Photo by Chen, Yun-Ju)
Homesick on the Tongue: Culinary Memories of Military Villages
More than a transformation of space, the exhibition vividly reimagined life in military dependents’ villages. It opens with the video “Elders Tell Their Stories”, immersing visitors back into the rhythms of daily village life, where details and atmosphere come alive. In the oral histories, elders recall how the neighborhood was organized by age, each taking on specific roles, while brick walls marked both the household boundaries and social etiquette. Despite the military discipline, the community remained tightly knit—through weddings, funerals, and everyday joys and sorrows, neighbours were always there for one another.
The exhibition also highlights food culture as a powerful trigger for memory. Under the theme “One Military Village Dish a Day,”(「一天一道眷村菜」), it shows how residents relied on military ration coupons to obtain daily necessities, creatively integrating unfamiliar ingredients from all over China into dishes that evoked the flavors of home. Visitors can take home recipe cards and even illustrate their own hometown dishes, becoming part of this sensory feast woven with memory and emotion.
The video features stories from Hsinchu’s military dependents’ villages, while a nearby menu of twelve traditional dishes provides detailed descriptions of each recipe’s background, ingredients, and cooking methods. (Photo by Chen, Yun-Ju)
Migration and Belonging: Footprints Across History
In the Village History section, comparative maps and architectural models are used to illustrate the transformation of Generals’ Village over time. A chronological timeline on the wall traces the development of the village while reflecting broader shifts in global geopolitics.
Notably, it highlights the “war migration routes” of early residents, emphasizing that Generals’ Village was not only a place of refuge for military families but also a space imbued with memories of displacement caused by war. Visitors are invited to reflect on the layered journeys of the original inhabitants—from homeland to forced migration, to settlement—marked by a sense of irrevocable longing for the past and the realities of making a new life in a foreign land.
Juxtaposition of aerial maps, architectural models, and a chronological timeline helps visitors visualize the transformation of Generals’ Village. (Photo by Chen, Yun-Ju)
The exhibition also features artistic creation to reinterpret the emotional meaning of “home.” In her participatory textile work Home(《家——參與式織品》), Malaysian-Chinese artist Law, Hong-Li(勞泓理) disassembles, kneads, twists, and reweaves old clothing sent by family members, symbolizing the fragmentation and reconstruction of familial memories.
The piece invites the participation of original residents of Generals’ Village, new immigrants, and Hsinchu locals, offering a collective exploration of the layered and complex emotions surrounding the idea of home. The work also resonates with a nearby bamboo display structure in the gallery, where everyday objects and old photographs donated by residents are displayed, turning the details of the mundane into powerful conduits for connection and empathy.
In the artwork “Home – Participatory Textile,” the artist reflects on the meaning of “home” through her experience of studying abroad in Taiwan. Each knot in the woven threads represents an unforgettable memory. Visitors are invited to touch the piece and sense the creators’ complex emotions toward the idea of home. (Photo by Chen, Yun-Ju)
Let Memories Live On: Walking Through the Time Corridor of Generals’ Village
Passing through the suspended art installation, visitors enter the Voices of the Village section, which features 15 oral histories from residents of Jincheng New Village, neighboring military villages, and the Kinmen frontlines. Through the testimonies of those who lived it, the exhibition reveals stories and histories absent from textbooks, piecing together a vivid portrait of village life in turbulent times. Topics range from General Hu Lien led Kinmen as the first line of counteroffensive defense, how spent shell casings from the 823 Artillery Bombardment (八二三炮戰) were repurposed after the war, to how women contributed to household income through home-based piecework.
On the wall beside the interview video, each participant has written a personal reflection capturing their deep connection to the military village. (Photo by Chen, Yun-Ju)
The exhibition ends in a quiet corner with books and picture books related to military village life, inviting visitors to browse, linger, and reflect. Walking along a corridor lined with photographs—faces smiling, chatting, playing—visitors are accompanied by the recorded voices and laughter of residents telling their stories, as if time itself had gently unfolded. The exhibition not only preserves the history of the military villages but also sustains their warmth through the shared participation of both longtime communities and new generations in Hsinchu.
The exhibition incorporates elements of military village home interiors—using tables, bookshelves, and other furniture to display photographs and artifacts donated by original residents and their descendants, offering visitors a glimpse into the everyday details of life in the village. (Photo by Chen, Yun-Ju)
❚ English Editor: Cheung, Billy Chi-Yiu (M.A., Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, TNUA)
❚ Executive Editor: Hsieh, Chia-Chun