博物之島 MUSEUMS

Author: Hsieh, Shih-yuan（Associate Professor, Department of History, National Cheng Kung University） Tainan, home to Taiwan's earliest developed city, holds a unique position with over 400 years of historical significance and cultural depth. The Tainan City Museum (referred to as "South Museum") reopened in December 2023, presenting not only the "Our Story" narrative in its permanent exhibition but also hosting special exhibitions to spark discussions on new topics. These exhibitions explore the past, present, and future of Tainan’s culture and daily life. After extensive consultations, the museum has developed a thematic framework for its special exhibitions: the "Special Life Stories" series delves into the multifaceted dimensions of Tainan’s way of life, focusing on human-centered experiences; the "Viewing the World" series examines Tainan’s connections with the global community and encounters with other cultures; the "Local Histories" series investigates the interactions and operational mechanisms of local societies; and finally, the "Future Vision" series addresses contemporary issues such as cultural preservation and creative cultural initiatives, reflecting aspirations and visions for the future.   The entrance imagery of the Special Life Stories series exhibition Grocery Stores.   Opening Special Exhibition: Grocery Stores The South Museum marked its reopening with the "Special Life Stories" series exhibition titled Grocery Stores (exhibition period: December 22, 2023 – June 2, 2024). Centered on grocery stores, the exhibition explores topics such as "The Evolution of the Old Grocery Stores," "Merchandise Featuring Tainan," "Be Your Own CEO," and "Trading in Local Memories." By focusing on everyday life, the exhibition aims to challenge preconceived notions of grocery stores as outdated relics, reimagining them instead as the key gateways to understanding people and places. The exhibition explores how these self-managed retail stores, offering a diverse array of products, catered the varied shopping needs of different groups while serving as crucial hubs for the exchange of local information. Each grocery store has its unique characteristics, sheding lights on how globalization impacts the local economy and how local products adapt flexibly within grocery store networks. Additionally, the exhibition highlights the significant role of women as operators of these stores. Many female proprietors are not only self-reliant business owners but also manage their role as mothers and spouses. Through the lens of grocery stores, visitors can observe how these women skillfully navigate and balance their dual identities.     The exhibition highlights the work experiences and role transitions of female proprietors.   Grocery stores, as grassroots commercial mechanisms still present across Tainan, serve as an ideal theme for this special exhibition, offering a holistic perspective on the city’s social diversity. More importantly, the exhibition fosters collaboration among citizen from all walks of life to its creation. From the early stages of the museum's transformation, South Museum embraced a participatory approach. Starting in 2020, volunteers and students were invited to participate in an investigation of grocery stores, eventually engaging students from over ten schools across Tainan. These young participants explored grocery stores in all 37 administrative districts of the city. Through hands-on curatorial workshops, the public’s collaborative efforts were integrated into the exhibition, resulting in an experience built in partnership with the community. For Tainan’s younger generation, this investigation became an opportunity to rediscover their neighborhood grocery stores, prompting reflection on their relationship with the land and their identity within Tainan. Under the keen observations and records of these young participants, the cultural charm of Tainan was imbued with fresh, contemporary perspectives.     A glimpse of the Grocery Stores special exhibition.   Building and Expanding Collaborative Mechanisms Collaboration and co-creation are foundational to South Museum’s curatorial methodology. During its period of closure for renovations, the museum developed two key mechanisms to institutionalize the spirit of collaboration: "South Museum Investigators" and "Guest Curators." Established in 2021, the "South Museum Investigators" initiative engaged volunteers, high school students, and university students in thematic explorations facilitated by museum-led courses. Participants employed small, elegantly crafted display boxes as a medium to co-create exhibitions on topics ranging from the museum’s collections and grocery stores to educational history and Indigenous cultures. These micro-exhibitions have been showcased on platforms such as high schools, universities, museum festivals, and community exhibitions. The previously mentioned Grocery Stores special exhibition is also a direct result of the collaborative efforts of South Museum Investigators.     South Museum Investigators share their research findings through micro-exhibition boxes.   If "constructing history" is a process of negotiation, dialogue, and shared envisioning of the future, the South Museum Investigators program represents a crucial collaborative mechanism. It facilitates the construction of multicultural narratives, fosters public participation, embraces open interpretations, and drives the democratization of history. Simultaneously, it strengthens participants' connections to the society and relationships to the land.     Students from National Yujing Senior Vocational School of Technology and Commerce, as South Museum Investigators, explore their homeland in the foothills from various perspectives.   The "Guest Curators" initiative is another significant effort to leverage Tainan’s rich intellectual and cultural resources. Tainan is home to many scholars and independent experts who have conducted extensive research across diverse cultural domains. Through this program, South Museum invites experts from various fields to translate their specialized research into accessible and engaging presentations for the public. In 2022, South Museum invited historian and cultural researcher Zhang Yun-shu as its first Guest Curator. Zhang curated a micro-exhibition titled "Tainan Art: Private Cabinets in Local Inns" focused on craftsmanship. The exhibition was hosted across six local inns, illustrating the daily lives and cultural heritage of Tainan’s people through intimate and relatable narratives.     In Tainan Art: Private Cabinets in Local Inns, local innkeepers take on the role of curators to share Tainan’s unique cultural knowledge.   During the curatorial process, experts contribute their professional perspectives by creating exhibition scripts, while the museum shapes diverse viewpoints through its exhibitions. In this way, the "Guest Curators" initiative establishes a platform for collaborative expression, allowing external historical research communities to actively participate in curatorial endeavors. Consequently, the museum becomes an open stage for enriching the understanding of Tainan’s history from multiple perspectives. The Vision of South Museum In 2024, as Tainan marks its 400th anniversary, the vision for this cultural capital extends beyond mere preservation or revival of traditions. Instead, it seeks to foster social dialogue rooted in its rich historical and cultural heritage, shaping the city’s unique cultural identity, strengthening residents' sense of belonging, and collectively exploring the future of the city. For the reopened South Museum, the challenge is to leverage museum practices to realize this urban vision. This involves the effective application of museum technologies, including collection management, research, exhibition design, and educational programming, as well as seamless coordination between the museum's front-of-house and behind-the-scenes operations. Moreover, South Museum places significant emphasis on the participatory values of collaboration and dialogue, aligning with the contemporary vision of museums as platforms for social communication. The museum underscores that everyone is an integral part of preserving the history and culture of this ancient capital, and that diverse communities are both the agents of historical activities in the past and the architects of contemporary historical narratives. By fostering connections between the past and the present and emphasizing human agency, South Museum aims to collaboratively advance Tainan’s cultural vision. Underpinned by a solid foundation of museum techniques, the institution aspires to become a museum capable of social action and issue-driven discourse, playing a pivotal role in the city’s cultural and societal development. ❚ English Editor: Cheung, Billy Chi-Yiu （M.A., Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, TNUA）

Author：Hsieh, Shih-yuan（Associate Professor, Department of History, National Cheng Kung University） After more than two years of renovation, the Koxinga Museum reopened on December 22, 2023, under it’s new name of "Tainan City Museum," which now serves as the main site of the "Tainan Museum System." Together with the Tainan Zuojhen Fossil Park, the Shanshang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum, and the Tapani Incident Memorial Park, it forms a cohesive museum network that collectively showcases the rich and diverse cultural landscape of Tainan. The Tainan Museum System operates across multiple temporal scales. The Tainan Zuojhen Fossil Park reveals how the long evolution of natural history has shaped the physical geography and cultural conditions of Tainan’s mountainous regions. Meanwhile, the Shanshang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum stands as a testament to Tainan's transformation into a modern city, illustrating how the city has synchronized with the global wave of modernization. However, the system’s understanding of "modernity" does not adhere to a single or linear narrative. The Tapani Incident Memorial Park vividly captures the collision between modern governance and traditional society, offering a dynamic perspective on the complexities of modernization.     The Tainan City Museum network. Top left: Tainan City Museum; Top right: Shanshang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum; Bottom left: Tapani Incident Memorial Park; Bottom right: Tainan Zuojhen Fossil Park.   The Tainan Museum System is an ever-expanding network that reflects an inclusive approach to cultural diversity. Its management and operations exemplify how museum technologies can seamlessly integrate resources and improve operational efficiency. From an administrative perspective, the Tainan City Museum is classified as a second-level agency under the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Tainan City Government. Such classification distinguishes it from other counties and cities, where museums of comparable status are often managed by divisions within cultural bureaus and led by division chiefs. In contrast, the Tainan Museum System operates with an independent budget and a full-time director. This structure provides it with greater autonomy and flexibility, underscoring the Tainan City Government’s dedication to the development of its museum initiatives.   The Past and Present of "South Museum" The construction and transformation of the Tainan Museum System have been profoundly shaped by the historical trajectory of research and collection development. Since the Japanese colonial period, Tainan has seen collaborative efforts from both official and private sectors to investigate historical sites, collect historical materials, and organize exhibitions. The museum traces its origin back to 1932, when the Japanese government established the "Tainan City Historical Materials Hall." In 1936, a new building was constructed, and the institution was renamed the "Tainan Prefecture Tainan City History Museum."After World War II, the museum reopened under the name "Tainan City History Museum." In the 1960s, influenced by the prevailing values of promoting national righteousness, it was renamed the "National Cultural Relics Museum." By 2003, it adopted the name "Koxinga Museum," placing a significant focus on Koxinga’s historical evaluation—a theme tied to questions of historical justice. However, the museum's collection contained only a limited number of artifacts directly related to Koxinga. Such disconnection between the museum’s name and its actual content eventually led to its renaming as the "Tainan City Museum”.   Artifacts exhibited at the Tainan City Museum are the result of a century of dedicated efforts by cultural and historical researchers.   Throughout nearly a century of historical research tradition, the Tainan Museum has accumulated a rich collection of local cultural relics, bearing witness to Tainan's development from the Qing dynasty's provincial capital era to modern times. The museum's collection process over the past century relied heavily on the collaborative efforts of civilian historians and researchers. Local historical communities, including figures such as Shi Yang Sui, Zhuang Song Lin, Lu Jia-xing, Lian Jing-chu, and Huang Tian-heng, have been continuously engaged in historical excavation and investigation in the Tainan area since the Japanese colonial period. They have rescued cultural assets affected by factors such as war and urban expansion. These comprehensive historical artifacts reflect the diverse character of Tainan's old city, providing insight into the layout of a political center and revealing the temporal aspects of social operations and human relationships. More importantly, these precious cultural crystallizations are the result of the collective efforts of many Tainan residents.   Opening Permanent Exhibition "Creating Tainan: Our Story" The newly reopened Tainan City Museum's permanent exhibition, titled "Creating Tainan: Our Story," employs a chronological narrative display to guide visitors through the historical context of Tainan. The exhibition is divided into thematic sections, including "Tainan's DNA," "Sea of Opportunity," "Ming's Eastern Capital," "Prefecture City Layout," "City of Abundance," "Immigrants Crowding In," "Guarding the City, Gathering New Ideas," "Southern Modernity," and "Building Tainan Together," each providing unique interpretations of Tainan's history.   The "Tainan's DNA" and "Sea of Opportunity" sections showcase Tainan’s deep connection with water.   The permanent exhibition emphasizes the process of human interaction that has shaped the Tainan area throughout the long sweep of history. Indigenous peoples were the first to settle in the region, followed by diverse groups who converged here, collectively forging the culture and character of the land and city. The section "Ming's Eastern Capital" features rare artifacts related to Koxinga, illustrating the development of the Zheng dynasty in Tainan while highlighting the shifting image of Koxinga in national identity and historical memory. Meanwhile, sections such as "Prefecture City Layout," "City of Abundance," and "Guarding the City, Gathering New Ideas" depict the role of the prefectural city during the Qing dynasty. These sections explore political, commercial, and cultural dimensions, shedding light on how diplomatic and economic factors influenced Tainan after the mid-19th century.   The "Prefecture City Layout" section displays gate inscriptions from the large and small North Gates, illustrating the spatial structure of the prefectural city.   The permanent exhibition also seeks to reflect Tainan’s new configuration following the merger of city and county, extending its scope beyond the old city area to showcase the diverse urban and rural environments of the Greater Tainan region, illustrating how these elements shape a distinctive local culture and way of life. The "Immigrants Crowding In" section explores the development of social spaces outside the old city, focusing on the relationship between river basins and the Wang-ye belief. It highlights how early Tainan residents lived in close connection with water, and during the Qing Dynasty, disputes over water resources frequently occurred in local communities. The government leveraged the distribution of water resources and the construction of flood prevention projects to assert its ruling authority and demonstrate its administrative achievements. The "Southern Modernity" and "Building Tainan Together" sections take Taiwan’s modernization during the Japanese colonial period as their backdrop. These sections underscore how Taiwan, as a colony adopting modern state systems, gradually transformed Tainan’s social structure and lifestyle. The demolition of the old city walls, the introduction of Western-style architecture, new education systems, modern commercial activities, lifestyle entertainment, and changes in agricultural production. These changes reflected the imperial government’s vision for colonial governance and its drive to exploit resources. At the same time, they also facilitated Tainan’s gradual synchronization with the modern world.     The permanent exhibition emphasizes the conscious efforts of generations of Tainan residents to preserve history, leaving evidence of different eras.   Objects and the Makers of Tainan’s History The permanent exhibition, titled "Creating Tainan: Our Story," emphasizes the conscious efforts of generations of Tainan residents, such as Shi Yang-sui and Chen Chun-mu, to preserve cultural and historical heritage. Their work has left behind evidence of different eras, shaping Tainan into the city it is today. Over nearly a century of collecting, the museum has amassed many significant artifacts, some of which are recognized as antiquities under Taiwan’s Cultural Heritage Preservation Act. These include items such as the "Portrait of Koxinga" by Nasu Toyokiyo, Koxinga’s calligraphy, a jade tablet (believed to be the ceremonial tablet of Prince Ningjing), the "Get Off Your Horse" stele of Wanshou Temple, inscriptions from Taiwan Prefecture city gates, the Hongzhi Garden stele by Prefect Jiang Yunxun, Qing Dynasty woodcarvings by Lin Chao-ying, admonitory plaques on governance, and a fragment of the bust of Governor-General Kodama Gentarō. These invaluable artifacts offer vital clues to tracing Tainan’s historical transformations through contemporary times, Japanese colonial rule, and the Qing era. By emphasizing the agency of those who have worked to preserve history, the exhibition transforms "Our Story" from a mere slogan into a call for making historical preservation an everyday practice. The Tainan City Museum invites us to see a Tainan shaped by its people and their unique cultural contributions. It tells a story that resonates with locals and introduces newcomers to the city’s heritage, offering a meaningful starting point for anyone seeking to understand Tainan.   ❚ English Editor: Cheung, Billy Chi-Yiu （M.A., Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, TNUA）

作者：陽寶頤 (荷蘭萊登大學藝術社會研究中心博士) 籌備三年的「中國製造」特展（展期：2024/10/11~2025/8/31）在鹿特丹世界博物館開幕，以三百餘件文物與豐富的影像資料，呈現中國工藝之美與工匠故事【註1】。鹿特丹世界博物館的歷史與荷蘭皇家遊艇俱樂部密不可分。俱樂部為1846年荷蘭亨利王子(Prince Henry of the Netherlands)所成立。亨利王子曾任荷蘭海軍，造訪過荷屬印尼群島。他於1873年成立「亨利王子海事博物館」，收藏船舶模型、航海物品與殖民文物。1879年亨利王子過世後，博物館改由鹿特丹市政府管理，並於2000年更名為世界博物館【註2】。 隨著歐洲博物館的去殖民化浪潮，世界博物館的策展方針亦逐步從強調「異己」的民族學展示，轉而聚焦當代社會議題與個人故事，「中國製造」特展對工藝製作細節與工匠故事的探索，亦反映了此展示轉向。   鹿特丹世界博物館外觀。世界博物館提供 (Jordi Huisman攝影)   展覽敘事：從物件、技藝、創作者到當代社會 特展以牆上的大型年表拉開序幕，搭配文字、圖像與實物，以中國舊石器時代至今歷史大事紀為主軸，標誌出重要工藝發展，例如商代的青銅工藝、秦代的兵馬俑與唐代的雕版印刷等。緊接第一主題「中國的貿易網絡」以互動式螢幕地圖與藏品，具象化中國物質文化與貿易歷史的時空脈絡，呈現數千年來中國貨如何經由絲路與貿易商船流通，被世界各地的人消費使用。 第二主題「材料與技藝」展示了剪紙、竹器、漆器、陶瓷、象牙器、玻璃器、絲綢、書畫等豐富展品，並搭配製作工具、可觸摸的樣品，以及策展團隊2023年底至中國拍攝的大量訪問影片。觀眾能以更豐富的感官維度理解物品從無到有的製作過程，例如在宜興茶壺的展台前，放映匠人捏陶與塑形的影片，並且設置了可自由觸摸的工具與茶壺樣品。   「材料與技藝」展廳一景。中央為宜興茶壺展台，觀眾可觸摸上面的茶壺樣品與製壺工具。世界博物館提供 (Aad Hoogendoorn攝影)   策展人Willemijn van Noord表示，影片讓藝術家有機會分享創作經驗，呈現傳統藝術展覽中時常被忽略的創作者心聲。例如，在犀皮漆貫耳壺旁播放藝術家甘爾可的訪談影片，呈現他對傳承漆器工藝的熱忱，並描述他如何改良源於東漢的技術，製作出顏色鮮麗且混合金箔的作品。作品旁的偌大玻璃櫃中，整齊排列了數十件工具與材料，襯托出為製作這件不到十五公分高的小巧貫耳壺，背後所需的心血與技藝。   甘爾可(Gan Erke)，犀皮漆貫耳壺(2019)。世界博物館提供 (Aad Hoogendoorn攝影)   甘爾可製作犀皮漆器所使用到的工具。世界博物館提供 (Aad Hoogendoorn攝影)   展覽最後以三個主題「大規模生產」、「複製的藝術」與「當代製造者」，探討中國文化脈絡下「製造」與「複製」的多種涵義，以及對大量製造的反思與批判。例如，「大規模生產」主題中的「代價為何？」(At What Cost?) 展區透過影像與印刷在長條幅上的個人故事，強調中國作為「世界工廠」為全球提供廉價產品，卻也同時嚴重剝削人力並造成自然汙染。此處播放的影片包括曹斐2006年創作的行為藝術表演《誰的烏托邦》，探詢在機械化且不斷重複的生產流水線中遺失的個人夢想。   「代價為何？」展區一景，世界博物館提供 (Aad Hoogendoorn攝影)   「複製的藝術」主題探索臨摹、復古、仿古與山寨等關鍵字，強調在中國文化脈絡下對「複製」的多樣的視角：有時將其視為獨特的創作，而非以「抄襲」一詞加以貶低。展覽以清朝仿竹策外型的墨條、仿明成化的鬥彩雞缸杯、明朝與當代的仿古青銅器、張大千仿石濤筆法的山水畫、模仿書畫的木版水印，乃至當代中國生產的山寨精品，呈現「複製品」的多元面貌。但筆者認為，儘管臨摹、復古、仿古與山寨等詞彙均帶有仿製意涵，實屬完全不同的概念，各有其獨特的社會文化及藝術歷史脈絡，將其混融在「複製」主題中討論，亦可能忽視其差異性，導致誤解。   「複製的藝術」展廳一景，右側展示中國山寨品。世界博物館提供 (Aad Hoogendoorn攝影)   最後的主題「當代製造者」呈現中國當代藝術如何藉由「製造」反思社會議題。例如，楊泳梁的《蜃市山水Ⅲ》乍看是水墨三聯畫，畫面實由當代城市影像拼貼而成，突顯都市化對自然地景的大幅改造。時裝設計師方妍楠的花簇連身裙則以獨特的編織技巧節省布面用料，並增強材質的延展性，使時裝更能適應體型的變化，嘗試為時尚永續作出貢獻。值得一提的是，相較於前面展廳陳設密集的展品，「當代製造者」展廳較為空疏。策展人認為觀眾一開始較能吸收大量資訊，但隨著觀展進程勢必產生視覺疲勞，故刻意減少展品。   楊泳梁《蜃市山水Ⅲ》(2007)，世界博物館藏 (館藏編號7289-1) 方妍楠(Susan Fang)，不對稱花簇連身裙，上海2023。世界博物館提供 (Aad Hoogendoorn攝影)   分類與敘事的難題 在訪談中，策展人強調「中國製造」特展希望透過多元的展品，讓觀眾藉由多重的語境理解「中國製造」的複雜樣貌 。然而，在有限的展覽空間中，清楚呈現猶如百科全書般豐富的中國工藝，無疑是一大挑戰。 以「材料與技藝」展區為例，龐大的展件數量橫跨傳統與當代，策展團隊需面對分類與敘事邏輯的難題。展覽中有部分展品按照材質分類（竹、紙、陶瓷、絲綢、漆器），也有些按照技藝分類（水墨筆法、雕刻裁切），兩種分類彼此交織，難免導致重複。例如，「漆器」與「雕刻裁切」這兩個主題展櫃中均陳列剔紅漆器。「紙」分類下則僅展示二十世紀的民間剪紙與當代藝術家陳航峰的雷射剪紙《瘋狂標誌─福祿壽》，然而比起材質，剪紙更引人注目的部分應是其精細的刻工，納入「雕刻裁切」的主題或許更為合適。   陳航峰《瘋狂標誌─福祿壽》，雷射紙雕，上海2018。作品旨在藉由充滿品牌符號的圖像批判當代社會充斥的消費慾望。世界博物館藏 (館藏編號7299-1a-c)   如何強化展廳布局的敘事邏輯是另一個問題。以「大規模生產」主題下的兩間展廳為例，首先，「以模組大量製造」(Making More with Modules)展區以秦代兵馬俑與漢字構形探討模組化生產如何大幅提高產量，緊接著「代價為何」展區則檢討大規模生產造成當代自然汙染與勞動壓榨，從兵馬俑與漢字結構延伸討論當代的資源剝削，兩者之間的敘事邏輯不夠明確。   「以模組大量製造」展區一景，左側展櫃裡是介紹漢字構形的互動裝置，以及香港藝術家Kit Da Sketch創作的「勁揪體」漢字「知行合一」，右側是兵馬俑複製品。世界博物館提供 (Aad Hoogendoorn攝影)   儘管「中國製造」的展品分類與敘事設計或有調整空間，但策展意圖仍頗具啟發性。 展覽以當代社會中備受政治化、常被貼上負面標籤的「中國製造」為題，運用多樣的藏品與視聽材料，不僅讓創作者現身，也彰顯中國傳統與當代設計的創造力，鼓勵觀眾跳脫刻板印象，以多重視野理解產地標籤的豐富內涵，為「中國製造」賦予更多文化意涵與創新可能性。 註釋 註釋1：「中國製造」特展展期：2024年10月11日至2025年8月31日。2025年10月將移至阿姆斯特丹世界博物館展出。策展人：Willemijn van Noord (本文訪問對象)、Floor Scholte。展場設計：Designwolf。  註釋2：自2017年以降，鹿特丹世界博物館與萊頓世界博物館(原民族學博物館)、阿姆斯特丹世界博物館(原熱帶博物館)結盟，彼此共享收藏資源。