Taipei: Museums 台北博物館

My brother suggested that I visit as much museums in Taipei as possible. Not only are some world or nationally famous they are also very affordable! Keep in mind that museums are closed on Mondays and always ask if flash photography or any photography is permitted inside.

he Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館) is a museum established in December 24, 1983. The artworks in the museum are mostly done by Taiwanese artists. There are more than 3,000 artworks in the museum. Most of those displayed are post-1940 by Taiwanese artists, and are organized into 13 groups. The day I went to visit the museum was the last day of the Pixiar Exhibit and the line to buy tix was 3 hour wait so I gave up within 5 minutes and went to another museum a few blocks away.

Next to the Taipei Fine Art Museum, the attractive Taipei Story House was built in 1913 by Dadaocheng tea merchant Mr. Chen Chaojun. Originally a guest house for rich merchants and local influentials, the Story House now hosts tea or Taipei history-related exhibitions.


The National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院)is an art gallery and museum in Taipei City, containing artifacts of ancient China. Located within the Taipei Botanical Garden. It should not be confused with the Palace Museum (note the absence of the word "National"), which is in the Forbidden City in Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China. Both institutions derive from the same original institution, which was split in two as a result of the Chinese Civil War. The National Palace Museum in Taipei holds one of the largest collections of Chinese artifacts and artwork in the world. Entrance fee is $160NT.


National Palace Museum

National Taiwan Museum (國立台灣博物館), established in 1908, is the oldest museum in Taiwan. Established in 1908, the museum is the oldest in Taiwan. The colonial government of Japan set up the Taiwan Governor Museum on October 24, 1908 to commemorate the inauguration of the North-South Railway. The museum had a collection of over 10,000 items in its initial stages. In 1915, the new building of the museum in Taipei New Park was inaugurated and became one of the major public buildings during Japanese rule. Entrance fee, a mere $20NT, that's not even $1US dollar!

The museum maintains its original scale, with five departments — anthropology, earth sciences, zoology, botany and education. The collection features specimens of Taiwan's indigenous animals and plants as well as cultural artifacts. Through its regular exhibitions and special exhibitions, publications and various educational programs, the museum is serving the public as an educational establishment.


National Taiwan Museum

A “National Museum of Historical Artifacts and Fine Arts” was established in a Japanese style building near the Taipei Botanic Garden in 1955. It was renamed “National Museum of History” (hereafter, “NMH”) in 1956 and the building was renovated in a five-floor traditional Chinese Ming and Qing palace style, with four floors for exhibition and staff offices, and one floor for storage. Despite its limited space, the NMH is renowned for its international exhibitions, and proactive and innovative museum development and educational programs. Entrance fee, $30NT, that's only $1US dollar!



National Museum of History

NMH's collection includes some 60,000 artifacts, illustrating the richness and beauty of China's cultural heritage. The collections reveal Chinese folk culture, with an emphasis on that of the Taiwanese people.


NMH also has a cafe on the 2nd floor and tea house on the 4th floor. The beautiful view outside is the Taipei Botanical Garden.



NHM is located within the Taipei Botanical Garden. 8 Hectares of Taipei Nursery (today’s Taiwan Forestry Research Institute) was located in the South West of Taipei city, half a kilometre away from the President Palace, in the South of Bo Ai Road. Dating back to A.D.1896, Taiwan was then under Japanese occupation. The Regenerative and Products Bureau of the Governor General's Office was in charged with less than 5 hectares and started a nursery. So far, Taipei Botanical Garden has expanded to the extent that its living collection is over 1,500 species.

I would recommend going in the late spring/summer time when all the botanical are in bloom in order to enjoy the full beauty the garden has to offer. But even if the garden is not in full bloom, you can still enjoy a peaceful walk and fresh air.


Taipei Botanical Garden