My Time in Taiwan Draws to a Close

August 09, 2020

This week was the penultimate week of ICLP classes. I spent much of it studying for exams and frantically searching for jobs both here and at home. During the weekend, however, I made sure to enjoy some quality time with the friends I have made here. On Friday, a few of us took part in a pub quiz and we ranked somewhere in the very respectable middle. It was the largest congregation of non-Taiwanese people I had seen in over half a year. On Saturday, Alison gave me and Lyn a tour of the National Taiwan Museum, where she volunteers as a guide. I learnt many interesting facts, for example:

The museum was established by the Japanese to commemorate the building of the North-South Railway, and the main building was built as a “memorial museum” to Governor-General Kodama Gentaro and Chief Civil Administrator Goto Shinpei.
Some of the decorations in the museum lobby, for example the stained glass and the lamps, incorporate Gentaro’s and Shinpei’s family crests. Their statues, which used to stand in the lobby, have been relocated to the third floor because of their association with the colonial regime.
The Japanese attempted to exoticise Taiwan by importing royal palm trees (which feature prominently on NTU’s campus) and mangoes. The stucco ornaments around the windows inside the museum incorporate garlands with tropical fruits, such as bananas.
Because the Japanese ran out of funds while building the museum, they had to use plaster instead of marble for some of the walls.
The columns in the lobby have volutes (the twirly things at the top) that turn upwards rather than downwards. It is not entirely clear why.
The museum was built in neo-classical style as per the instructions of the emperor, who wanted to experiment with western architecture but believed Japanese society too conservative to permit such buildings to be erected in Japan proper.

On Sunday, my friends and I went to a vegetarian restaurant and ate cookies afterwards.