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THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHINESE NATIONAL IDENTITY AND THE
DESIGNS OF NATIONAL MUSEUMS DURING THE EARLY POST-WAR
PERIOD IN TAIWAN
Jung-jen Tsai
國立聯合大學/Na ional Uni ed Uni e si y, Miaoli, Taiwan
Abs ac
Exempli ying wi h wo Taiwanese na ional museums buil in he 1950s and 1960s, his
pape demons a es how na ionalism played a cen al ole in shaping he de elopmen o
Mode n a chi ec u e in pos -wa Taiwan. A e WWII, he Na ionalis Pa y (KMT)
e oceded Taiwan om Japan bu simul aneously e ea he e. This led o hei s ong
a emp o econs uc a cul u al, his o ical, and e hnic ela ionships be ween Taiwan and
China. The KMT s i ed o e ase any aces o Japanese colonial cons uc ions and o
edi ec he island’s social iden i y owa d he Chinese Na ionalis ’s adi ions. Such ise
o Chinese na ionalism s imula ed se e al a chi ec s o sea ch o a na ional s yle. They
aced he oo o he s yle om he pas and connec ed i o hei mode n designs wi h
an a emp o c ea e a sense o communi y and na ional iden i y isually.
Wi h Taipei’s Nanhai Academy and he Na ional Palace Museum as case s udies, his
pape a gues ha ‘museum’ has come o be concep ualized, no me ely as place o
exhibi ion, bu as poli ical symbols which ep esen he o icial de ini ion o he na ion.
‘Museum’ was gi en a poli ical unc ion and loaded wi h powe ul poli ical icons: axial
and ce emonial a angemen o spaces, iconog aphic p og ammes and spa ial na a i es,
e olu iona y ch onological displaying, pseudo-Chinese classical a chi ec u al elemen s,
and he sculp u es/ po ai s o poli ical eli es placed in squa es and exhibi ion halls. This
pape con ends ha he wo exempli ying museums which ca y poli ical unc ion
ac ually isualize he imagina ion o he na ion. By in e p e ing hese museum
a chi ec u es in a b oade social and poli ical con ex , and e i ying wi h museology, he
pape demons a es ha an in es iga ion o he Chinese na ional s yle would be
ine i able i a be e unde s anding o he de elopmen o mode n a chi ec u e in Pos -
wa Taiwan is o be achie ed.
Keywo ds: Na ionalism, Na ional Museum, Taipei’s Na ional Palace Museum, Chiang
Kai-shek
In 2000, Benedic Ande son, he au ho o an in luen ial book Imagined
Communi ies which ma ked a u ning poin in na ionalism s udies, isi ed Taiwan
and had a sho discussion abou he con empo a y de elopmen o Taiwan’s
na ionalism. Ande son a gued ha he Na ional Palace Museum was he poli ical
legacy o he KMT's ule o e Taiwan. In he pos -wa pe iod, Chiang Kai-Shek
ook mos o he Qing oyal collec ions om Beijing’s Fo bidden Ci y and
Jung-jen Tsai, The Cons uc ion o Chinese Na ional Iden i y and he Design o Na ional Museums du ing
he Ea ly Pos -wa Pe iod in Taiwan
450
p ese ed hem in Taipei’s Na ional Palace Museum. Chiang ea ed hese
collec ions as ‘na ional easu es’ o demons a e ha he was he eal hei o
o hodox Chinese cul u e and he na ion. Howe e , a e a success ul p ocess o
democ a isa ion had aken place in he pos -ma ial law e a o Taiwan, he KMT
a emp ed o ge id o Chiang’s legacy and i s close connec ion wi h Chinese
na ionalism. To achie e his, Ande son sugges ed ha e u ning all oyal
collec ions back o mainland China should be conside ed.
Ande son’s sugges ion has shown ha museums, especially na ional museums,
a e no a neu al phenomenon. The ma e ial in museums is mo e han jus
collec ions. Museums imply a gene al p ocess o poli ical inhe i ance a wo k. I
is a p o oundly poli ical concep o a na ion ha shapes museums and makes
hem possible. Ande son called i a o m o poli ical museumising (Ande son,
1991). Taipei’s Nanhai Academy and he Na ional Palace Museum a e he bes
examples o demons a e his close ela ionship be ween na ionalism and
museums.
I is gene ally ag eed ha ecen s udies in new museology, o c i ical museum
heo y, ha e in oduced a b oade sense o social and his o ical pe spec i es o
museum s udies, imp o ing he way we iew and unde s and hem. These
heo ies p o ide sha p analy ical ools o challenge he old o hodoxy o museum
s udies and o shake up he way in which we iew museums. While he ene s o
new museology a e a gued by a dispa a e g oup o esea che s, common
h eads can be ound in hei wo k (Ve go, 1989).
The i s is a call o unde s and ha ‘objec s’ displayed in museums ha e been
isola ed om hei o iginal con ex . Objec s a e inse ed in o museums, new
en i onmen s p o iding o al p o ec ion agains he decay o na u al o ces.
Objec s cease o pe o m hei o iginal unc ion in daily usage and s a o
ci cula e in he wo ld as p i a e p ope ies. Time is comple ely ozen in
museums in o de o p ese e he objec s on a long e m basis o e en in
pe pe ui y o he pu pose o collec ion, examina ion and exhibi ion. This change
in use and owne ship makes he objec s become he collec ions o museums,
concei ed o be meaning ul as he mos impo an easu es o ou socie y.
Regionalism, Na ionalism & Mode n A chi ec u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 25-27, 2018
451
The second is econ ex ualisa ion. When objec s ha e been pu in o museums,
hei li e is di e en om hei p e-collec ion exis ence. They en e a new s age
and ob ain a new s a us as au ho ised collec ion in museums. In addi ion,
objec s a e labelled by hei dis inc i e o ms and le els o sca ci y. In o he
wo ds, he alue o objec s is no de i ed om hei o iginal con ex , bu a he
is gi en by cu a o s and museum p o essionals who ha e he au ho i y o judge
he objec s and place hem in exhibi ion ooms. In o he wo ds, museums
econ ex ualise objec s and imply a se o powe ela ionships which con ols he
way hey a e e-in e p e ed and exhibi ed.
The hi d conce n is ha only some pa icula objec s a e selec ed o be
p o ec ed and displayed in museums. As Susan A. C ane has a gued (2000,2-3),
he pu pose o museums is o ix he pas o ou cul u es and socie ies h ough
objec s by selec ing wha dese es o be kep , emembe ed and sa ed ou o
ime. As a esul , museums c ea e a ision o he pas and u u e based on
con empo a y needs. They also o mula e an o ganisa ional p inciple o collec ,
a ange and p ese e he objec s o econs uc ing he pas .
The ou h issue o he New Museology is ideology. Fo hese new museum
esea che s, museums a e no neu al spaces elling he ‘ eal’ s o ies o na u e
o human c ea ions. As hey ha e poin ed ou , objec s in museums a e no
‘pu e’, ‘au hen ic’, o ‘un ouched since hey had been ound o had been made’.
I is he e ec o ideology which plays an impo an ole in museums in aming
he way in which we iew he collec ions and expe ience he museum spaces.
Acco ding o new museology, he e a e h ee ypes o ideology: e olu iona y
ch onology, iconog aphic p og amme and na ionalism.
(1) E olu iona y ch onology: Enligh enmen hinke s in he ea ly mode n e a
s a ed building and o ganising exhibi ions and collec ions in an enligh enmen
mode. I helped o c ea e a new a ional o de o hings. I also helped o
na u alise and neu alise he way in which we iew objec s in museums. As a
consequence, objec s a e classi ied in ch onological o de . Each o hem
ep esen s a pa icula pe iod o p og essi e de elopmen in o m and s yle o
Jung-jen Tsai, The Cons uc ion o Chinese Na ional Iden i y and he Design o Na ional Museums du ing
he Ea ly Pos -wa Pe iod in Taiwan
452
exempli y e olu iona y changes in his o y. This makes he expe ience o walking
h ough museums like passing h ough ime.
(2) Iconog aphic p og amme: Ca ol Duncan and Alan Wallach sugges ha
museums should be seen as a kind o cul u al sh ine (Duncan and Wallach,
2006). The key unc ion o hese sh ines is o imp ess isi o s and make hem
belie e ha wha hey see in exhibi ions a e he mos e e ed easu es o
socie ies. The ins alla ions o exhibi ions, layou o ooms and sequence o
collec ions all c ea e expe iences ha esemble adi ional eligious expe iences.
Like o he ce emonial monumen s, museums a e complex a chi ec u al o ms
which o ganise isi o s’ spa ial expe iences as a sc ip o ganises a pe o mance.
By ollowing he sc ip , isi o s engage in a isual ac i i y ull o i ual meanings
(Duncan and Wallach, 2006, p.53). No hing will illus a e he con empo a y
iconog aphic p og amme be e han he no ion o objec lessons in mode n
public museums. When wo ks o a no longe se e as oyal collec ions bu a e
claimed as na ional easu es, hey a e used o show he weal h o na ions o
imp ess ‘new isi o s’, usually ci izens o he na ion. These ci izens a e gi en a
lesson in museums abou he his o y o hei na ion and hei own oo s (Duncan
and Wallach, 2006, p.58-9).
(3) Na ionalism: like many o he a chi ec u al ypes, museums p o ide a cul u al
unde pinning o he de elopmen o he mode n na ion-s a e. A e na ionalism
became mains eam ideology in he ea ly mode n age, museum objec s we e
calcula ed as pa o he weal h o he na ion, and ‘ edisco e ed’ hei unique
na ional cha ac e is ics. New objec s we e chosen o be p o ec ed and displayed
in museums, because hey had dis inc i e ea u es which could ep esen he
na ion. Objec s we e gi en a new iden i y, di e en om hei p e ious
exis ence, as cul u al and poli ical symbols o he na ion. The na ion-s a es e en
monopolise in e p e a ion o he objec s. As a esul , objec s in museums a e
na ionalised and codi ied as pa o he isible e idence o he his o ical na a i e
o he na ion (Benne , 1995).
Objec s in he museums do no di ec ly and au oma ically ansmi meaning o
isi o s. The meaning o objec s depends on he con ex o o he objec s, he
Regionalism, Na ionalism & Mode n A chi ec u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 25-27, 2018
453
spa ial design, he me hod o ep esen a ion and he en i onmen o museums.
Museum a chi ec u e is o cen al impo ance o he isi o expe ience. One o
he long-s anding ways o en ision museums is ha museum a chi ec u e is a
sac ed space p o ec ing na ional easu es om he ou side wo ld (Ma s ine,
2006). The a chi ec u al o m o museums is expec ed o isualise he image o
he cul u al sh ine ha can gi e isi o s a sense o p i ilege and an oppo uni y
o ca ch a glimpse o he mys e ious pas .
Howe e , many inno a i e ideas o es ablishing a mode n na ional museum o
he public we e de i ed om he Lou e in Pa is. The Lou e can be iewed as
he p o o ype o na ional museums, which es o ed mul iple a wo ks and
an hological and a chaeological objec s iewed as na ional easu es (Duncan
and Wallach, 2006). The success o he Lou e a ac ed new na ions o ake i
as a model o imi a ion. A e he Qing empe o was o ced o mo e ou o he
Fo bidden Ci y in 1924, se e al poli icians and cul u al eli es ook he Lou e as
example o suppo he es ablishmen o he Na ional Palace Museum in he
Fo bidden Ci y (Hamlish, 1995).
Soon a e i was opened in 1925, he Second Sino-Japanese Wa ook place.
The Museum was o ced o close due o he sp ead o he Wa in No he n China,
wi h he na ional easu es e ea ing wi h he Na ionalis go e nmen om
No h o Sou hwes o China. When he Chinese Communis pa y ook con ol o
China, he Na ionalis s e ea ed o Taiwan and ca ied mos he impo an
easu es wi h hem. I ook ano he o y yea s o wai ing o wi ness Taipei’s
Na ional Palace Museum opening in 1965. Be o e he Museum was ebuil , all
packaged collec ions we e empo a ily housed in Beigoukou, Taichung (Na,
2004). These objec s we e unpacked only o academic esea ch on special
eques o ela ed schola s. This small exhibi ion oom a ac ed nume ous
sinologis s, Chinese a his o ians and a g ea numbe o o dina y people.
Be o e Taipei’s Na ional Palace Museum was e-opened in 1965, he KMT used
he p e ious Japanese colonial go e nmen ’s exhibi ion spaces o display
mains eam Chinese a . The Nanhai Academy was among he i s g oup o
cul u al and educa ional acili ies cons uc ed o he public by he KMT wi h a

Jung-jen Tsai, The Cons uc ion o Chinese Na ional Iden i y and he Design o Na ional Museums du ing
he Ea ly Pos -wa Pe iod in Taiwan
454
de ini e poli ical pu pose in pos -wa Taiwan. The idea o he Academy was he
ounda ion o a Chinese museum ac opolis in Taipei o p ese e Chinese cul u al
elics and a e book collec ions ha e ea ed wi h he go e nmen om
mainland China. The ac opolis also se ed he unc ion o p omo ing he
o hodox cul u e o China. In 1953, a e Chiang Kai-shek isi ed he Ga den, he
asked Chang Chi-yun, he minis e o educa ion, o build a se ies o pubic
buildings which included he Cen al Lib a y (1955), he Na ional Taiwan A s
Educa ion Cen e (1956), he Con ucius-Mencius Socie y o he Republic o China
(1956), he Na ional Taiwan Science Educa ion Cen e (1958), The Na ional
Museum o His o y (1956-64) and many o he go e nmen al ins i u es o
p omo e cul u al and educa ional a ai s. These museums we e gi en a poli ical
unc ion o econnec he link be ween Chinese na ionalism and he Taiwanese
inhabi an s. They became a isible ehicle o con eying a message ha he
cul u al and poli ical legi imacy o he na ion had been i mly ied o he egime.
Al hough Chiang Kai-shek and he KMT los he Chinese Ci il Wa , hey achie ed
pa ial ic o y in he cul u al s uggle. Taipei’s Na ional Palace Museum was a
p ime example o illus a e ha i was Chiang’s egime, no Mao Ze-dong’s, ha
p o ec ed he co e o Chinese na ional cul u e o China. In 1960 Chiang decided
o build a g and museum o display Qing impe ial collec ions a e hei long
jou ney om he mainland ha ook se en een yea s (1933-49). The e a e
h ee poin s which should be highligh ed in he explana ion o he making o he
museum:
(1) Sun Ya -senism and he legi imacy o he na ion: as men ioned ea lie , Sun
Ya -senism was a so o poli ical ideology de eloped in he la e 1920s. This
ideology was p omo ed by Sun’s ollowe s who iewed him as a ounding a he
o he Republic and he ue hei o o hodox Con ucianism. Chiang Kai-shek was
one o he leading ad oca es o Sun Ya -senism. I was no su p ise ha in 1965,
Chiang chose Sun’s cen ennial bi hday as he day o he e-opening o Taipei’s
Na ional Palace Museum. I con eyed a clea message ha he Museum was
buil o honou Sun who le a ich cul u al and poli ical legacy o he na ion. On
he day o he e-opening, Chiang isi ed he Museum and made a amous
speech o e-a i m ha Sun was he ue successo who had inhe i ed he long-
Regionalism, Na ionalism & Mode n A chi ec u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 25-27, 2018
455
es ablished Con ucian adi ion om p e ious cul u al sages and na ional he oes.
Chiang also denomina ed he Museum as he Chungshan Museum in
ememb ance o Sun (Chiang, 1977, p.89). Fo Chiang, ebuilding he Museum
in Taipei was one o he ideal ways o ealise Sun’s cul u al and poli ical hough .
(2) An i-Communis ideology and he Chinese Cul u al Renaissance Mo emen :
he es ablishmen o he Na ional Palace Museum symbolised he egime’s
de e mina ion o gua d he aluable easu es o he na ion. Du ing he Cold Wa
pe iod, Communis China closed i sel o om he wo ld. Resea che s who we e
in e es ed in Chinese cul u e and his o y had o come o Taiwan o hei p ima y
sou ces. Taipei’s Na ional Palace Museum was he only place ha p ese ed he
la ges numbe o Chinese a and impe ial documen s ou side mainland China.
As a esul , he Museum became one o he mus -see a ac ions o o eign
schola s and ou is s who isi ed Taiwan o academic o diploma ic pu poses.
The Na ionalis go e nmen o p omo e an image ha i was Taiwan and no he
mainland ha was he ue s onghold o Chinese cul u e.
In 1966, he Chinese Communis Pa y launched he Cul u al Re olu ion unde
he leade ship o Mao. Chiang Kai-shek and he KMT iewed he Re olu ion as a
h ea o Chinese adi ional cul u e. Chiang immedia ely launched he Chinese
Cul u e Renaissance Mo emen o igh agains he Re olu ion. The goal o he
Mo emen was o e i e Chinese adi ional cul u e h ough he leade ship o
Chiang’s cul u al policies. The Mo emen a emp ed o s eng hen he ole o he
Na ional Palace Museum, ins i u ing a poli ical ideological mission, glo i ying
na ionalis spi i and pa io ic sen imen s (Du, 2003).
(3) Na ionalism and he objec lesson: Like o he museums a ound he wo ld,
Taipei’s Na ional Palace Museum also had a unc ion in educa ion. The Museum’s
ich collec ions o Chinese cul u e could help he Taiwanese o unde s and he
his o y o hei mo he land By his p ocess i was a gued ha he Taiwanese
would come o ecognise ha hey we e insepa able membe s o he Chinese
na ion (Du, 2003). Thus, Taipei’s Na ional Palace Museum played an impo an
ole in p o iding hese objec lessons o he Taiwanese, achie ing he
go e nmen al aim o decolonisa ion and e-signi ica ion in he pos -wa e a.
Jung-jen Tsai, The Cons uc ion o Chinese Na ional Iden i y and he Design o Na ional Museums du ing
he Ea ly Pos -wa Pe iod in Taiwan
456
When Chiang Kai-shek decided o build a g and museum o house he oyal
collec s in Taipei, a closed a chi ec u al design compe i ion o he Museum was
held by he museum commi ee in 1961. Wang is a amous a chi ec who gained
a g ea epu a ion o his c ea i e designs in ans o ming Chinese adi ional
a chi ec u al o m in o a mode nis language. A g adua e o Camb idge and
Ha a d Uni e si y, Wang was hea ily in luenced by a mode nis a chi ec u al
educa ion. He also disapp o ed o Taiwanese a chi ec s who di ec ly copied he
model o Wes e n mode nis a chi ec u e in hei wo k (Li, 1979). He was
looking o an al e na i e di ec ion o a chi ec u al exp ession based on pu e
mode nis a chi ec u al p inciples wi hou losing a adi ional Chinese cha ac e .
The design o he Museum was one o Wang’s ea ly a emp s.
In his design, he main body o he Museum is a mode nis ec angula box
opped wi h h ee e e se umb ella-shaped oo s. The cu e indica es he ou line
o Chinese adi ional building oo s, bu was made in a pu e mode nis o m and
wi h new conc e e echnology. This design showed ha Wang a emp ed o
combine he c ea i e s uc u e sys em and simple mode nis o m wi h Chinese
classical a chi ec u al mo i s o exp ess a new image o mode n Chinese
a chi ec u e.
Figu e 1. Wang Da-hong’s design o he Na ional
Palace Museum.
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Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 25-27, 2018
457
Al hough Wang won he compe i ion, his design did no ac ually ca y ou . The
main eason was ha Chiang Kai-shek was e y dissa is ied wi h he esul . He
hough ha he design did no ul il his ision o he Museum which planned o
display he mos impo an na ional easu es o China. The e o e, he museum
commi ee inally decided o ans e he p ojec o ano he a chi ec : Huang
Bao-yu (1918-2000). Huang p esen ed a g and museum cladded wi h palace-
like oo s and Chinese classical building deco a ions. His design di ec ly
con o med o he museum commi ee’s imagina ion o an imp essi e museum
o housing he mos impo an na ional easu es o he na ion.
Figu e 2. Huang Bao-yu’s Design o he Na ional Palace
Museum.
As Tama a Hamlish has a gued, wha he s a e p ese es in he museum is no
he collec ions hemsel es bu hei symbolic signi icance as a sign o poli ical
au ho i y and legi imacy (Hamlish, 2000, p.158). The design o Taipei’s Na ional
Palace Museum shows he in en ion o museums o be some o he mos
signi ican cul u al and poli ical ep esen a ions exp essing he migh o
na ionhood, by c ea ing an image o a splendid na ional cul u al sh ine. In
Huang Bao-yu’s design, he e a e h ee impo an poin s ha should be
conside ed.
Jung-jen Tsai, The Cons uc ion o Chinese Na ional Iden i y and he Design o Na ional Museums du ing
he Ea ly Pos -wa Pe iod in Taiwan
464
Au ho iden i ica ion
Jung-jen Tsai. A chi ec u al His o ian and Assis an P o esso a Na ional Uni ed
Uni e si y, Miaoli, Taiwan.