National Center for Traditional Arts

National Center for Traditional Arts

The buildings of the National Center for Traditional Arts were collaboratively designed by a group of architects including Chien Hsueh-yi, Chen Sen-teng, Tsai Yuan-liang, and Huang Sheng-yuan, who masterfully presented traditional Taiwanese architecture. Their work earned the center's campus the “2001 Taiwan Architecture Award of Excellence.” From the Theater Museum, Quyi Museum, Library, and Traditional Crafts Training Center, to the Muyao Kiln, Folk Culture Street, Accommodation Center, Wenchang Shrine, Traditional Stage, and the Former Residence of Scholar Huang, all exude distinctive charm and are well worth a close look.

The exhibition system in the National Center for Traditional Arts campus is divided into dynamic and static displays. The dynamic displays mainly consist of skill performances held in the street-settlement area, open-air stages by the waterfront, and the pastoral landscape zone, while the static displays focus on traditional arts and crafts showcased in the “Exhibition Hall” and music and opera-related artifacts displayed in the “Theater Museum Artifact Gallery.”

The Big Fisher Restaurant and Snack Bar in the National Center for Traditional Arts offer a variety of traditional Yilan cuisine. The street area also features dozens of craft shops, such as an old-style cinema, wooden clog museum, puppet theater museum, pottery museum, and glass museum — each with its own unique appeal and a favorite stop for visitors.