Wondering where to take the kids for a full day of fun on the holidays? Head to the Sanxingdui Museum. New Taipei City’s Sanxingdui Museum truly understands what parents need, featuring four different themed sand pits both indoors and outdoors — a veritable land-and-sea sandbox theme park that will let the kids run wild and fully unleash their energy.
Located at the boundary of mountains and sea in Bali, New Taipei City, the Sanxingdui Museum has long been a beloved attraction for visitors, thanks to its diverse exhibitions and activities as well as the natural ecology along the Left Bank. To help everyone get closer to archaeology, the museum has carried out many hardware and software upgrades and innovations in recent years, creating an all-age-friendly museum where children, adults, and seniors can all share in the joy of archaeological discovery.
The museum has set up four different themed and functional sand pits both inside and outside: the “Archaeology Big Sandbox” beneath the stage in the outdoor Sunshine Plaza is surrounded by lush green lawns — perfect for picnicking and playing in the sand with a gentle breeze. The newly opened New Taipei Archaeology Park in May this year is even more thoughtful, featuring Taiwan’s largest “Archaeological Interactive Sandbox.” It offers ventilation and a roofed design, with excavation pit shapes that have educational significance. Regular archaeological activities are held here, allowing children to become little archaeologists and experience the thrill of discovery, learning through play.
AR Experience: Digging Sand to Shape Mountains and Rivers
No need to worry about the approaching winter — the Sanxingdui Museum also has two popular indoor sand pits. It houses the country’s only “Children’s Archaeology Experience Room” tailored specifically for kids, where they can excavate cultural relic models from the sand, use archaeological tools for measuring and sorting, and experience the mystery of archaeological digs. They can even create personalized identity profiles for the relics. Additionally, in the permanent exhibition area, the “AR Augmented Reality Topographic Sandbox” transforms the concept of contour lines into a fun interactive device. By piling up or digging sand, kids can create mountains and lakes — shaping mountains and rivers without ever having to hike or sail.
Museums under the jurisdiction of New Taipei City offer free admission to children under 12, students of all levels of domestic schools, and seniors aged 65 and above. For more event information, visit the Sanxingdui official website at http://www.sshm.ntpc.gov.tw or the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/13hangmuseum. (Sponsored by the New Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs)