Taiwan also has mummies! The oldest and longest-existing mummy in Taiwan, according to historical records, appeared around the year 1878 (the 4th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty), which is over 130 years ago. It was the body of a local folk believer named Ke Xiang from Dapi Township, Yunlin County at the time, which was processed after his death and later enshrined in the Xuan Tian Shang Di Temple, where he was worshipped by villagers. The mummy of Ke Xiang is currently housed in the National Taiwan Museum. The museum has just launched the special exhibition “Death Is Just Another Beginning: The Legendary Exhibition of Taiwan’s Mummy Ke Xiang,” which will run until April 21, 2013.
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Taiwan’s oldest existing mummy “Ke Xiang” is currently on display at the National Taiwan Museum. (Photo provided by National Taiwan Museum)
The exhibition is divided into several themes: “Ascension to Sainthood: The Birth of the Mummy Ke Xiang,” “The Mummy Against Japanese Rule: Ke Xiang and the Tuku Incident,” “The Trial of the Mummy: Ke Xiang in the Judicial and Police Institutions,” “Displaying the Mummy: Ke Xiang as a Museum Artifact,” “The Return of the Deity: Ke Xiang Returns to the Beiji Temple in Dapi Township, Yunlin,” and “Examining the Mummy: Scientific Identification of the Ke Xiang Mummy.” In addition to showcasing the past stories of “Ke Xiang,” the exhibition also presents the latest scientific findings about “Ke Xiang” in recent years. Through X-rays and CT scans, the exhibition aims to uncover the mysteries behind the legends, including the true identity, age, cause of death, and why the mummy’s body has not decayed. It is hoped that this exhibition will give the public a more comprehensive understanding of the history of this artifact and the cultural meanings it embodies.
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At the opening press conference, the Nezha performance troupe enacted a blessing ceremony by Ke Xiang. (Photo provided by National Taiwan Museum)
Curator Li Zining, head of the Research Group at the National Taiwan Museum, said that most mummies usually rest peacefully in tombs, but few, like “Ke Xiang,” have such a dramatic and legendary “life story” after becoming mummies. Therefore, for most people, death signifies an end, but for “Ke Xiang,” death is just another beginning. After Japan colonized Taiwan in 1895, numerous armed anti-Japanese uprisings occurred across the island. In June 1912, villagers Huang Chao and Huang Laoqian from Tuku, Yunlin, rallied under the symbol of the mummy Ke Xiang to launch an anti-Japanese rebellion, but were arrested and killed by the Japanese authorities before they could act. This incident is historically known as the “Tuku Incident.” After the failure of Huang Chao’s uprising, the mummy was confiscated by Japanese colonial authorities as “criminal evidence,” and subsequently transferred between police institutions. It endured through the Japanese colonial period, post-war years, the Kuomintang’s relocation to Taiwan in 1949, and in 1994, the police academy decided to transfer it to the National Taiwan Museum for permanent preservation. In 2009, the museum and related scholars resumed research, bringing the identity and fate of the “Ke Xiang” mummy back into public knowledge. In September 2011, thanks to the efforts of devotees, “Ke Xiang” finally returned to his “hometown” of nearly a century—the Beiji Temple in Dadun Village, Dapi Township, Yunlin County—where he was publicly displayed until May 2012, marking exactly 100 years since the 1912 “Tuku Incident.”
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