By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Reported by Li Xinyi
In 1949, a large number of military personnel and civilians from all over China migrated to Taiwan, a strange and unfamiliar island, through various means. None of them could have imagined that this place, which they thought would be a temporary shelter, would become the home they would hold on to for the rest of their lives. The “Settling Down and Calling It Home: Special Exhibition on Taiwan’s Military Dependents’ Villages” opened today (25th) at the Special Exhibition Room on the 4th floor of the Exhibition and Education Building of the National Museum of Taiwan History. In addition to items from the museum’s own collection, the exhibition also features precious cultural relics from the South Taiwan Military Dependents’ Village Culture, Dalin New Village, and private collectors. The museum has specially recreated the iconic floral-tiled exterior walls commonly seen in military villages within the exhibition space. Through daily necessities and letters used by residents, the exhibition narrates the formation of Taiwan’s military villages, their development over 60-plus years, and the life stories embedded within.
Taiwan’s unique military dependents’ village culture records the bittersweet and tearful history of veterans who retreated with the government to Taiwan. (Photo provided by the National Museum of Taiwan History)
The “Settling Down and Calling It Home: Special Exhibition on Taiwan’s Military Dependents’ Villages” consists of four sections: “Packing Up Turmoil, Unpacking Hardship,” “Home: A Place of Refuge,” “Old Memories, New Spaces,” and “Taking Root and Multiplying.” As you step into the exhibition space, a ship docked at the harbor unloads rows of colorful suitcases, drawing visitors back to the late 1940s when Mainland Chinese migrants first arrived in Taiwan. Along bamboo fences, the suitcases carried on the shoulders and hands of these immigrants contained only essential daily necessities and cherished items brought from their hometowns. Step by step, they began building homes of their own on this unfamiliar land. Badges, certificates, national flags, and slogans created a unique atmosphere of patriotism in the villages, while everyday items made from military scrap materials—such as artillery shell lamps, tin trays, ashtrays, and lunchboxes—showcased the creative resourcefulness of villagers living frugally.
The National Museum of Taiwan History explained that in 1949, the Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan. The large number of military personnel and civilians who followed the government were assigned and settled in temporary accommodations across Taiwan according to their military branches and ranks. After more than 60 years of settlement and development, the villages and their residents had firmly taken root in Taiwan, becoming an important part of the island’s society, culture, and history. Today, as many old military villages are being demolished and rebuilt, the former landscapes and human interactions are gradually disappearing. However, the influence of military village culture continues to take root and thrive throughout Taiwan.
The “Settling Down and Calling It Home: Special Exhibition on Taiwan’s Military Dependents’ Villages” will be on display until June 2nd of the year 102 [2013 in the Republic of China calendar]. Playing under the big trees surrounded by bamboo fences with neighbors and friends, carrying military metal lunchboxes to school... These memories that accompanied the children of the villages as they grew up will be brought back to life at the National Museum of Taiwan History.
● Extended Reading: Unfading Homesickness – Exploring the Flavors of Kaohsiung’s Military Villages
http://goo.gl/0d2qg