Taiwan is unique for its rich and diverse history. As Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese influences intertwine together with local Aboriginal culture, the varied and vibrant heritage of Taiwan is powerfully reflected in architecture. Indeed, this diversity is majestically embodied in none other than the National Museum of Taiwan.
Designed by Japanese architects Ichiro Nomura and Eiichi Araki, the museum was established in 1908 and is the oldest museum in Taiwan. Built during a time when Japan was undergoing rapid expansion and industrialization - and a time when Taiwan was subjugated by Japanese colonialism - many Japanese architects looked to the West for inspiration. Reflecting the proliferating wealth and increasing power of their empire, imposing marble buildings were erected throughout Japan; a few of those designs trickled through to their colonial possessions. These were mostly built in the style of neoclassicism, echoing if not enhancing the grandeur of Ancient Rome and Greece, and the National Museum of Taiwan - with its façade reminiscent of a Greek temple and its vaulted ceiling like that of the Pantheon - was no exception.
Wrapped in a colonnade of formidable columns and topped with a 30-m high dome the building projects majesty, further aided by its raised base. The imposing Doric hexastyle columns which support the portico extend a sense of power over the comparatively small trees and convey a sense of stability to the building. But as you enter the museum, you are greeted with an elegant and airy Renaissance-style hall. Surrounded by 32 Corithian columns, with delicate capitals engraved in acanthus and volute patterns and tipped in gold, the hall is bathed in light through the Gothic stained glass windows of the double vaults. This medley of different styles in the interior contrasts with the traditional neoclassical style in the exterior, is an example of eclecticism and separates the two as you enter.
Although built in a largely European style, the museum is not without Japanese influences. The exterior wall, for example, is decorated with washed pebbles to imitate the texture of stone architecture commonly found in Japan. Moreover, the interlacing black marble and white calcite throughout the floor and on the stairs and handrails were all imported and carved from Japan. But more pertinently, as the National Museum of Taiwan, the building is infused with motifs of the island: sculptures of Taiwanese fruit such as wax apples, bananas, and star fruits appear throughout. The materials used for construction (except for marble) were native on the island as well - the wood in building and the frame of the roof were all sourced from the massive cypress trees of Alishan Mountain.
The National Museum of Taiwan stands as a magnificent testament to the island's rich and diverse history. By blending Neoclassical and Renaissance styles as well as using Japanese and Taiwanese influences and materials, it embodies the nation's vibrant and diverse heritage. Having stood for more than a century, the oldet museum in Taiwan is still as relevant and beautiful as ever amidst the bustling and ever-changing cityscape ao.
