Taiwan museums to hold events to celebrate International Museum Day

Taipei, May 14 (CNA) More than 300 museums around Taiwan are joining their international counterparts in celebrating International Museum Day on May 18 with events centered around the theme "museums for education and research."

Under the theme, "participating museums will underscore the significance of museums as dynamic educational institutions fostering learning, discovery, and cultural understanding," the International Council of Museums said in a statement.

These activities, the statement said, are aimed at achieving two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals -- Goal 4 (providing fair access to quality education) and Goal 9 (building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation).

In Taiwan, museums will try to meet those standards with events that provide access to more people and engage them through interactive and learning displays.

People visiting the National Palace Museum (NPM) or the National Museum of Natural Science on May 18, for example, will be admitted for free.

The NPM's main branch north of Taipei has planned a series of child-friendly exhibitions and hands-on activities, while the museum's southern branch in Chiayi County will hold a traditional Chinese dance performance by the N.Y.F. Dance Group at 3 p.m.

The National Museum of Natural Science will hold 11 activities that will enable visitors to learn about space, plants, and ancient human life.

Elsewhere, the National Taiwan Museum will hold a series of events aimed at showcasing its versatility in education, while the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology has planned a series of scientific and interactive activities for children over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the National Museum of Fine Arts has prepared activities aimed at promoting mental wellness by inviting visitors to engage in introspection, make personalized herbal tea bags, and write calligraphy, according to information provided by the ministry.

At a news conference to promote International Museum Day events, Culture Minister Shih Che (史哲) said the planned "architectural museum" will be opened in 2026 in a building on the site of the Railroad Museum under the National Taiwan Museum.