An exhibition spotlighting the magical world depicted in Taiwan’s literature will take place Aug. 10-20 at the Osaka City Central Public Hall as part of the We TAIWAN initiative launched by the Ministry of Culture for the Expo 2025 in Japan.
According to the MOC, the event is curated by Tainan City-based National Museum of Taiwan Literature to look at the influence of the magical and supernatural deities and spirits in writing.
During a blessing ceremony held July 27 at Tainan City God Temple in southern Taiwan, NMTL Director Chen Ying-fang said that We TAIWAN is an important cultural engagement initiative connecting Taiwan with the world and that literature is a key link in this.
The event coincides with Japan’s Obon festival and aligns with the tradition of summer ghost stories, she said, adding that the exhibition will help the audience better understand Taiwan’s unique culture and popular beliefs.
The exhibition is titled “You Have Arrived” after the renowned plaque at the 350-year-old temple and comprises six themed sections on “Indigenous Culture,” “The Influence of Japanese Culture,” “Rediscovering Taiwanese Folk Beliefs,” “Contemporary Popular Literature,” “The Magical in Fiction” and “The Magical in Poetry.”
The exhibit features items from the Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945) to the modern world. These include maritime folk stories by contemporary Indigenous Tao writer Syaman Rapongan; the “Strange Tale of the Bridal Fan,” a colonial era Japanese tale by Haruo Sato about the wayward spirit of a woman haunting a rundown mansion in Tainan’s Anping district; and other creations inspired by Taiwan’s folk religions and urban legends. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
According to the MOC, the event is curated by Tainan City-based National Museum of Taiwan Literature to look at the influence of the magical and supernatural deities and spirits in writing.
During a blessing ceremony held July 27 at Tainan City God Temple in southern Taiwan, NMTL Director Chen Ying-fang said that We TAIWAN is an important cultural engagement initiative connecting Taiwan with the world and that literature is a key link in this.
The event coincides with Japan’s Obon festival and aligns with the tradition of summer ghost stories, she said, adding that the exhibition will help the audience better understand Taiwan’s unique culture and popular beliefs.
The exhibition is titled “You Have Arrived” after the renowned plaque at the 350-year-old temple and comprises six themed sections on “Indigenous Culture,” “The Influence of Japanese Culture,” “Rediscovering Taiwanese Folk Beliefs,” “Contemporary Popular Literature,” “The Magical in Fiction” and “The Magical in Poetry.”
The exhibit features items from the Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945) to the modern world. These include maritime folk stories by contemporary Indigenous Tao writer Syaman Rapongan; the “Strange Tale of the Bridal Fan,” a colonial era Japanese tale by Haruo Sato about the wayward spirit of a woman haunting a rundown mansion in Tainan’s Anping district; and other creations inspired by Taiwan’s folk religions and urban legends. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News