The “Qing-French War: Special Exhibition on Counter-Impressionism in Xi Tsai” opened at the Taiwan History Museum. The well-known Xitian Society Traditional Theater performed highlights of the puppet show “Huwei A Huo Dan”. (Provided by Taiwan Shibo)
[Reporter Hong Ruiqin/Report from Tainan]The National Taiwan Museum of History launches “The Qing-French War: A Special Exhibition of Counter-Impressionism in Xi Tsai” today (25th), using a variety of diverse materials such as images, documents, and photography to present this period of history, including The manuscript of “The French Expedition to Formosa in 1884-1885”, which has the status of an “important antiquities”, is the most detailed record of the Qing-French war known to date.
The Taiwan History Museum’s “The French-Qing War: Special Exhibition of Counter-Impression Records in Xi Tsai” will be on display in the Special Exhibition Room 3 of the Exhibition and Education Building from now until May 4 next year. (Provided by Taiwan Shibo)
In 1884, affected by the struggle for sovereignty over Vietnam between the Qing Dynasty and France, Keelung, Tamsui, and Penghu fell into war one after another. Faced with this sudden military disaster, Taiwanese people called it “Xizai Rebellion”, which means “Xizai (France)” came to cause chaos. This special exhibition explores the different ways Taiwan and France remember the war from the perspectives of Taiwanese volunteers, French officers, and foreigners in Taiwan.
The manuscript of “The French Expedition to Formosa in 1884-1885”, an important artifact from the Taiwan History Museum, has been exposed. (Provided by Taiwan Shibo)
Taiwan History Museum said that in addition to the pursuit of local history, it also revealed the results of the research and collection of “overseas Taiwan historical materials” accumulated over the years, including the “Important Antiquities” of the French military officer Eugène Germain Garnot. The complete book and map manuscript “The French Expedition to Formosa from 1884 to 1885” is the most detailed record of the Qing-French war known to date.
The collection of letters and diaries of military medical assistant Rene Coppin records the severe impact of malaria and other endemic diseases on the French army. The special exhibition also selects 24 images related to the Qing-French War collected in the National Library of France and introduced by Frédéric Laplanche, the former director of the French European Economic and Trade Office. These images were taken by French officer Firmin André Salles. The photos are the first known photographic record of the war process in Taiwan’s history.
The “Special Exhibition on the Qing-French War” at the Taiwan History Museum has precious historical materials and photos on display. (Provided by Taiwan Shibo)
The special exhibition opened today (25th) and was attended by Zhang Longzhi, Director of the Taiwan History Museum, Chen Yuxiu, Honorary Chairman of the Taiwan French Cultural Association, Mo Geng, Commissioner of the Academic Cooperation and Cultural Division of the French Association in Taiwan, and others. Zhang Longzhi said that through the exhibition, we can learn from the situation of Taiwan’s predecessors more than 100 years ago and jointly think about the challenges of the times and society.
The Taiwan History Institute also collaborated with the research team of Chen Zhihao, associate professor at the Institute of Taiwan History at the National Taiwan Normal University, to translate the battle historical materials into a clear and easy-to-understand dynamic map. There are also 7 tactile and listening experiences at the exhibition venue, including reading French military letters, listening to military music, and touching the battlefield defense line. The exhibition period is from now until May 4 next year (2025).
☆Don’t miss out on arts and culture news, click Like to follow it.
☆For more important arts and cultural news, please visit.
Source: China