• 2025-09-15

Beginning on August 1, 2025, the National Central Library hosted a special exhibition titled “Threads of Time and Space: Resonances of Aboriginal Wisdom and Memory” in the second-floor Reading Hall of its main building. The exhibition features five sections — “Knowledge and Books of Aborigines of Taiwan and Australia,” “Songs of Wonder: Aboriginal Music and Dance Resources,” “Aboriginal Cultural Artifacts,” “Whose Gaze? Aboriginal Images in the Taiwan Memory Project,” and “Intervening through Writing: Cultural Practices in Mountains and Seas and the Works of Ta-chuan Sun.” Together, these exhibits open up cross-ethnic, cross-generational, and cross-cultural dialog and understanding. The exhibition ran from August 1 through November 2.

August 1 marks Aboriginal Day, and the National Central Library specially chose this meaningful date to hold the exhibition’s opening ceremony. The event featured a performance by the Voice of the Clouds Choir from Yisheng Elementary School in Fuxing District, Taoyuan City, whose pure voices and songs in aboriginal languages conveyed the warmth and sincerity of cultural heritage, opening the event on a touching and heartfelt note.

In her remarks, Director-General Han-ching Wang noted that this exhibition, themed Resonances of Aboriginal Wisdom and Memory, focuses on the transmission of aboriginal knowledge and the expression of aboriginal cultures. Centered on the curatorial concepts of cultural preservation and transnational dialogue, Threads of Time and Space brought together contributions from the National Museum of Natural Science, the TECO Technology Foundation, and Shanhai Cultural Magazine. Through collaboration between public institutions and private organizations, the exhibition presented a broader, global perspective on the cultural significance of aboriginal knowledge systems. Director-General Wang expressed her deep gratitude to the National Museum of Natural Science, the TECO Technology Foundation, Shanhai Cultural Magazine, and Professor Hsiao-feng Chiu for their enthusiastic participation in creating this cross-cultural and cross-generational feast of knowledge alongside the National Central Library.

The exhibition featured five main sections, weaving together transnational knowledge, tribal memory, and contemporary expression. From ancient artifacts to modern writings, the displays illuminated the profound connections between aboriginal peoples and nature, the cosmos, and life itself. “Whose Gaze? Aboriginal Images in the Taiwan Memory Project” presented historical photographs and postcards from the 19^th century to the Japanese colonial period, accompanied by an interactive audience response area that invites visitors to reconsider how such images are interpreted and viewed. “Songs of Wonder: Aboriginal Music and Dance Resources” showcased precious audiovisual materials and digital portraits and costumes of aboriginal peoples donated by the TECO Technology Foundation, allowing visitors to experience the moving power of young tribal performers who carry their cultural heritage to the stage. “Aboriginal Cultural Artifacts” displayed everyday tools and clothing accessories passed down through generations of the Paiwan people, highlighting the artistry and wisdom embodied in the fusion of handcrafted techniques and natural materials from the mountains and forests. “Knowledge and Books of Aborigines of Taiwan and Australia” introduced, for the first time, the First Knowledges book series, alongside related holdings from NCL’s collection, to showcase the knowledge systems of Australia’s aboriginal peoples spanning more than 60,000 years. Finally, “Intervening through Writing: Mountains and Seas and the Cultural Practice of Sun Ta-chuan” traced the life journey of writer and cultural advocate Ta-chuan Sun through manuscripts, notes, and photographs—bearing witness to how one aboriginal intellectual built bridges between scholarship, literature, and cultural identity through the power of words.

This special exhibition was not merely a static display of aboriginal knowledge; it aspired to become a starting point for deeper understanding and intercultural dialog. The five sections intertwined across time and space, inviting visitors to step into the gallery and experience the depth and vitality of aboriginal cultures through images, artifacts, sounds, and texts. In this dialog that transcended time and place, visitors were encouraged to rediscover the richness of knowledge diversity and the enduring power of memory—and, with a more open vision, to collectively write the next chapter of the story that belongs to this land.