Museums and society in Taiwan

Institution matters

Many museums in Taiwan are governed directly by different levels of governments and, just like any bureaucracy, their institutional structure is mostly rigid.  They do not respond to the changing society fast and many of them stay in their comfort zone -- just like any bureaucracy.  Having said so, there are some exceptions. Some national museums (-- National Palace Museum as the representative case) and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in the capital of Taiwan are comparatively more flexible in adopting enterprise culture, and holding large-scale exhibitions. This is not because the national museums and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum have a different institutional structure, but because they embrace the managerial style much more than other public museums by responding more to social changes, or the global trend of museum practices. National museums (-- especially National Palace Museum) and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum are cultural gateways of Taiwan. Good presentation is essential to promote the country.