Founded in 1955, the National Museum of History was the first public museum to be established after the central government moved to Taiwan. The museum not only aims to preserve historical artifacts, organize exhibitions, and promote education but also strives to serve as a National Gallery. The museum collection, which numbers approximately 60,000 pieces, was formed mostly from the holdings of former Henan Museum. It includes Chinese (Huaxia civilization), Taiwanese and indigenous Taiwanese artifacts. They range from prehistoric times to the Shang, Zhou, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The museum is renowned for its oracle bones, bronzes, tricolor pottery, coinage, and contemporary calligraphy and painting, which constitute the finest collection of antiquities in Taiwan.

The core missions of the museum are: cultivating historical consciousness and aesthetic appreciation among the public, enhancing international cultural exchange and cooperation, and developing the cultural creativity and marketing of the museum. The museum is committed to practicing inclusiveness and caring in its service by offering high-quality environment and museum touring experience to the public.

Historically speaking, the National Museum of History is the Republic of China’s cultural showcase, its artistic base of operations. From here, Taiwan’s cultural value incubates, emerges, and radiates forth, ultimately reflecting the overall value of the nation. The period of the Museum’s closure from July 2018 is a time to accumulate energy and go forth — to continue fulfilling our duty of presenting Taiwan’s cultural history, molding identity, and building a platform for artistic subjectivity.