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Visiting the Dadaocheng Customers of Tai-yi-hou in Nagasaki through Time Traveling

Publication date: 2013
Author: Chen Qiu-jin |Staff member of the Archives of Institute of Taiwan History

The Chinese enterprise Tai-yi-hou in Nagasaki, one of the figures in Traveling in Time Exhibition, was established in the beginning of the 20th century. Its commercial trade network crossed East-Asia including the treaty ports in Vladivostok, Korean Peninsula, coastline of China, Taiwan, Luzon, Malay Peninsula, etc. Tai-yi-hou’s customers were mainly Chinese merchants in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Since Taiwan became the colony of Japan in 1895, the Japanese Government proactively increased economic and trade relationships between Japan and Taiwan. Within this context, Tai-yi-hou gained the upper hand in expanding its business to Taiwan with its advantageous location, language and culture. Among all Tai-yi-hou Papers, approximately 17,000 commercial letters sent from Taiwan were preserved until today, and around 10,000 of which were sent from stores in Dadaocheng.
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V. Epilogue

Archives are first-hand accounts of course of events regarding individuals, families and organizations and an important source of evidence for retracing the past and reconstructing history. Art archives not only point out the trajectory of the artist’s private and creative life but also encompass the development of artist groups and the exhibitions. In fact, art archives are ultimately the whole body of all kinds of information available regarding artistic movements. With more and more precious art archives being unearthed, compiled and published by researchers, the research orientation of exhibitions in Taiwanese art history has gradually been broadened from a focus on exhibits themselves and the analytical account of the artist’s life to include the art ecosystem or documented events in the exploration of a more diverse set of facets.

The archives documenting early artist groups give a varied account of the autonomy painters demonstrated in organizing themselves and the initiative in building cross-field networks. In view of the fact that during Japanese colonial rule there were neither sound systems of official financial support for the arts nor mechanisms for art purchases and collection, cultivating the various strata of society for their cooperation and participation was extremely important in the quest for resources and space in art. Owing to such innate quality of civil society, artists’ influence could grow and become the propelling force behind cultural enlightenment and self-identification. An influence that, in linking up art and society in more profound interactions, perpetuates itself in the long arc of history across time and space - generation after generation.


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