National Center for Traditional Arts

Welcome to the National Center for Traditional Arts, located here in the lush, verdant plains of Yilan. As we stand at the threshold of this expansive park, I invite you to adjust your perspective. …

We now stand just past the main admission gates, in a transitional space that serves as the psychological gateway to the historical village. In architectural theory, the entrance to a significant space is never merely functional;…

We have now entered the bustling artery of the park, Wenchang Old Street. This street is an extraordinary architectural achievement, as it is not a replica of one single location, but rather a sophisticated amalgamation of the…

While it is natural to gaze upwards at the elaborate roofs and bustling storefronts, I urge you now to lower your eyes and examine the very ground upon which we are walking. In traditional Chinese and Taiwanese architectural…

We have now arrived at the civic and spiritual nucleus of the traditional village: the Wenchang Temple. In any historical Taiwanese settlement, the temple was never isolated on the outskirts; it was deliberately positioned at the…

If you observe the worshippers within the Wenchang Temple, you will undoubtedly notice a ritual that is central to Taiwanese folk religion: the casting of the crescent-shaped wooden blocks known as Jiaobei, or 'Bwa bwei' in the…

As we move away from the spiritual intensity of the temple, we enter the sector of the park dedicated to traditional handicrafts and culinary arts. This area is arguably the most vital component of the center's mission. …

As our tour of the National Center for Traditional Arts comes to a close, let us pause near the water's edge to reflect on the magnitude of what we have explored today. We have traversed a landscape that is both an architectural…