Nothing Really Poignant - James in Taiwan

This weekend Steven and I went to visit Taiwan’s National Museum of History. The main reason we went to this museum was to see the Terra Cotta Warriors from mainland China. Now the entry to the museum is normally 20 NT (under a dollar) but it is 200NT to see the Terra Cotta exhibit.

Unfortunately the museum doesn’t have adequate crowd controls. There were some rooms that were so crowded that no one could move. This really took away from the whole experience and also highlights how inadequate Taiwan’s fire safety standards are, because if there was an emergency, people would definitely be trampled.

Fortunately the more expensive museum pass included a “free” pass to the main exhibit. This part of the museum was a breath of fresh air with an eclectic mixture of both modern and historical pieces. Additionally, since everyone was going to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, the main exhibit halls were relatively open with plenty of space for all of the visitors.

If you have ever had a chance to see the Terra Cotta Warriors before (I saw them when they visited San Francisco in 1994) then I recommend you skip the visiting exhibit and just visit the less crowded / less expensive main exhibit hall.