Since 2018, the View of Tainan column has introduced an array of art and culture venues in Tainan. Every year in May, they take the center stage in the city. Let's visit these venues once again during the Tainan Museums Festival.

Taiwan has been under the threat of the coronavirus pandemic since early spring this year. However, the Tainan Museums Festival will still be held on time. With the vision of the city as a mega museum, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Tainan City Government connects individual museums that have their own characteristics. With the quality exhibitions and collections, art and culture enthusiasts are invited to come outdoors and heal the soul and mind at the museums.

Following the precedent, this year's festival will channel the energy of the many museums in Tainan. Ingenious and interesting ideas are at work to connect all the major museums. The exhibitions are related to the popular theme of Travelling through Time and Space and thus creating such an experience for visitors.

Hosting the oldest species on the surface of the earth, Tainan City Zuojhen Fossil Park has fossils of dinosaurs, mammoths and marine life under one roof. For this year's museum festival, it presents the special exhibitions "Fin-tastic Journey".

The special exhibition Fin-tastic Journey will run from May 9th, 2020 to April 12th, 2021. The exhibition consists of three themes, namelg How Did We Get Ashore? Pinnipedia Evolution of Cenozoic Mammals and The Next Extinction. In addition to display of various marine life fossils, visitors are guided to ponder over how these species emerge and became extinct. Visitors can also experience an adventure in which fossils come alive at the 360° panorama interactive theater.

The Japanese dormitory area of Shueijiaoshe was a housing community for military personnel who served in Tainan Navy Air Squadron, and their depen­dents. After the National Government relocated to Taiwan, Shueijiaoshe was used as the base for the 443rd Tactical Fighter Wing. More housing facilities were then built to provide accommodation for military personnel and their dependents here. Today Shueiji­aoshe Cultural Park has become an important histor­ic site for preserving the cultural assets of military housing communities in Tainan, with 8 exhibitions spaces displaying different themes.

Exhibitions surrounding the history of the air force and Shuijiaoshe present visualizations of what was only heard in the elders'oral histories or in textbook, such as the legends of the Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team. The themes include Gazing of the Sky, Remembering Glorious Times, Scenic Views, Ameri­can Soldiers in Tainan, Four Seasons, and Childhood in the Military Community. There is also display area for F-5E aircraft, making the oid commumity a new landmark for culture, leisure and entertainment.

Tainan is the capital of culture. It is ever more mean­ingful to get familiar with the use of Taiwanese language, which is in decline and regain the identity of the land here in Tainan. This year's Tainan Muse­ums Festival museum-school collaborative exh心tion "Daddyl Mommyl I Want to Learn Taiwanese I" will be held at Ong lo'k-tek Memorial Museum. Combining Taiwanese idioms and illustrated day-to-day conver­sation, children can learn Taiwanese in a fun way and use it in the daily life

Museums are once again invited on a Mobile Tour Show to meet the public at their museum booths. This time, not only are the booths upgraded to be lighter and more interactive, the show venues will all be outdoors and feature DIY workshops and art performances. In addition, activities such as online collection introduction, video screening, check-in and luckydraws will be held to attract visitors. The public is encouraged to continue to support the arts and cultural industry amid the pandemic

Other than gaining knowledge, a visit to the museum can rejuvenate one with natural positive energy. Tainan Shan-shang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum does just that. Come here and admire the century-old water conservancy construction and architecture. The beautiful flowers and scenery under the clear blue sky will leave you fully recharged!