TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) was featured in a fair of the International Council of Museums' (ICOM) general conference taking place in Prague between Aug. 20-28.

The university participated in the event as NCKU Museum x TAUM (Taiwanese Alliance of University Museums) at the Taiwan Pavilion. NCKU in Tainan is the first in Taiwan to establish its own museum — National Cheng Kung University Museum — in order to preserve historical artifacts and foster cultural education for the public.

The team introduced to visitors the museum’s 15-year history and characteristics, as well as the curation experience of the country’s university museums. Many appeared to have been attracted to the pavilion simply because it was presented by Taiwan, according to the university.

The Taiwan Pavilion opened Aug. 22 with a traditional puppet performance presented by Theatre du Petit Miroir, founded by Jean-Luc Penso. He studied the art under the late Taiwanese master puppeteer Li Tien-lu (李天祿).

It is not the first time NCKU Museum and TAUM have teamed up to promote the country’s university museum culture on the international stage. In 2019, the pair attended the ICOM expo in Japan's Kyoto with the support of the culture ministry.

NCKU Museum has been actively engaging with other museums over the years, an example being the 2015-2016 “I C Taiwan Exhibition” in Czech, which it co-curated with the country’s National Technical Museum, Prague City Museum, and Mendel Museum.

Established in 1946, ICOM is a global museum association dedicated to protecting the heritage of museums and advocating the development of societies as a source of information. The annual conference features meetings, seminars, forums, and exhibitions.

NCKU Museum featured in ICOM event in Prague. (NCKU photo)