Everybody knows that when the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan many Chinese crossed the Taiwan Strait to start a new life. But even before modern Formosa was born, there were already 'Taiwanese' living in the island. Who are they? Where did they come from? And how did they live? The answers are just lying deep in the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology and I dug them like a real archaeologist.
It’s not an ordinary museum. I went back in time 500 to 1800 years ago as I passed through a time tunnel inside the beautiful building of the museum. Bits and pieces of rocks, pottery and bones were unraveled as I study the people who once lived in the mouth of Tamsui River known as the Shihsanhang people.
The Shihsanhang people traded goods most especially their iron smelted products which they exchange with other tribes in Taiwan. The site was known as a place that has 13 trading stores hence the name Shihsanhang in Chinese. How was the archaeological site discovered? An air force pilot observed an anomalous behavior in his compass needle as he flew over Bali District of New Taipei City.
The deposited iron in Shihsanhang deflected his compass needle and he consulted with a geologist. It was impossible for Taiwan to have large deposit of iron so it was very puzzling. The riddle was solved by a team of archaeologist who excavated the place and discovered that Bali was a prehistoric site for smelting iron from volcanic rocks coming from Mt. Guanyinshan. Who smelted the iron? It's the Shihsanhang people.
The excavation in the 1990s proved that a community with a unique culture once lived in Taiwan. They knew how to do pottery and made figures of humans and animals as decorations for their pots. Evidence of this artistry was the anthropomorphic jar that is displayed in the museum. As I looked into the jar, I remember the Maitum jars that my country has. The Shihsanhang anthropomorphic jar is said to have a religious significance. Two skeletons were also displayed in the museum. It was noteworthy that the Shihsanhang people bury their love ones without coffins in a crouching position facing the sea.
Aside from being accessible by Bus 704, the building of the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology has interesting features that made it to received awards for its unique architecture. The Whale Dune Platform allows visitors to enjoy the view of Sunshine Plaza and the Taiwan Strait. The hollow Octagonal Tower has mannequins working very hard to study the Shihsanhang site while at the top it has a bridge with large glass windows for enjoying Mt. Guanyinshan. The museum also stands within the perimeter of the original Shihsanhang historical site which makes it so special.
As the sets down, I felt envy of the Taiwanese for having such a museum just dedicated to their ancient people. Taiwanese kids can always go back and stand on a piece of land where the story of their nation started. This might be the reason why Taiwan is more progressive than the Philippines. They value their heritage sites more than anything else. They are moving forward because they knew where they started. They knew that before Taiwan, there was Shihsanhang.
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