(Permanent exhibition updated in July 2015)
Beneath the tempered glass bridge is a replicated scene of a slate-coffin burial site, which might serve to remind you that no matter where you are, you may be unknowingly walking on top of prehistoric remains buried below your feet! After crossing the bridge, you will see a cross-section of the strata extracted from the Peinan site, showing how cultural layers are stacked. After continuing to ascend, you get a readily understood visual overview of the prehistoric culture from the Peinan site. In a corner is an animated video that takes you back three millennia to give you a closer look at the life and spirit of the people who lived here ages ago.
Cultural asset disaster of 1980
The black-and-white photo depicts what looks like a war zone but is actually just the site of construction for Taitung’s new train station in 1980. The massive destruction endured by the Peinan site and the plundering of cultural relics by some members of the public led to the construction of a national museum and the formulation of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act.
Slate coffins
The first thing visitors to the park see below the bridge of steel and glass is a replicated scene of a slate-coffin burial site, which might serve to remind you that no matter where you are, you may be unknowingly walking on top of prehistoric remains buried below your feet!
Cultural layers
On display is a cross-section of the strata extracted from the Peinan site, showing how cultural layers are stacked.
Dwellings of people of the Peinan culture
The models show that the dwellings of the people of the Peinan culture faced away from the mountain and toward the Taitung plain. This was a perfect place to live as the surroundings were full of resources.
Life in the Peinan culture
The people of the Peinan culture lived here for an extensive period, leaving behind all kinds of articles used in daily life. Items on display include implements for agriculture, hunting, fishing, carpentry, weaving, garment-making, cooking, and eating as well as weapons, vessels, clay figures, and more.
Largest slate pillar
This is a replica of the largest prehistoric slate pillar from the Peinan site. A photo of it, taken by Japanese scholar Torii Ryūzō in the late 19th century, is the earliest visual record of the Peinan site.
Dwellings
Excavation drawings, scaled-down models, implements, and old photos taken by ethnologists show us how the dwellings of the Peinan culture were arranged and distributed and of what materials they were built.
Burial
The people of the Peinan culture made coffins out of slate. Over 2,000 have been found, accompanied by exquisite funerary objects, most of which are jade and clay. You can see here how refined their craftsmanship was.
Physical attributes of people of the Peinan culture
The sizes of coffins and human bones found here have allowed experts to estimate the physical size of people of the Peinan culture. In this area, you can see life-size models of people of differing genders and ages and their clothing.
Mythology of the Peinan culture
This multimedia presentation vividly presents one story each from the local Pinuyumayan and Amis cultures, such stories serving as non-archaeological information to help us understand the Peinan site.
The Peinan culture
The Peinan culture was the major prehistoric culture that inhabited the area of the Peinan site, but relics from the earlier red corded ware culture and the later Sanhe culture have also been found. Here is a display of how different articles from various Peinan-site cultures evolved, providing insight into how the lives of people who lived here changed over three millennia.
Where did the people of the Peinan culture go?
About 1,900 years ago, the Peinan site inhabitants left for unknown reasons. In this area, you will learn about existing theories, such as that they moved to the coast or into the mountains. These theories require more evidence before they can be viewed as facts.
Exhibition room
The exhibit in the exhibition room is designed in accordance with the archeological findings and the research results of the Peinan Site over the past 20 years. Upon entering, you will see the rescue of the slate coffin burial complex under your feet. The specially designed tempered glass suspension bridge reminds us that we may be walking on the site at any time. After passing the bridge, there is a cross-section of the stratum from the site to present the culture vividly. Continue up, there are few exhibits of the scale models that explain the process and method of excavation, allowing the visitors to gain a basic understanding of the site before entering the main exhibits. The exhibits include the 3D model of Taitung Plain, the stratum of the site, the tiers of the prehistoric culture, the discovery and excavation of the site, and the site in the aboriginal legends. The Peinan Site is presented from geological and historical structure.
The stone pillar reproduction in the center of the exhibit leads the visitors to the contexts the Peinan Culture. The pottery, stone and jade objects made by the people of the Peinan Culture are displayed to tell the ancient stories. The site structure, tools and the burials allow us to relive the prosperity of the Peinan Culture, including the settlement, the dwellings, the dwelling, the manhood ceremony, the funerary traditions, the jade craftsmanship and the pottery technique. Aside from the still exhibits, the film show in the exhibition room presents the life of the people of Peinan Culture in 3000 years ago through computer simulation.
The Observatory
Given the significance of the Peinan Site, Professor Wen-hsun Sung suggested that an outdoor museum be built at the site in 1982. After years of discussion, the decision to build "Peinan Cultural Park" at the Peinan Site was finalized in 1991. The surface area of the first stage plan was 18.4ha. Based on the outcome of the trial excavation, Chung Chih Environment and Landscape Consultant Co., Ltd. was appointed to undertake planning and construction of the museum and this began in 1994. In 1999, the major facilities in the first stage plan were nearly completed. Unfortunately, due to the unresolved protests by the local farmers about the broadening of the roads in the park up to then, the license for the use of the Visitor Center could not be obtained for a long time. It was only after the active intervention of the Tourism Development Commission of the Executive Yuan, that the matter was resolved. In December 2002, the Peinan Cultural Park officially opened to the public, the birth of the first site park in Taiwan.
The management principle of the park is to deem the site as a museum of the universe. In order to realize the principle of co-existence with the site, as well as bringing the architectural technology of the late 20th century into full play. The layout, the architectural landscape design, and the building materials have all been chosen after thorough consideration. In coordination to the distribution of the underground historical artifacts, the gentle slopes at the west side of the park were planned as the facility usage zone and the native planting area, while the east side was presented as a large lawn. The Visitor Center was designed as one-story building on the sloping terrain, and coated with an integrated truss structure and gray stainless steel tiles, creating an open space with a simple structure. The arched entrance of the square was constructed with materials that were well integrated and steel tubes to form suspension beams shaped like a shell, which reflects the stability of the entire structure. The Open-air Amphitheater made use of the natural terrain in building the arched stands that blend in with the surrounding gentle slopes. All the facilities in the park are well matched to the natural green environment.
On-Site Exhibition
Given the significance of the Peinan Site, Professor Wen-hsun Sung suggested that an outdoor museum be built at the site in 1982. After years of discussion, the decision to build "Peinan Cultural Park" at the Peinan Site was finalized in 1991. The surface area of the first stage plan was 18.4ha. Based on the outcome of the trial excavation, Chung Chih Environment and Landscape Consultant Co., Ltd. was appointed to undertake planning and construction of the museum and this began in 1994. In 1999, the major facilities in the first stage plan were nearly completed. Unfortunately, due to the unresolved protests by the local farmers about the broadening of the roads in the park up to then, the license for the use of the Visitor Center could not be obtained for a long time. It was only after the active intervention of the Tourism Development Commission of the Executive Yuan, that the matter was resolved. In December 2002, the Peinan Cultural Park officially opened to the public, the birth of the first site park in Taiwan.
The management principle of the park is to deem the site as a museum of the universe. In order to realize the principle of co-existence with the site, as well as bringing the architectural technology of the late 20th century into full play. The layout, the architectural landscape design, and the building materials have all been chosen after thorough consideration. In coordination to the distribution of the underground historical artifacts, the gentle slopes at the west side of the park were planned as the facility usage zone and the native planting area, while the east side was presented as a large lawn. The Visitor Center was designed as one-story building on the sloping terrain, and coated with an integrated truss structure and gray stainless steel tiles, creating an open space with a simple structure. The arched entrance of the square was constructed with materials that were well integrated and steel tubes to form suspension beams shaped like a shell, which reflects the stability of the entire structure. The Open-air Amphitheater made use of the natural terrain in building the arched stands that blend in with the surrounding gentle slopes. All the facilities in the park are well matched to the natural green environment.
Crescent-shape Stone Pillars
The stone pillars are the first item to draw the attention from anthropologists in the Peinan Site. In Kano Tadao's "Megalithic Culture in East Taiwan" (1930), slate pillars were recorded as erecting at the Site. The stone pillars are 1.8-3.6m in height, the highest one is 4.6m, and form a almost-perfect straight line in the directions of the northeast or southwest. After half century of exploitation, the stone pillars are no longer found nowadays, except for one standing at the Site. It is the landmark and the historical witness of the Peinan Site, the Crescent-shape Stone Pillar.
The "Crescent-shape Stone Pillar" is named for the circular hole on the top, which shapes like a full moon. The function of the stone pillar is still vague until today. One legend says that the people of the Peinan Culture used them to support the house, and the hole on the top is for the beam. Another theory says that the ancient people of the Peinan Culture set the round stone pillars in front of the house to symbolize the societal status. Today, the site of the stone pillar is the small platform left by the railroad construction. To its north was once the excavation site but now a railroad switchyard. Only the Tulan Mt. standing far away is still in the clouds, for thousands of years.