Chronology of Events | Museum of World Religions

Major Museum Events: Professional leadership, new permanent exhibitions and improvements to existing

2012 08	Opening of Living Museum of Religious Culture.
2011 11	Tenth anniversary celebrations.
2009 12	Unveiling ceremony and opening of the Life Education Centre.
2009 10	Collaboration with the Mexican Trade Services Documentation and Cultural Office in Taiwan for two weeks of activities celebrating the Mexican Festival of the Dead.
2008 09	Chiang Shao-Ying appointed curator.
2008 05	Han Pao-teh steps down as curator and is named lifelong honorary curator.
2006 07	Beginning of second run of “Forest of Love—A Quest for Fantastical Beasts” special exhibition. This area henceforth becomes a permanent exhibition in the Children’s Hall.
2005 01	First run of “Travelling through Love in Fantasy Fiction”, a children’s special exhibition.
2003 11	First local history exhibition: Dreams of Zhonghe Village— A History of Zhonghe and Yonghe from 1626 to 1958.
2003 07	Opening of Flower Garland World panoramic multimedia projection dome.
2003 07	Opening of the “Virtual Shrine—Miniature Religious Buildings”, which becomes a permanent exhibition.
2003 02	Renovation of interactive multimedia installation at the Hall of Life Travel.
2002 03	Appointment of museum’s first curator, Han Pao-the. Mr Han plans to realize the museum’s founding philosophy and transform it into an instrument for social cultural education.
2001 11	Opening of the Museum of World Religions.

Collaboration and Interaction with International Museums and NGOs

2013 09	Visit to the museum by the Cross-Straits Buddhist Cultural Exchange Delegation, comprising the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the Buddhist Association of China and the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China.
2013 09	Museum holds joint forum in collaboration with Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society, the Department of Philosophy at Peking University and the US-based Fetzer Institute. The forum, entitled “Compassion and Forgiveness—A Dialogue with Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism and Modern Thinking”, takes place at the Cultural Exchange Centre at Peking University.
2013 05	Visit to the museum by winners of the 16th Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal.
2012 09	Visit to the museum by winners of the 15th Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal.
2012 05	Collaboration with the Wang Yung-ching Educational Foundation on the “23 million people Happy College” project, which seeks to spread life education, culture and art. Two thousand students and teachers from rural schools in the Greater Taipei area were invited to the museum to take part in free life education activities.
2011 09	Hao Dongchen, head of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, leads a delegation from Capital Museum to visit the MWR. In November 2011, the MWR holds an exhibition: “Wisdom & Avataṁsaka: Capital Museum Buddhist Treasures”. In December 2011, Capital Museum holds a partner exhibition: “Taipei Museum of World Religions Religious Art and Culture”.
2011 05	Visit to the museum by winners of the 14th Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal.
2011 02	Abdallah Ben Abdel Mohsen At-Turki, General Secretary of the Muslim World League, leads a delegation to Taiwan to meet with our founder and visit the museum.
2011 02	Museum puts on a Spring Prayer Ceremony Tea Party, with guests including the then Vice President Vincent C. Siew, foreign diplomats and honoured guests from all religions.
2010 11	The museum’s exhibition “Bodhisattva of Mercy: Explore Avalokitesvara” is invited to the 8th Mount Putuo Guanyin Culture Festival in Zhoushan (Zhejiang, China).
2009 11	In celebration of our eighth year, the museum mounts the “Bodhisattva of Mercy: Explore Avalokitesvara” special exhibition. Many honoured guests who helped with the building of the museum gather and give guidance, including former Vice President Annette Lu, Premier Wu Den-yih, Deputy Commissioner of Taipei County Tsai Chiia-fu, legislator Lin Te-Fu, Wu Po-hsiung, Huang Kun-huei, Steven S W Huang, deputy head of the Mengjia Longshan Temple.
2009 07	Museum sets up summer internships (which continue to this day) in collaboration with the Department of Early Childhood and Family Education at National Taipei University of Education.
2008 08	President Ma Ying-jeou and the First Lady visit the museum to see the Han Pao-teh Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition.
2008 02	Museum holds an Interfaith Spring Prayer Ceremony, inviting religious representatives from Taiwan, foreign diplomatic envoys and Taiwanese government officials to pray for world peace and human well-being. The annual ceremony continues to this day.
2007 12	Visit to the museum by Phra Phommunee, first assistant Saṅgharāja of Thailand, and the monks of the exalted Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Temple.
2007 04	Internship agreement signed with the Department of Religious Culture and Organization Management at Aletheia University.
2007 04	Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Mplio Tutu visits the museum and expresses his approval of the values and philosophy behind it.
2006 12	Museum’s application to join the Taipei County Museum Family (now the New Taipei City Museum Family) is successful. The museum will support the promotion of local history and local culture.
2006 05	Participation in the Taipei Children’s Art Festival, a yearly collaboration that continues to this day.
2006 02	As part of the “Little Angels Programme”, special needs students are given free trips and admission to “Forest of Love—A Quest for Fantastical Beasts”. The programme continues to this day.
2005 10	Collaboration with Taishin Bank on their Arts Card (a credit card that supports the National Culture and Arts Foundation).
2005 09	Museum takes part in the Taoyuan County Religious Culture Fair.
2005 05	Collaboration with Franz Collection to create a range of MWR souvenirs in lucite.
2005 04	Running of the “Taiwan Painted Clay Art Programme” commissioned by the National Center for Traditional Arts.
2004 04	Running of the “Cross-Straits Painted Clay Buddhist Art Programme” commissioned by the National Center for Traditional Arts.
2004 01	Participation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “NGO International Exchange Exhibition”.
2003~2011	MWR Development Foundation, Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society Foundation and United Daily News jointly hold the 2nd New Century Religious Literature Award, which continues to this day.
2002 11	Prayers at the General Assembly for World Religious Harmony Day. Museum anniversary.
2002 07	MWR Development Foundation, Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society Foundation, Central Daily News and the College of Social Sciences at National Chengchi University jointly hold the first New Century Religious Literature Award.

Research: Digital Research Programme

2006 10	Museum commissions the National Taiwan University of Arts to apply to the Council for Cultural Affairs to carry out a project titled “Belief—A Project Exploring Taiwanese Folk Beliefs Digital Archive Added Value Project”. The application is approved. The project will look for creative ways to use traditional heritage relics.
2006 04	Implementation of the “2006 Local Cultural Museums Project” and “Daoism Hanging Scrolls Digital Archive Project”, under the direction of the Council for Cultural Affairs and Taipei County Government.
2004 03	Implementation of the “National Cultural Database Project: MWR Taiwanese Folk Religions Digital Archive” under the direction of the Council for Cultural Affairs. The database will be publicly accessible from the following year.

Research Seminars (only those held in Taiwan)

2011 11	Tenth annual MWR International Research Forum.
2009 08	Second Special Cross-Straits Lecture Series on the Religious Significance of Repentance 2009 held in collaboration with Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society and the preparatory office of the University of World Religions.
2008 06	The MWR Development Foundation holds the 2008 Globalization and Spiritual Traditions and the Ninth International Muslim–Buddhist Dialogue Forum in collaboration with the College of International Affairs at National Chengchi University, UNESCO, Elijah Interfaith Institute and the Global Family for Love and Peace.
2008 06	2008 Special Cross-Straits Lecture Series on the Religious Significance of Repentance, in collaboration with Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society and the preparatory office of the University of World Religions.
2004 11	2004 Sister Cities International Conference—Spirituality and Sustainable Ecology: Water, Our Common Origin.
2004 10	MWR works with the School of Culture Resources at Taipei National University of the Arts to hold the Shanxi Clay Art Academic Forum.
2004 08	MWR organizes the “Religious Culture and Religious Studies in Globalization” cross-straits research seminar.
2002 08	MWR holds a research seminar on “Non-Profit Organization Management and Financial Planning, A Case Study of the MWR” with the Taiwan Research Institute.
2002 02	MWR holds a forum on museum culture.

Periodicals and Other Publications

2012	“Peace and Happiness” research project and documentary.
2011	MWR tenth anniversary commemorative issue.
2010	Journey of Life: The Five Stages of Life, life education for junior high school students.
2009	“Bodhisattva of Mercy: Explore Avalokitesvara” exhibition catalogue. The Extension of Beauty life education series (three books).
2008	Living with Integrity life education series (three books).
2007	MWR Virtual Shrine—Foguang Temple pop-up book, Life Education: Suicide Prevention.
2006	The Five Stages of Life Curriculum Design: Using MWR in Elementary School Curricula, Study Handbook for MWR Bronze Exhibition for Children, MWR Virtual Shrine—Chartres Cathedral pop-up book, inaugural issue of the biannual periodical Life Education.
2005	A Quest for Fantastical Beasts (illustrated book for children), Pursuing Good Fortune: Taiwanese Folk Cultural Artifacts exhibition catalogue.
2004	The Five Stages of Life: Life Education Handbook (Using the MWR’s Journey of Life Hall for Teaching), Love and Life Education illustrated book series, Shanxi Clay Art exhibition catalogue, The Garden of Life: Life Education Exhibition at the MWR and Teaching Materials for Junior High and Elementary Schools (expanded version), Guide to the Museum of World Religions (Chinese and English versions), Culture in Zhonghe and Yonghe.
2002	Virtual Shrine—Miniature Religious MWR Buildings exhibition catalogue.
2002	Treasures at the Museum of World Religions, Personal Sacred Objects of the Dalai Lama exhibition catalogue, inaugural issue of the quarterly New Century Religious Studies.
2001	Indra’s Net: MWR Inaugural Commemoration Publication, Getting to Know the Museum of World Religions.
1996 03	MWR publications printed and sent them to libraries and educational institutions in Taiwan. The practice continues to this day.