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A Word From the Director
項目符號Accepting Our Mission in Creating a Better Future – Interview with Director Chou Kung-shin (The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, No. 304)

Spurred by Director Chou Kung-shin's great passion for the museum industry and her long personal history with the National Palace Museum, the National Palace Museum has, under her supervision, expanded professionally in various areas and brought in new blood for training. Director Chou original started out as a museum guide, and has since then served in the NPM for 27 years. Her list of experiences include successively serving as secretary for museum directors Chiang Fu-Tsung and Chin Hsiao-Yi and supervising the exhibition team for 16 years. After resigning from the Graduate School of Museology (which she founded) at Fu Jen Catholic University, she returned to the NPM to fill the position of director. She has fully accepted this mission to lead her colleagues in creating a better future. On May 20, she officially assumed her position under oath, and on the following day (on the staff forum), she announced her thoughts and ideas on modern day museum management and her vision for the future development of the NPM. Listed below are the excerpts taken from our interview with Director Chou.

Understanding NPM's Unique Characteristics & Using them to Create a New Future
According to museum management theories, by setting a definite goal museums will be able to position their future path and direction better. There is a saying that is widely known to museums: "The collection is the heart of the museum." The heart of the NPM is its collection of Chinese artifacts and artwork. Through management, preservation, research, exhibition, and education of its collection, the mission that the NPM sets to carry out can be fulfilled. By tirelessly continuing the above process the value of the NPM will be known to the public, and this is the development direction that the museum will continue to take. The museum would have no future if we fail to follow this path. I have returned to NPM in order to lead all of us to accept the mission in bringing the NPM into the next century. The following key ideas are the directions that I and my colleagues must work towards to.

Industrialization of Museum
Due to the rapid growth of international museums in recent years, ideas such as "Museum Industrialization" and "Industry Museumification (Companies Taking the Museum Appraoch)" have become very popular. Many industries have created their industry image through the same five major functions of museums - collection, research, exhibition, education, and preservation. German Volkswagen spent over 700 million Deutsche marks creating a vehicle park. Located inside the vehicle park is a car museum that exhibits a medley of antique cars from across the globe that has changed people’s lives. Visitors come here to understand the relationship between cars and human civilization. In addition, through multimedia design and a myriad of vehicle models, the museum exhibits vehicle designs, vehicle interiors & exteriors, fabrics, leather seat covers, paint, as well as anti-collision tests, “green” vehicles, and future vehicle designs. Through the exhibition, four major principles valued by the company are expressed to the visitors – safety, quality, environmental protection, and social responsibility, which successfully created a positive corporate image. At the end of the trip, visitors will enter the Volkswagen display area, where vehicles may be purchased. Since its initiation, the Volkswagen museum has attracted tens of millions of visitors. The museum has not only raised the brand image of the Volkswagen Corporation, it has created substantial tourism earnings for the Wolfburg area where it is located. This is one successful case of Industry Museumification.
In the future, the NPM will strive to promote Museum Industrialization through taking advantage of our rich collection and strong research foundation. Through corporate concepts of management and marketing, the museum will cooperate with other industries to establish an image, create a brand name, and allow "Museum Industrialization" to have further room for development.

Modernization –More use of Computer Technology
The development of computer technology has changed the world. The future goals of the museum will be how to use computer technology to assist museum exhibitions, to strengthen education functions, to create cultural assets, and to expand knowledge.

The NPM has continually strived for museum digitalization. For example, it has been promoting case projects such as building a digital collection, a digital museum, and a digital learning area. Through the development of cultural and creative products the museum has propelled the rise of domestic cultural and creative industry. In addition, the digital information of the museum collection can be broadcasted via the Internet, sharing 8000 year-old Chinese cultural relics to all corners of the world. Finally, this year the NPM passed the UNS plan, which allows the museum to have better overall service quality through the application of U technology. In sum, the NPM should try to think through the viewpoint of the users, and plan to construct a high-quality, internet-friendly, culture-intensive and artistic environment, creating a perfect and complete "U-Museum" incorporating all bodies of knowledge.

Taking a "Younger" Approach – Allowing Youth to Share the Stage
The NPM is a "palace of art," and may evoke an imposing image where people may feel it is close to untouchable. However, the direction of the museum in the future is to change this kind of impression, allowing it to connect with the young and the vibrant. Our original plan is to use the outside platform on the first floor and the "One World One Community" plaza, providing a space for youth to perform various cultural performances. This space can be used for Jazz festivals, popular music concerts, fashion shows, percussion, drama, and comic dialogue performances, as well as poetry readings. In addition, in coordination with the NPM weekend night museum openings, we can hold modern creative performance activities at the Wen-hui-t’ang Auditorium, and invite groups such as the "Han-Tang Yuefu Ensemble" to perform the "Han Hsi-tsai's Night Revels" or "The Goddess of Lo River," or request performances by the "Contemporary Legend Theater," "Cloud Gate Dance Foundation," or "Ming Hua Yuan." In sum, the goal we are striving to achieve is using the Wen-hui-t’ang Auditorium, plaza, restaurant, combined with our rich exhibitions to bring us a step closer to the public, and provide youths a platform to perform.

Establishing the "Cultural and Creative Industry Creation Center"
In recent years, the cultural and creative industry has thrived in various countries around the globe, and cultural artifacts have become one of the most precious resources in modern day society. The collection in the NPM is a strong foundation for the cultural and creative industry in Taiwan. We quickly established the "Culture and Creative Industry Creation Center" through utilizing this rich inheritance; at the center, we exhibit the creative works of masters from countries with advanced cultural and creative industries, in the hopes of stimulating and inspiring local designers. We also hold regular creative seminars (where we hire masters as guest speakers) in the attempt to cultivate young design talents in Taiwan, and to allow them to participate in the cultural and creative industry of the NPM. The outstanding design works created in the center are promoted for the use of domestic industries, and increasing their product quality and image, allowing the NPM to become a leader in the development of Taiwan's cultural art industry.

Promoting International Exchanges and Cooperation
In terms of planning the various exhibitions and promoting academic researches, the NPM will continue to promote international cooperation and exchanges based on its original strong foundation. The preliminary plans are to hold the "Glorious Dynasty" special exhibition in October 2009. This exhibition will be held in coordination with the Expand International Academic Research Forum, and will exhibit the museum's artifacts that belong to the Kang, Yong, and Qian periods. In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, a special "National Treasure" exhibit is currently being planned. If possible, we would also like to have exchanges with the Vatican Museum. Finally, in 2013 we will launch the "Southern Song Art Exhibit," joining force with other world renown museums to exhibit our strongest Southern Song Dynasty collection.

Promoting “Professional Museum Development” Regulations
Museum modernization is currently the most popular trend. Besides the collection, preservation, research, exhibition, and education functions of a museum, we will strive for a more diversed development in order to become a center for entertainment as well as the cultural and creative industry. Therefore, the use and cultivation of manpower is extremely important. Due to current regulations, the supply of professionals cannot meet museum demand, and is hurting museum development. The museum will cooperate with the Council for Cultural Affairs and the various Cultural Organizations across the country to establish the "Cultural Employees Employment Regulations" for the benefit of professional development of domestic museums. In addition, formulation of an important law that is favorable to museum professional development, the "Museum Law," should also be pushed in order to be passed. In short, the completion of the "Cultural Employees Employment Regulations" and the "Museum Law" can help to resolve existing problems and increase museum management quality, allowing professionalism of the museum to have a brighter outlook.

Conclusion
Museums in the 21st century must have a diversed operations capability. For the NPM, as an organization that houses Chinese artifacts as well as the bearing the responsibilities of preservation, research, exhibition, digitalization, and promoting the education of the cultural relics, we must also promote the development of cultural creativity, implement knowledge economics, cultivate cultural talents, give new life to our culture, and improve our country's image.

* The full article is published in The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, no. 304 (July 2008)