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A Word From the Director
項目符號Accepting Our Mission and Creating a Better Future – Interview with Director Chou Kung-shin(Reprint from The National Palace Museum monthly of Chinese art, no. 304)

Spurred by Director Chou Kung-shin's great passion for the museum industry, as well as her deep emotional ties with the National Palace Museum, the National Palace Museum has had more room to expand professionally and has started training younger staff members. In the past, Director Chou who started as a museum guide, served in the NPM for 27 years. Her list of experiences include serving successively as the secretary for museum directors Chiang Fu-Tsung and Chin Hsiao-Yi, and heading the exhibition team for 16 years. Dr. Chou Kung-shin left the Graduate School of Museology at Fu Jen Catholic University that she founded, and returned to the NPM to fill the position of director. She was willing to accept this mission and lead her colleagues to create a better future. On May 20, she officially took oath and assumed her position. The following day, at the staff forum, she sincerely explained to the staffs and volunteers about modern museum management and her vision for the future development of the NPM. Below are the excerpts taken from our interview with Director Chou.

Creating a Future Through Unique Character
According to museum management theories, museums can position the future direction of their development through the establishment and clarification of their purpose. There is a saying in the field of 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 the collection, the functions of the NPM can be brought into full force, and fulfill its mission. The characteristics of the NPM are naturally manifested in this process, and this is the obvious 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 lead all of us to accept the mission of taking the NPM into the next century. The following points are the directions that I and my colleagues must work toward.  

Museum Industrialization
In recent years, because of the flourishing of international museums, giving rise to trends such as "Museum Industrialization" and "Industry Museumification;" industries have created industry images through the five major functions of museums - collection, research, exhibition, education, and preservation. German Volkswagen spent over 700 million Deutsche marks creating a car park. Located in the car park is a car museum that exhibits a medley of antique cars from across the globe that has affected human lives in the past. Visitors come here to understand the relationship between human civilization and cars. In addition, through multimedia design and a myriad of car models, the museum exhibits car design, car exteriors, car interiors, fabrics, leather seat covers, paint, as well as anti-collision tests, green cars, and future car designs. Through the exhibition, the four major principles valued by the corporation are expressed to the visitors – safety, quality, environment protection, and social responsibility; having a hand in creating a positive corporate image. At the end of the trip, visitors will enter the Volkswagen display area, where cars can be directly sold. 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 more room for development. 

Modernization – Strengthening the 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, strengthen education functions, create cultural assets, and develop knowledge economics.

The NPM has continued to actively strive for museum digitalization. Besides promoting case projects such as building a digital collection, as well as digital museum and digital learning; through the development of creative, cultural products with additional added value, the museum has propelled the rise of the domestic cultural creativity 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 will allow 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, cultural, and artistic environment; a perfect and complete "U-Museum" body of knowledge.  

Becoming Younger – Allowing Youth to have a Stage
The NPM is a "palace of art," and may evoke a lofty or aloof image. The future direction of the museum is how to change this kind of impression and allow it to become more youthful and vibrant. Our initial 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 performances, individual drama performances, comic dialogue performances, and poetry readings. In addition, in coordination with the NPM weekend night museum openings, we can hold modern creative performance activities at the Wenhweitang Theater, 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 Wenhweitang, plaza, restaurant, combined with our rich exhibitions to increase our proximity with the public, and provide youth with a platform to perform.

Establishing the "Cultural and Creative Industry Incubation Center"
In recent years, the cultural creativity industry has thrived in the various countries across the globe, and cultural artifacts have become one of the most precious resources in modern society. The collection in the NPM is a strong foundation for the cultural creativity industry in Taiwan. We quickly established the "Culture Creativity Industry Incubation Center" through utilizing this rich inheritance; at the center, we exhibit the creative works of masters introduced from countries with advanced cultural creativity industries, in hope of stimulating the inspirations of local designers. We also regularly hold creative master seminars, cultivating young design talents in Taiwan, and allowing them to participate in the cultural creativity industry of the NPM. The outstanding design works created in the center are promoted for the use of domestic industries, increasing their product quality and image, and 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 research, 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 belonging 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 it is possible, we would also like to have exchanges with the Vatican Museum. Finally, in 2013 we will launch the "Southern Song Art Exhibit," combining with other world famous 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 more diverse development in order to become an important development base for the entertainment of the people and the cultural creativity industry. Therefore, in response to the diverse development of the museum, the use and cultivation of manpower is extremely important. However, because of current regulations, the promotion of professional people cannot respond to museum demand, which is greatly related to museum development. This 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 the professional development of domestic museums. In addition, formulation of an important law that is also favorable to museum professional development – the "Museum Law," should also be pushed to be passed. In short, the completion of the "Cultural Employees Employment Regulations" and the "Museum Law," can help to resolve existing problems for museums, increase museum management quality, and allow museum professionalism to have brighter future. 

Conclusion
Museums in the 21st century must have diverse operations. For the NPM, as the organization that houses Chinese artifacts, besides the basic tasks of strengthening the preservation, research, exhibition, digitalization, and promoting the education of the cultural relics; we also bear the responsibility to 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).