Exhibitions Now On
Unboxing! National Museum of Taiwan History (NMTH) Board Game Collection Special Exhibition
I. Spin! Spiral Life
Look! Every board game here is going in circles. Let's find what appears on the spiral path? Gods, cartoon characters, or...?
From snails, shells, and spiral galaxies to spiral staircases, screws, and fusilli pasta, spiral shapes are everywhere. On the game table, we also see the human love for spiral shapes, such as Europe's "Game of the Goose" and Japan's "Sugoroku" games. Adding rich and interesting elements to the spiral path makes the games even more fun.
On Taiwan's game tables, you can find games like "Huluwen" (葫蘆問), which became popular in the Qing Dynasty. The spiral paper features patterns of gourds, gods, animals, and plants symbolizing good luck. Following the rhymes, you can become a god step by step. There are also Sugoroku games depicting the bustling streets of Taipei during the Japanese era, as well as Taiwan-original games created after the war based on the education system and beloved cartoon characters. Come and see what appears on these spiral game maps and enter the time tunnel of board games through the spiral!
II. Painting Dreams, Set Off Immediately
Every era has its popular dreams. For example, as transportation gradually improved, the concepts of sightseeing travel and traveling around the world became popular. Many world-tour-themed board games appeared during the Japanese era. After the war, with the booming real estate and financial industries, the United States invented "Monopoly," as well as board games encouraging a happy life. These games became very popular after being introduced to Taiwan, becoming good partners for family entertainment.
2-1 World Travel is Not a Dream
If you were to set off to travel around the world, where would you want to go? Let's see what interesting places appear in the board games.
With the advancement of transportation, traveling abroad was no longer something only missionaries, merchants, or scholars could do. Traveling and circling the globe became a dream in everyone's hearts! Just like the classic adventure novel "Around the World in Eighty Days" written by French author Jules Verne in 1873, it was once a craze and even became the inspiration for many European and American board games.
This trend also reached Taiwan! From the Japanese period, we can see many games themed around traveling the world. These games not only introduced the world's appearance but also filled people with a longing for travel. Today, traveling the world is still a dream for many! But because it requires quite a bit of money, before you save enough travel funds, pick the place you want to go first. Let's start an interesting global adventure through board games!
2-2 Chance! Fate! Winning at Life
Have you seen the old versions of "Monopoly" or "The Game of Life"? Let's see how one could become a "winner in life" back then!
After the war, Western board games began to sweep Taiwan. Games like "Monopoly" (1930s), "Careers" (1950s), and "The Game of Life" released in the US all appeared in similar Chinese versions in Taiwan in the 1960s.
"Monopoly," themed on real estate and financial competition, quickly became a household name in Taiwan. Later, with the popularity of video games, the Taiwanese game company Softstar Entertainment (大宇資訊) launched the "Richman Series" (大富翁系列) of computer games, which became a common memory for another generation. Games like "Careers" and "Striving for Life" (奮鬥人生) featured game maps filled with the most popular life processes of the time and packaging boxes with retro photos, showing the outlook on life in Taiwan at that time.
The exciting "Chance and Fate" game mechanics drove Taiwanese players' dreams of becoming big landlords and winners in life. Today, these games are still popular! If you had a game paper of your own, what kind of happy life would you draw?
III. History Not on the Exam, But Very Fun
Today, many games use history as a theme, such as the Three Kingdoms, Warring States, or Egyptian dynasties, but in fact, more often, the inspiration for board games comes from people's lives. When these board games are preserved for 50, 100, or even 1000 years, they become "historical" artifacts reflecting the society of the time.
From old board games, we can catch a glimpse of how people of that era saw the world, just like a history lesson on the game table. For example, the same "Promotion Map" (升官圖) game will change in content with the passage of time, or those events in history textbooks were once themes of popular board games.
Although these board games won't appear on exam questions, they are still full of interest, not only allowing people to feel the pulse of history but also getting to know the stories belonging to games and history through play.
3-1 Child, You Shall Be a High Official
Who is the highest official in the board game? Different eras have different official ranks and positions. Can you find out which one is the highest?
In some Asian dynasties and countries, through studying and exams, one had the opportunity to enter government service, be promoted, and head toward a successful life. Therefore, families at that time actively encouraged children to study. The "Promotion Map" game, which has been passed down for over a thousand years, embodies this thinking. From a game among scholars, it gradually became a national board game, very popular in Taiwan since the Qing Dynasty.
A major feature of the Promotion Map is that the paper is covered with dense official ranks. Players must strive to reach the highest rank in the game, such as "Grand Preceptor" (太傅) or "President." While playing the game, one begins to understand the entire workplace hierarchy; it's practically a preparatory course for being a high official. More interestingly, for Promotion Maps from different eras, the game map changes with the transformation of government organizations, making it a small history on the game table.
3-2 Old Board Games are My History Textbook
Characters or events from history textbooks actually appeared in games!? Quickly find the ones you've seen!
Proper nouns from history textbooks were once actually board games! Through many old board games, we can not only catch a glimpse of people's lives and entertainment at that time but also re-acquaint ourselves with important events in history. Games from the Japanese era and WWII led players to experience Japan's expansion and national propaganda in Taiwan and Asia. Games like "Counterattack Victory Chess" (反攻勝利棋), full of political ideology, brought national confrontation and war competition to the game table.
Describing history is not limited to textbooks and books; these vivid board games let us step into the world of people at that time...
Look! Every board game here is going in circles. Let's find what appears on the spiral path? Gods, cartoon characters, or...?
From snails, shells, and spiral galaxies to spiral staircases, screws, and fusilli pasta, spiral shapes are everywhere. On the game table, we also see the human love for spiral shapes, such as Europe's "Game of the Goose" and Japan's "Sugoroku" games. Adding rich and interesting elements to the spiral path makes the games even more fun.
On Taiwan's game tables, you can find games like "Huluwen" (葫蘆問), which became popular in the Qing Dynasty. The spiral paper features patterns of gourds, gods, animals, and plants symbolizing good luck. Following the rhymes, you can become a god step by step. There are also Sugoroku games depicting the bustling streets of Taipei during the Japanese era, as well as Taiwan-original games created after the war based on the education system and beloved cartoon characters. Come and see what appears on these spiral game maps and enter the time tunnel of board games through the spiral!
II. Painting Dreams, Set Off Immediately
Every era has its popular dreams. For example, as transportation gradually improved, the concepts of sightseeing travel and traveling around the world became popular. Many world-tour-themed board games appeared during the Japanese era. After the war, with the booming real estate and financial industries, the United States invented "Monopoly," as well as board games encouraging a happy life. These games became very popular after being introduced to Taiwan, becoming good partners for family entertainment.
2-1 World Travel is Not a Dream
If you were to set off to travel around the world, where would you want to go? Let's see what interesting places appear in the board games.
With the advancement of transportation, traveling abroad was no longer something only missionaries, merchants, or scholars could do. Traveling and circling the globe became a dream in everyone's hearts! Just like the classic adventure novel "Around the World in Eighty Days" written by French author Jules Verne in 1873, it was once a craze and even became the inspiration for many European and American board games.
This trend also reached Taiwan! From the Japanese period, we can see many games themed around traveling the world. These games not only introduced the world's appearance but also filled people with a longing for travel. Today, traveling the world is still a dream for many! But because it requires quite a bit of money, before you save enough travel funds, pick the place you want to go first. Let's start an interesting global adventure through board games!
2-2 Chance! Fate! Winning at Life
Have you seen the old versions of "Monopoly" or "The Game of Life"? Let's see how one could become a "winner in life" back then!
After the war, Western board games began to sweep Taiwan. Games like "Monopoly" (1930s), "Careers" (1950s), and "The Game of Life" released in the US all appeared in similar Chinese versions in Taiwan in the 1960s.
"Monopoly," themed on real estate and financial competition, quickly became a household name in Taiwan. Later, with the popularity of video games, the Taiwanese game company Softstar Entertainment (大宇資訊) launched the "Richman Series" (大富翁系列) of computer games, which became a common memory for another generation. Games like "Careers" and "Striving for Life" (奮鬥人生) featured game maps filled with the most popular life processes of the time and packaging boxes with retro photos, showing the outlook on life in Taiwan at that time.
The exciting "Chance and Fate" game mechanics drove Taiwanese players' dreams of becoming big landlords and winners in life. Today, these games are still popular! If you had a game paper of your own, what kind of happy life would you draw?
III. History Not on the Exam, But Very Fun
Today, many games use history as a theme, such as the Three Kingdoms, Warring States, or Egyptian dynasties, but in fact, more often, the inspiration for board games comes from people's lives. When these board games are preserved for 50, 100, or even 1000 years, they become "historical" artifacts reflecting the society of the time.
From old board games, we can catch a glimpse of how people of that era saw the world, just like a history lesson on the game table. For example, the same "Promotion Map" (升官圖) game will change in content with the passage of time, or those events in history textbooks were once themes of popular board games.
Although these board games won't appear on exam questions, they are still full of interest, not only allowing people to feel the pulse of history but also getting to know the stories belonging to games and history through play.
3-1 Child, You Shall Be a High Official
Who is the highest official in the board game? Different eras have different official ranks and positions. Can you find out which one is the highest?
In some Asian dynasties and countries, through studying and exams, one had the opportunity to enter government service, be promoted, and head toward a successful life. Therefore, families at that time actively encouraged children to study. The "Promotion Map" game, which has been passed down for over a thousand years, embodies this thinking. From a game among scholars, it gradually became a national board game, very popular in Taiwan since the Qing Dynasty.
A major feature of the Promotion Map is that the paper is covered with dense official ranks. Players must strive to reach the highest rank in the game, such as "Grand Preceptor" (太傅) or "President." While playing the game, one begins to understand the entire workplace hierarchy; it's practically a preparatory course for being a high official. More interestingly, for Promotion Maps from different eras, the game map changes with the transformation of government organizations, making it a small history on the game table.
3-2 Old Board Games are My History Textbook
Characters or events from history textbooks actually appeared in games!? Quickly find the ones you've seen!
Proper nouns from history textbooks were once actually board games! Through many old board games, we can not only catch a glimpse of people's lives and entertainment at that time but also re-acquaint ourselves with important events in history. Games from the Japanese era and WWII led players to experience Japan's expansion and national propaganda in Taiwan and Asia. Games like "Counterattack Victory Chess" (反攻勝利棋), full of political ideology, brought national confrontation and war competition to the game table.
Describing history is not limited to textbooks and books; these vivid board games let us step into the world of people at that time...
Event Details
- 2026-01-01 — 國立臺灣歷史博物館