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Legacies of NTU - No. 6
Fifty years of Spiritual Guidance: NTU Agricultural Exhibition Hall

Agricultural Exhibition Hall
The NTU Agricultural Exhibition Hall was inaugurated in 1964 by former Vice-president Cheng Chen (陳誠).

National Taiwan University’s Agricultural Exhibition Hall was officially launched when former President Cheng Chen (陳誠) unveiled the symbolic “Farmer” bronze statue located in front of the building in 1964. The statue has since stood firmly at the door of the building while bearing witness to Taiwan’s 50-years of agricultural development.

The “Farmer,” however, has an interesting anecdote. Shortly after it was unveiled, the statue’s hat was stolen on July 20, 1964. The incident made the headlines in all the newspapers, and while the hat was recovered and returned to the “Farmer,” it drew in a great deal of unexpected attention.

Agricultural Exhibition Hall
The statue drew in a great deal of unexpected attention from both the media and the public when its hat went missing.

Taiwan’s agriculture has gone through several stages of development in the past 50 years; this includes the Restoration period (1945-1948), Transformation period (1949-1972), Acceleration period (1972-1979), Income Increase period (1979-1984), and finally, the Agricultural Structure Enhancement period (1985-present). From small-scale farming to the development of exquisite quality agriculture, not only has the Agricultural Exhibition Hall witnessed the progress of the nation’s husbandry, it has also recorded this humble yet essential part of the nation’s history within the environs of its historic walls.

Agricultural Exhibition Hall facebook page
NTU’s Agricultural Exhibition Hall bears witness to Taiwan’s agricultural history for the past 50 years.
(Photo: Agricultural Exhibition Hall facebook page)

In traditional Chinese culture, farmers were ranked as one of society’s most important classes along with scholars, workers, and businessmen. Farmers have also been the inspiration for numerous artists and poets in both the East and the West to create masterpieces based on their spirits, endeavors, and modest labor. As a result, NTU’s “Farmer” statue and the Agricultural Exhibition Hall have served as the university’s spiritual reminder of gratitude towards farmers and their efforts in providing us with an abundance of food that we eat.

For more interesting anecdotes, visit the Agricultural Exhibition Hall’s official website and facebook page, or click HERE to access original article written by the Agricultural Exhibition Hall (04/16/2014).

National Taiwan University is home to an abundance of educational and cultural artifacts that bear the history of the campus’ past. As a result, the NTU Museums project, a campaign that integrates the university’s ten individual museums, was launched in 2005 and officially inaugurated in 2007 so that the school’s hidden treasures could be introduced to the public. To honor the school’s past, the “Legacies of NTU” series will feature the stories of NTU’s hidden treasures by taking you through the most precious items among the university’s collection.

Chinese version