Taiwan Church News

3736 Edition

Oct 2nd ^~ 8th ^, 2023

Weekly Topical

PCT Missionary Legacies Showcased as the Memory of the World

Reported by Dalul from Tainan

In 2022, Tainan East Gate Barclay Memorial Church and Chang Jung High School were both awarded the “National Register of the Memory of the World “, an honorary title for Taiwan historical legacy accredited by the Bureau Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture.

In order to invite more people to learn about the restoration of cultural relics and the missionary history behind these two remarkable PCT institutes, Tainan East Gate Barclay Memorial Church, Chang Jung High School and the National Museum of Taiwan History jointly held the exhibit, entitled as “Restoration and Rebirth – A Centennial Witness: The exhibit of cultural relics and its restoration process to become national register”. The public and the church members are very welcomed to visit and learn more about the missionary stories of Taiwan where they live on. The exhibition period will be held from October 3 to January 1, 2024.

In the exhibit, the cultural relics under Japanese colonial era showcased the religious practices of Chang Jung High School and its daily lives and activities of the students, the establishment of a Presbyterian high school through fundraising, and the efforts of all school members to build the auditorium of East Gate Church, which became the hub amid Tainan Presbyterian churches later. This is a very important social movement in Taiwan under the period of the Japanese ruling.

Mr Hsu Der-sheng, principal of Chang Jung High School, was interviewed to share his experience after visiting the exhibition. He pointed out that seeing a lot of past historical relics, vividly presented before our eyes through restoration, was really opened his eyes. Especially guided via an in-depth restoration and detailed explanation of historical cultural relics. Principal Hsu believed, the public will definitely be inspired to learn more about the stories behind the PCT missions, and become more interested to seek the significance of the histories of Chang Jung High School, and even of Tainan City and the whole Taiwan.

In Principal Hsu’s opinion, the exhibition does not exhibit the cultural relics only. Without the professional conservation and skillful restoration of these national registers, it is difficult to fully preserve our cultural treasures. Through the help of the Elizabeth Cultural Assets Maintenance Center of the Tainan East Gate Barclay Historical Education Promotion Association, the restoration process can be truly showcased before the eyes of the public, and they can better understand the hardships of restoration requiring advanced technology and knowledge.

Principal Hsu welcomes Tainan citizens and the PCT members brought their families to visit the exhibition. In addition to learn about Taiwan history and thinking about Taiwan’s modern outlooks, principal Hsu affirms, such kind of museum tour will broaden the public’s horizon such as cultural relic restoration from an educational perspective. And this activity could also allow children to have more diversified education in their future studies for enriching their experiences and worldviews.

Rev Liu Bing-shi, pastor of Tainan East Gate Barclay Memorial Church, mentioned in the interview that this exhibition can be seen as an important opportunity for Tainan East Gate Barclay Memorial Church and Chang Jung High School to improve their past thoughts and practices of preserving historical relics.

It also help the church to appreciate the ideal saying of “No Vision, No Passion, No Mission”, Rev Liu remarked. He explained the saying further, “without imagination, we cannot have enthusiasm to move forward / without enthusiasm, we cannot move on in the mission!”

The restoration and champion of our mission with its heroic stories, through inviting the public to learn more about Taiwan and its people via different media, this event will facilitate the PCT ministries to spread and proclaim from different perspectives and roll out a brand new world, Rev Liu said.

Translated by Peter Wolfe