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The Taiwan Shinminpo News Special – Opening of Hualien Port, 1939
The Taiwan Shinminpo News Special – Opening of Hualien Port, 1939

Publication date: 11 Oct 2023
Author: Chu Feng-chung, Kawashima Naoko |Staff member of the Archives of Institute of Taiwan History

The Taiwan Shinminpo and its related newspaper series were the only newspapers published by the Taiwanese during the Japanese colonial era. Among the contents, in-depth special reports on places, events and people are very important historical materials for studies on family histories and local regions. The Institute of Taiwan History has collected almost a hundred local news specials, covering topics such as economy and industry, infrastructure, cultural history, and school education. The issues presented include banana production and industrial economic trends, major infrastructure completion and current political situation, upgrade of towns and villages, rail service resumption and local development. The Taiwan Shinminpo carried what might not be described or documented in regular publications, such as local cultural characteristics and industrial histories, which were precious records for understanding our homeland. With the reference to the news special “Commemorative Special on Opening of Hualien Port” published in The Taiwan Shinminpo on October 1-2, 1939 and other archival collections of Institute of Taiwan History, this article focuses on the completion and opening of Hualien Port in 1939, detailing the construction process and its impact during the Japanese colonial era.

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The newly updated "Taiwan Archival Information System" is now fully accessible for online use starting today.
2025-04-16

The newly revamped Taiwan Archival Information System is officially online starting today! This upgraded version introduces a variety of new features, and The Official Documents Compilation of the Taiwan Governor-General’s Office（臺灣總督府公文類纂） now provides item-level listings for this collection, expanding from the previous 13,000 volumes of catalog entries to over 250,000 individual digitized official documents.

New System Features

  1. Multi-fonds Search Functionality
    Users can now select and search across multiple fonds simultaneously, enhancing the flexibility of archival searches.
  2. Post-Search Categorization
    Search results are now categorized by their respective fonds, making it easier to filter and locate the desired materials.
  3. Improved Interface and Data Display
    • Archival structures are presented in a full hierarchical tree format, resolving previous limitations that displayed only partial information.
    • A new item-to-item navigation feature allows users to switch between items within the same file, regardless of whether digital images are available.
    • Each archival entry is assigned a unique URL, making citation and sharing more convenient.
    • A search history feature automatically records query conditions, result counts, and search dates, aiding in future reference.

Archival Contents

This system features a wealth of archival materials collected by our institute over the past several decades, categorized into three main types by source:

  1. Personal Papers
    Personal Papers were the first hand record related to work and life created or preserved by individuals. The types of Personal Papers are abundant, including diaries, manuscripts, case files, correspondence, postcards, photographs, and paintings.
  2. Family Papers
    Family Papers are the first hand record concerning clan kinship and asset certificates. The document types include land contracts, allotment agreements on family property, personal contracts, family rules, account books, genealogies, correspondence etc.
  3. Organizational Archives
    Organizational Archives were the original records of organization operations. Its type evolved in different time period. By collaborating with other institutions, we digitize and open the archives to the public for application.

Access and Usage

All catalog metadata in this system is fully open for search. Depending on the data format, acquisition agreements, and relevant copyright or legal restrictions, archival materials are available through tiered access:

  1. Viewing online (線上閱覽)
    Digital images can be viewed and printed by personal computer after logging in the system.
  2. Viewing in the ITH Archives (到館閱覽列印)
    Digital images or archives in other formats can be viewed and printed in the Archives of the Institute of Taiwan History.
  3. Transcribing in the ITH Archives (到館閱覽抄錄)
    Digital images or archives in other formats can be viewed and only be transcribed in the Archives of the Institute of Taiwan History.

This major upgrade aims to enhance user experience in searching and applying archival materials. We warmly welcome scholars, researchers, and the general public to explore and make full use of this resource.
Visit the new system now: https://tais.ith.sinica.edu.tw


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