In view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute of Taiwan History has chosen ‘Outbreaks of Bubonic Plague, Cholera and Influenza in Taiwan under Japanese Rule’ as the theme of the exhibition for the 2020 Academia Sinica Open House. A selection of photographs, illustrations of publications, postcards, official documents, diaries and other collections bears witness to the history of how the inhabitants of this island fought against communicable diseases a century ago.