"In fall of 1935, the Japanese colonial government in Taiwan mounted an extravagant display of cultural and political power: “The Taiwan Exposition: In Commemoration of the First Forty Years of Governance /始政十四年記念台灣博覽會/. Japan was at the pinnacle of its colonial power, poised to overwhelm East and Southeast Asia with its imperial schemes, which were so well learned from the American-European colonial powers. From that highpoint, the exhibition was not only a celebration of forty years of colonial rule and its accompanying nationalism, it was, as were all international exhibitions, a projection of things to come, a signpost to the future of the colony.
The exposition’s principal sites were in the capital of Taihoku (Taipei), but the whole colony participated in this display with most cities and townships throughout the island holding branch expositions of their own. This celebration was widely promoted by a variety of newtechnologies, including radio broadcasts, lighted bill boards, and airplane drops. Not only was the citizenry of the island encouraged (nearly harassed) to come to Taipei (with special trains and travel arrangements available along both coasts), advertising and special promotions were also directed at people overseas, especially the Japanese homeland: “Come to Treasure Island and see the Taiwan Expo,” “Autumn Travel: To the Taiwan Exposition,” read the slogans that had been selected in popular competitions.
In a span of fifty days (October 10–November 28) the exposition attracted 2,758,89 visitors; the vast majority of them must have been Taiwanese and Japanese from the island, but this figure also included Japanese from the homeland, Koreans, Chinese, and others. This extravagant exposition, a tremendous success by any estimation, built on a long series of trade shows and expositions held on the island, especially on the decadal anniversaries of the establishment of colonial rule (1915, 1925). Ironically the 1935 exposition celebrated the last burst of Japanese colonial power".
Exhibiting the Colony, Suggesting the Nation: The Taiwan Exposition, 1935
Joseph R. Allen
