921 Earthquake Museum — a tribute to the invincible human spirit

The reconstruction process after the earthquake was not a haphazard one. The central and local governments worked with private organizations and individuals to build better infrastructure, planned communities, and new industries. One feels in awe of the strength of the people who faced these challenges and of the generosity of volunteers from all over the world who came to help them. Out of the ravages of this massive calamity also came wonderful ideas for new schools, and the revival of long-lost folk industries.

On the vibrating platform of the Earthquake Simulation Area, visitors can experience the tremors that the people of central Taiwan felt on the fateful night of Sept. 21, 1999 at 1:47 a.m. You don’t just learn the cold facts about nature's enormous power; you get to experience it firsthand!

The next building features concepts about safety and disaster prevention in general. After looking at how natural disasters affect human lives through a multimedia presentation, we move on to learning about disaster prevention, readiness and rescue. We see how trained dogs can detect living beings 500 meters under rubble, what kind of packets are distributed to people affected by disasters, what to keep ready in your home to prepare for unexpected disasters, and much more.

There is also a fun fitness test as well as a computer game to help visitors review what they learn. If you pass the review test, you get a free picture of yourself as a souvenir!

In the end we pass through the “Passageway of Hope” — a moving floor with murals on either side. While reflecting on what you just saw and learned, you are now taken to the highest part of the museum in a glass elevator with a water curtain and audio effects.

While leaving the museum viewing the surrounding serene valleys and lush hills, two thoughts stay with me — the importance of harmonious co-existence with nature and how the people of central Taiwan have risen from the devastation of the 921 earthquake like a phoenix rising anew from its own ashes.

Getting There:

46, JhongJheng Road, Wufong, Taichung, (04) 2339-0906

http://www.921emt.edu.tw

By Car: Connect to Highway Number 3 from Number 1, and then get off at Wufong interchange. Turn right on JhongJheng﹝中正﹞Road and turn left on the road marked for the museum.

By Bus: Taichung Bus No. 100, 103, 107 (white line), or 108. Stop at Guang-Fu Village.

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

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