In Taipei, the museum most foreign tourists visit is the National
Palace Museum (NPM). According to a respected English travel
guidebook introducing Taiwan, the NPM is one of the four top
museums in the world. Since the NPM has more than 200,000 works
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of art, containing 5,000 years of Chinese culture and special
temporary exhibitions at all times, foreign visitors who are unfamiliar
with Chinese arts really need a guide to give an introduction on
Chinese history and the origin of each piece. So where are these
guides from and what are the requirements to become one? These
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guides are members of the Foreign Volunteer Program. The
applicants must be enthusiastic about learning Chinese culture. The
program was founded in 1992 and its popularity is growing so rapidly
that application is getting increasingly competitive.
Before leading a tour in the museum, a guide needs to take more
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than 30 classes where the guides-to-be must read museum-related
materials and join informal discussion groups about art and antiques.
Further on, they will be given tests about what they have learned and
on how to present their knowledge properly in front of a group of
tourists. After finishing the three-month training period, volunteers
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must sign a one-year contract with the Museum. Their
responsibilities will include leading a weekly tour and attending
classes about new exhibitions. Such an intensive training prepares
volunteers to answer the visitors’ questions with confidence.
