Wulai Atayal Museum — Attraction in New Taipei

I visited this museum a few years ago during my first trip to Taiwan and was impressed by the modern facility in a small hill town far away from the city. The museum experience was great and well thought-out, even though I’m not particularly interested in aboriginal culture.

On my recent visit, I saw that there is now an AV area at the lobby, which was a nice touch. I also chatted with the lovely museum receptionist, Ya Xi, who comes from an indigenous family. I was inquiring about the public bus schedules to the village and she was so helpful and friendly that we ended up chatting about the different worlds we live...

Wulai is the closest place to Taipei where visitors can get a glimpse into Taiwan indigenous people's lives and history. The museum is small but it gives a good overview of some of the most significant cultural expressions such as the face tattoo, and traditional fiber arts. Mei Lu runs the museum's souvenir shop and teaches classes in weaving and other handicrafts, while her husband Spencer (who speaks good English) runs the coffee shop right outside on the Old Street. Be sure to ask for "Coffee with Magao" - a peppery citrus flavoring from a...

Free admission, quite big with 3 floors of exhibits,but doesn't really explain the whole history and culture of Atayal, English translation could use proof reading, Chinese version has more details. Some items are really beautiful like the fabrics and knifes, but their descriptions are sparse. Also the culture and traditions are somehow sugarcoated, like the headhunting, or the facial tattoos, some of the original old pictures are...