The National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL; ) is a museum located in Tainan, Republic of China (Taiwan). The museum researches, catalogs, preserves, and exhibits literary artifacts. As part of its multilingual, multi-ethnic focus, it holds a large collection of local works in Taiwanese, Japanese, Mandarin and Classical Chinese. It was planned as a national-level organization to fill in a long-perceived gap in how the Republic of China's institutions had handled Taiwanese literature as a field of academic inquiry and popular discourse. Tainan was chosen for its historical significance as a cultural center. History The museum is housed in the , itself a national historical monument. The building was constructed in 1916 during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. The Council for Cultural Affairs under the Executive Yuan set up the initial planning office. The museum was opened in 2003. Activities The museum houses the cultural heritage research center of Bureau of Cultural Heritage. Transportation The museum is accessible within walking distance South West from Tainan Station of the Taiwan Railways. See also Ministry of Culture (Taiwan) List of museums in Taiwan Taiwanese literature References External links National Museum of Taiwan Literature website Digital archive of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature 2003 establishments in Taiwan Museums established in 2003 Literature Literary museums in Taiwan Museums in Tainan Japanese literature Chinese literature