Little Sun Cultivation Project
AR Sugoroku : Become a Little Sun
“Sugoroku" is a traditional board game introduced to Taiwan from Japan during the Japanese colonial period. Its gameplay is similar to today's Monopoly or Life Game. Players advance across the board according to the number of dice rolled, triggering events based on the grid situation. The first player to reach the end point wins. The events on the grid often reflect the values of the society at the time, only those who studied diligently, joined large corporations, avoided corruption, and even married to government officials could be considered "successful."
This game serves as a metaphor for the upbringing of children in colonial Taiwan. Child-rearing policies during the Japanese colonial period were a true version of “sugoroku." Through linguistic colonization, physical discipline, and an educational policy that emphasized loyalty to Japan, Taiwanese children were gradually molded into the colonial government's ideal of "little suns."
This exhibition builds on this concept with the AR sugoroku game. Visitors can experience different AR scenarios within the board, experiencing firsthand how children are subtly influenced to develop specific values. By integrating gaming with history, viewers gain a more intuitive understanding of the pervasive nature of colonial education and the social implications behind it.
Kamishibai Story telling: Momotaro
This exhibition showcases the classic Japanese fairy tale "Momotaro" in the form of Kamishibai. The storytelling is depicted through the flipping of illustrated pages, recreating the scene of children sitting around in school or on the streets during the Japanese colonial period, offering a glimpse into the audio-visual education methods popular at the time.
However, Momotaro is more than a fairy tale. In the story, Momotaro represents Japan, while the demon symbolizes the "barbaric island," implicitly implying the legitimacy of Japan's conquest and colonial expansion. During the Japanese colonial period, such stories became a crucial component of children's education, subtly instilling values of loyalty, bravery, and conquest into children's daily learning.
Physical Interaction: Broadcast Gymnastics
Audiences are invited to follow the gymnastics music from the early Japanese colonial period, performing simple stretches and movements. This is more than an interactive experience, it’s a journey back in time, to a century ago.
First introduced by Japan in the 1920s, broadcast gymnastics were promoted as a way to "improve national health." The practice was a collective exercise with set times and movements, widely implemented in schools, workplaces, and public spaces. On the surface, this activity promoted health and vitality, but it also carried a strong subtext of bodily discipline and social control. By having citizens move in a consistent posture and rhythm, the practice created "orderly" and "uniform" bodies, reinforcing a sense of group obedience.
In colonial Taiwan, broadcast gymnastics were also widely promoted. They became not only a symbol of a national movement but also a form of political bodily education, linking health with loyalty to the state. Through this interactive installation, the audience can personally experience the atmosphere of this collective exercise and reflect on its dual role in a historical context, a promoter of healthy living, and a public performance of national discipline and power.
Little Sun Cultivation Project: Assimilation, Not a Fairytale
"Little Sun Cultivation Project: Assimilation, Not a Fairytale" focuses on children's education and cultural development during the Japanese colonial period. Located in the special exhibition area on the second floor of the Taiwan New Cultural Movement Memorial Museum, it presents the interweaving of the school system, public leisure culture, and daily life to explore the lives of modern children. Combining static displays of historical materials with interactive new media technology, the exhibition presents a new cultural and historical experience that blends movement and stillness.
