Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) A collection of Taiwanese cultural and historical relics from World War II is being displayed in Taipei to remind Taiwanese of the brutality of war and to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the end of WWII.
The exhibition, titled "Memory under Fire, " opened in Taipei Sept. 1 and will run until Feb. 28, 2007 at the exhibition hall of Taiwan Storyland, a repository of Taiwanese historical memorabilia and a recreated 1965 small town.
The exhibition has hundreds of items of wartime memorabilia such as a machine gun, a doorplate of volunteer soldiers, an air raid scarf, soldiers' salary envelopes and many wartime documents.
"The exhibition hopes to help Taiwanese, especially young people, to know more about the war. The more you understand it, the more you cherish life and your homeland, " said Franky Wu, the curator and president of Taiwan Storyland.
Most of the displayed items have been selected from Wu's large personal collection -- he has been collecting historical items for more than 20 years.
"Displaying these items could be a sensitive issue for traditionalists since it makes this place like a Japanese colony again. But all I want to do is to let these items speak for themselves, " he added.
"We look to the past so we know how to embrace the future, " said Yang Huang May-sing, vice minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission.
Various organizations, including the Taiwanese Association of Ex-Japanese Soldiers and Families and the Taiwanese Association of Enlisting in Military and Serving as Caretakers from Districts Outside Japan, also donated items for the exhibition.