Postal Museum

Perhaps you've visited a postal museum (郵政博物館) in your home country before but were less than impressed by the world of postal service. Well, get ready to be amazed by the Chunghwa Post's Postal Museum. Just a block away from the National Museum of History, this museum occupies an impressive seven floors and may just be the greatest repository of postal memorabilia and artifacts in the world.

The second floor houses a wildlife art gallery which showcases designs used in the creation of stamps honoring Taiwan's indigenous flora and fauna. The next floor is like something straight out of a retro mid-20th century technology advertisement with its once state-of-the-art sorting, stamping, and packing machines. You may be surprised to find displays of postal workers' uniforms, mailboxes, and logos of postal services from a variety of countries.

With its origins in China, the museum does an excellent job of tracing Chunghwa Post's history and relocation to Taiwan, then subsequent transformation into a global carrier. For a quick look at early cross-strait relations, make sure to find the Kinmen Island mailbox damaged by the Chinese Army's artillery bombardment.

Lastly, the upper floors house a vast collection of stamps from around the world. Whether a stamp collector or not, the sheer quantity of stamps is sure to impress. If you're looking for a unique museum excursion, you can't go wrong with a visit here.