As the 2023 Taipei International Book Exhibition starts January 31, Academia Sinica has unveiled its special exhibition, “Welcome to the Academia Emporium,” to showcase its recent research accomplishments. Featuring nearly 3,500 published works, 14 talks and ten special forums, as well as a “display window” for stargazing and an “ornament cabinet” of plant specimens, the six-day academic exhibition will provide a carnivalesque experience for all visitors.

At the opening ceremony on January 31, Academia Sinica Vice President Chin-shing Huang said that, in addition to advancing excellence in global research, Academia Sinica continues to promote popular science and share knowledge with a wider audience. Accordingly, the book exhibition this year has been curated under the theme of “knowledge window displays” drawing spectators and readers to seek knowledge and to explore the “emporium” of science.

Chin-shing Huang also revealed that Academia Sinica is preparing to launch a publishing center, which will integrate its academic results to reach a wider audience through diverse means, including printed books, e-books, audiobooks, and online courses.

The theme “Welcome to the Academia Emporium!” is inspired by “Kunstkammer” or “Cabinet of Curiosities,” curated by early European collectors, and by the “curio boxes” and “treasure boxes” from the Qing Dynasty. The exhibition design resembles a department store, an embodiment of fashion design in a modern society.

In addition to a display of nearly 3,500 books, the fruits of academic research, Academia Sinica has worked with ten publishers to prepare 14 talks to share new knowledge and to offer two special forums to explore Yu Ying-shih’s philosophy.

Visitors who are intrigued by celestial knowledge may be interested in the “stargazing display window” to learn about the process of photographing the first images of black holes in history. Academia Sinica researchers from the Division of Mathematical Sciences participated in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project and successfully photographed the black holes M87, at the center of the Virgo A galaxy, and SgrA*, at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

For visitors enthusiastic about the life sciences, visiting the “ornament cabinet” of plant specimens is a must. Curated by the Biodiversity Research Center, the exhibition presents an evolutionary tree of seeds and plants derived from DNA, as well as 66 herbarium specimens made into the form of earrings to represent the different orders according to the Linnaean taxonomy. Presented with a mix of designs, the diversity of plants in Taiwan is sure to leave visitors awestruck.

To promote knowledge and reading, purchases during the exhibition enjoy a 10% discount for single books, 15% for three or four books, and 21% for five or more books. Additionally, purchases of any number of special recommended books enjoy a 21% discount.

“Welcome to the Academia Emporium!” Special Exhibition at the 2023 Taipei International Book Exhibition

Venue: Taipei World Trade Center, Exhibition Hall 1 (No. 5, Section 5, Xinyi Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110), 1st floor, Stand D710

Hours: 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. (Friday and Saturday: 10:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.)

Website: https://aspress.ascdc.tw/academiasinica2023tibe

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089058755773

[Download: press release, poster, picture, information of talks]