The National Digital Archives Project (NDAP) at Academia Sinica is hosting an exhibition from May 17, 2010 to January 31, 2011 highlighting the diversity of shells found around Taiwan. The exhibition entitled "Precious Shells - the Mollusks of Taiwan", will be held on the second floor of the Joint Library of Humanities and Social Sciences and is open to the public. (I deleted the section because the opening ceremony will be over when the newsletter is published.)

        There has been particular interest in the shells found in the seas surrounding Taiwan since 1969 when 200 Entemnotrochus rumphii shells were discovered in the Diaoyutai Islands. E. rumphii are thought to date back around 140 million years to the late Cambrian Period and are often regarded as living fossils. They are a member of the Pleurotomariidae family of mollusks and their shells are large and bright red in color. At the time of their discovery around Taiwan, auctions of these relics to wealthy collectors at record prices caused an international stir and protests by animal conservationists.

The current exhibition sponsored by the NDAP will explain Taiwan's shell-culture displaying the ecology of the mollusks in Taiwan, as well as all the representative shells of Taiwan with the aid of the digital repository, references and demonstrations. The highlights of the exhibition will include "the world of the shell", "the database of mollusks in Taiwan", "the database of mollusks in the world", "the specialties of shell", "land snail database”, "stories of shell" and the monthly "precious shell show". Visitors to the exhibition will be able to observe colorful and variously shaped shells of Taiwan, and also have the opportunity to understand shells more deeply. Visitors will also be able to send shell e-cards, and join activities such as shell creativity, shell photo competition, shell matches, and shell online games.

Related websites:
Special Exhibition http://shell.sinica.edu.tw/ShellExhibit/
The Taiwan Malacofauna Database http://shellmuseum.sinica.edu.tw
http://digiarch.sinica.edu.tw/exhibition.jsp