Department of Cultural Affairs

By Yali Chen
STAFF REPORTER

The history of the Nobel Peace Prize from 1901 to 2011 lies behind every small stamp.

A special exhibition titled “Seeking Peace within the Heart: Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Commemorative Stamp Exhibition” is showing at Taipei 228 Memorial Museum and will run until February 12.

“The Nobel Peace Prize has frequently caused controversy. I hope that this exhibition can help visitors gain a better understanding of its laureates’ stories and that through the more than 200 stamps on display, they can also think about the value of human rights and peace,” Zhuang Yong-ming, a writer-collector of Taiwan’s culture and history, said at a press conference on Thursday.

Zhuang’s collection includes postage stamps of Jean Henri Dunant and Frederic Passy, the first Nobel Peace Prize winners in 1901; Albert Schweitzer, the Father of Africa, who secured the award in 1953; Martin Luther King, Jr., the black American human rights activist who won the prize in 1964; Mother Theresa, the Nobel laureate in 1979; the Dalai Lama, the exiled religious and political leader of Tibet who was named the 1989 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize; Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991; and Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected president of South Africa, who received the award in 1993.

Dunant, also known as the Father of the Red Cross, earned the prize again in 1922 for his humanitarian care. In 1863 he founded the International Committee for the Relief of the Wounded (now International Committee of the Red Cross), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1917, 1944 and 1963.

Actually, the exhibition only showcases a small selection of Zhuang’s stamp collection. Since he was in second grade, the 70-year-old writer has collected a variety of stamps about art, music, musical instruments and folk costumes.

If you go…
Seeking Peace within the Heart: Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Commemorative Stamp Exhibition
Admission: Free
Hours: 10:00am – 5:00pm Tuesdays to Sundays
Venue: Taipei 228 Memorial Museum
Telephone: (02) 2389-7228
Website: http://228memorialmuseum.gov.taipei/