The National Palace Museum in Taipei contains art treasures dating back five thousand years. The pictorial nature of Chinese characters led to calligraphy becoming an art form. Ink painting came to Taiwan from China in the fourteenth century and gained renewed popularity after the Second World War. Since the beginning of the century Taiwanese art has been influenced by Japanese, Chinese and Western art styles. Traditional Chinese dance dates back thousands of years.
Chinese music has a three thousand year history.
Most of the instruments are types of flutes and stringed instruments. Chinese Opera is broadcasted regularly on both television and radio so all people have access to this type of music. The aboriginal people of Taiwan are skilled woodcarvers and weavers. Their music and dance is very different from the Chinese equivalents. The country now has forty major public stadia and eighteen public recreation centres.