On exhibition at the Taxidermy Hall of Fame is every kind of North Carolina wildlife unprotected by the law (they have plastic replicas of protected species), state and national taxidermy ribbon winners, a fur-bearing trout, numerous trophy mounts, and apparently the oldest rock on earth. What taxidermy, creationism, and antique carpentary tools have in common is pretty much up for grabs. But then, why be dull?

The museum is located in the Christian Book Store on Broad Street in historic Southern Pines.  The image is taken from Dean Jeffrey's review of the museum: read it +

As Pan Hsin-hsin (the museum's public relations manager) explains, there are already art and culture institutions in Taipei dedicated to ancient Chinese artifact.  Chi Mei Museum tries to offer visitors "something a bit different."  Besides, Pan continues in an interview with Max Woodworth for the Taipei Times in 2002, Chi Mei's director Hsu Wen-lung "feels very strongly about Taiwan and doesnt' want to parrot the things we were always taught growing up about China being the biggest and oldest and best civilisation in the world.  Here, he's trying to show people that other civilizations were doing great things often much earlier than Chinese people."  

The collection contains paintings by Degas and El Greco, a 4 meter tall repica of Michelangel's David, an Egyptian mummy (positioned next to a Han dynasty jade burial suit "to show that Egyptians were trying to preserve the death well before the Chinese"), a collection of Stradivari violins (not on display, but often lent to Taiwanese violinists), and a wild selection of taxidermy including 100 North American ducks intriguingly arranged opposite a collection of chain mail and a particularly unferocious polar bear, who appears to be trying to talk his way out of some indiscretion while his lovely marble ladies focus on looking busy. 

image and text from Max Woodworth's article (August 3rd, 2002) for the Taipei Times: read it +

image above taken from: Sedulia * image below: Jen Mertens