The museum explores the early Formosan peoples and their formative links to the cultures of the Pacific region, with objects dating from 30,000 B.P. In the RAA-designed spaces of 33,000 square feet, tableaux present archeological evidence within a "scrimmed," imagined environment, a perimeter rail houses the permanent collection and its treasured objects, and the Atrium space presents conservation displays and the monumental symbol of the museum.