TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —The National Museum of Taiwan Literature (國立台灣文學館) celebrated 60 years of the Li Poetry Society (笠詩社) with an exhibition starting Saturday (June 1).

Exhibits include books and artifacts given to the museum by members of the poetry society, per a press release. The theme covers Taiwanese languages and foreign language translations.

The event celebrates the local roots of the poetry society and its global outreach. It will end on Oct. 13.

Lin Heng-tai (林亨泰) and a group of fellow poets founded the Li Poetry Society in 1964. Lin chose the conical bamboo hat as the group’s symbol because he believed it represented Taiwaneseness.

Farmers wore conical hats when they worked in the fields and to Lin this represented the unyielding spirit of Taiwan’s people.

The poetry society hopes to facilitate the creation of a Taiwan consciousness through its work.

Society member and poet Cheng Chiung-ming (鄭烱明) recalled how he came across the poetry society’s publications when he was a student.  Cheng has been a member since then.