The National Museum of Taiwanese Literature, the country's first national institute dedicated to the literary arts, opened in 2003 on the basis of a renovated Japanese colonial structure. The building now protects Taiwan's literature, culture, architecture and history. As the first national museum dedicated to literary arts, the National Museum of Taiwan Literature performs academic functions such as literary heritage preservation and research on Taiwanese literature, and serves as a public venue for exhibitions, educational programs, and book-reading events.