The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to use non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in a bid to revitalize the party’s archives, KMT officials said yesterday at a news conference in Taipei that showcased a ceremonial sword belonging to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), the first piece of the collection to be utilized in the project.
NFTs are a blockchain technology used for digital files that provide proof of ownership or a certificate of authenticity.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Lin Chia-hsing (林家興), who is also the curator of the archives, said that digitizing the collection is part of the party’s efforts to revamp its image and fundraising capabilities via innovation and technology.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The drive was authorized by the KMT Central Standing Committee in October, Lin said.
NFTs of Chiang’s sword featured at this year’s CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show), which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week, he said.
The sword was presented to Chiang by a San Francisco-based overseas compatriot association in 1949 and its blade bears an inscription that reads: “For the suppression of rebellion and the founding of the nation,” Lin said.
Taiwan Blockchain Academia president Peng Shao-fu (彭少甫) said NFT technology could help the KMT contest Beijing’s narrative that the Chinese Communist Party battled imperial Japan during World War II.
The technology could also boost the KMT’s appeal to young people by bringing artifacts in its collection to a broader audience, helping to promote the party’s perspective on the history of the Republic of China, Peng said.
The KMT is to use NFTs as gratitude certificates for donors and the transaction fees would further bolster the party’s revenue, he said.
“Creating digital exhibits of precious artifacts in the metaverse would be particularly meaningful when starting a dialogue with young people,” Peng said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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