Taipei: The 2026 Tang Prize Exhibition opened Thursday, featuring the optical instrument used by Sustainable Development laureate Susan Solomon nearly 40 years ago in Antarctica to help prove that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were the primary cause of the expanding ozone hole.

According to Focus Taiwan, the exhibition at the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall marks the start of this year's Tang Prize Week, with six 2026 laureates scheduled to visit Taiwan later this month for the award ceremony, public lectures, and exchanges with students. The Tang Prize Foundation released a statement detailing these events.

Tang Prize Foundation CEO Chern Jenn-chuan highlighted key events of Tang Prize Week, including the September 18 award ceremony, laureate lectures on September 19, and a series of master's forums and youth symposiums at universities and high schools across Taiwan.

The exhibition, which runs for two months with free admission, introduces a digital "Tang Prize Knowledge Hub," showcasing contributions from laureates of the prize's first seven editions. Visitors can participate actively by leaving messages on an interactive digital co-creation wall.

A significant feature of the exhibition is the optical instrument Solomon used during an Antarctic expedition in the 1980s. It played a crucial role in testing her hypothesis that CFCs were contributing to ozone depletion. The instrument's measurements of moonlight and scattered sunlight wavelengths enabled researchers to identify atmospheric gas concentrations, providing evidence of the CFCs' impact on the ozone layer.

The foundation noted that the original mirror of the instrument was damaged during the Antarctic expedition. Solomon had a replacement made specifically for the exhibition, with the aim of inspiring visitors to consider climate change.

Another notable exhibit includes handwritten lecture notes by Sinology laureate Ge Zhaoguang. These notes, filled with revisions and attached slips of paper, demonstrate Ge's method of forming complete arguments on single pages. As Ge later transitioned to digital manuscripts, these 30-year-old handwritten notes have gained significant value. High-quality reproductions are displayed to preserve the fragile originals.