The National Museum of Prehistory was originally established due to the rescue and excavation of the Beinan archaeological site. In July 1980, when the construction of the Taitung Station of the South Link Line (formerly known as the Beinan Station of the Eastern Line) and the shunting yard was being carried out, the large-scale construction unveiled the Beinan site, which contained a large quantity of prehistoric artefacts. Many slate slabs and exquisite funerary objects in the coffin were exposed to the surface, causing much public attention and tomb robberies.