The Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition was founded by Taichung City Government in 1996 with the main objective of providing a platform for artists to learn and gain inspiration from one another. Initially, the exhibition was targeted at artworks of Taichung artists and acted more as a showcase for local art. Until 1999, the event was expanded to host artworks from all around Taiwan, and furthermore, began inviting foreign-based artists to submit their works since 2002, stepped onto the world stage to become one of Taiwan's most significant international art exhibitions. Dedicated to the core principles of encouraging creativity, cultivating artists, and promoting cultural exchanges, hard work over the past 28 years has started to pay off, nowadays, there are about 1,000 to  2,000 applications from around the world participate in this outstanding event every year. As a result, the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition has been bringing diversity to Taichung's local culture.

There are a total of 11 categories in the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition: ink wash painting, calligraphy, seal engraving, glue color painting, oil painting, watercolor painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, crafts, and digital arts. After the Preliminary and Final Review, judges select the top three prizes, Awards of Merit, and Short-Listed works. From among the first-prize winners in each of the 11 categories, 5 are chosen to receive the Da Dun Prize, and to be collected by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Taichung City Government. All the 11 first-prize winners receive a cash prize of NTD$120,000. The 5 Da Dun Prize winners also receive an additional cash prize of NTD$120,000, making a total of NTD$240,000 for each of the 5 Da Dun Prize winners.For 28 years, the exhibition has encouraged Taiwanese artists to create, solicited global participation and promoted artistic exchanges. Through these efforts, the number and origins of participants in the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition have expanded significantly, which indicates the attention from global artists. The exhibition revels in the successes of artists from many different parts of the world as their creativity and energy are showcased in this international art feast.