ARTEFACTS THAT MOVE YOU
The National Palace Museum in Taipei houses precious antiquities rescued numerous times from the ravages of conflict
The National Palace Museum in Taipei has recently allowed visitors to take pictures of its valuable exhibits and this was a good reason for me to revisit. The crowd flooded through the gigantic lobby of the National Palace Museum, visitors looking forward to what they might see in this famous building. In the past, the lines were quite long and all visitors had to go through tight security processes. No camera was allowed, of course, as well as any kind of bag or backpack. However, such measures were lifted months ago. Now, one can enjoy the visit more as cameras are allowed in the museum.
As usual, the crowd queued up at the most famous items. Some visitors rushed to take pictures of only the highlighted exhibits.
Indeed, it is impossible to see all the exhibits in a single visit. The treasures displayed in this museum are just the tiny tip of the iceberg. A number of rotated exhibitions are also in a long queue, paving the way for other precious artworks to come to light, except those very famous ones which will be on display permanently.
The museum houses a huge collection of ancient Chinese artefacts, gathered from the Forbidden City and different museums in China. Today, more than 650,000 artefacts are well kept in high-security warehouses. There are so many artefacts that if you spend a few seconds looking at each piece, you have to spend more than seven days non-stop to see all the items.
Keeping the huge amount of artefacts that tell stories of China’s 7,000-year civilisation is not an easy job at all. But transporting all these items from China to Taiwan was much more difficult.
When the Japanese army invaded northeastern China in 1931, China’s National Palace Museum Council selected a collection of the most valuable artefacts and prepared them for relocation. Two years later, the council decided to move such selected items down south to Shanghai when the Japanese seriously threatened Beijing. The first group of artefacts, in 13,247 containers, were shipped to Shanghai. Moreover, artefacts from other organisations, in 6,194 containers, were also shipped together. For 12 years, these treasures were shipped through different places until World War II was over in 1945. Then they were shipped to Nanjing, China’s capital at that time.
The Chinese Civil War resumed and worsened in 1948. Some of the most valuable artefacts were shipped to Taiwan in 2,972 containers. They were some of the very best of the collection, but accounted for only 22% of the total artefacts for evacuation. So, those on display in this museum are the best of the best.
Highlights of the museum include Mao Gong Ding, a bronze cauldron from the 9th8th centuries BC. The cauldron or ding was widely used as a ritual vessel and to record the merits of its owner. It has 497 ancient Chinese characters carved on the surface. Considered as one of the masterpieces from the Zhou Dynasty, it is still an important model for calligraphy students.
Another exhibit with the longest line was the Jadeite Cabbage, which was carved out of white and green jade. The famous attraction showcases the excellent craftsmanship which could turn two colour jades with some cracks and ripples into a masterpiece. As the line was quite long and officers always rushed visitors to move on, you have some 30 seconds to watch it closely. Do not forget to look for a tiny grasshopper on the cabbage.
The famous meat-shaped stone was not on display when I visited. It is a small piece of jasper, carved and dyed into the shape of braised pork belly. The artwork I liked most was the ivory ball from the 19th century. The ball was carved from one piece of ivory. This decorative piece has a total of 21 layers inside. And each ball inside can move freely. This showcases the ingenious craftsmanship.
There are many rooms f eaturing different rotating exhibitions, from rare books and paintings to statues, Buddha images and handicrafts. If you are fascinated with antiquities, spare at least halfa-day and memory cards for this marvellous treasure.