National Palace Museum

The National Palace Museum, also known as Taipei Palace Museum, is a national museum headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in Beijing in 1925, the museum was re-established in Shilin, Taipei, in 1965, and later expanded with a southern branch in Taibao, Chiayi, in 2015.

The museum holds a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of artifacts and artworks, primarily comprising items relocated from the Beijing Palace Museum and other institutions in the mainland China during the government of the Republic of China's retreat to Taiwan. Before the re-establishment of the museum in Shilin in 1965, these collections were temporarily housed in various locations across Taiwan.

Spanning 8,000 years of history from the Neolithic to the modern era, the museum's collection reflects a comprehensive record of Chinese history. Like the Palace Museum in Beijing, the museum's extensive array of artifacts and artworks were based on the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties in the Forbidden City.

History

In Mainland China

The National Palace Museum started as the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City on October 10, 1925, after the last emperor, Puyi, left. It held treasures from the former imperial family.

When war came near in 1931, the museum moved its most valuable items to keep them safe. The collection traveled to different cities, including Shanghai and Nanjing, and later to places farther west like Anshun and Leshan during the war. After the war ended in 1945, the items were brought back to Nanjing.

In Taiwan

When fighting continued in China, important items from the museum were sent to Taiwan. Between late 1948 and early 1949, many valuable pieces were moved from Nanjing to Keelung in Taiwan. However, not everything could be saved, as the collection in Beijing was already taken by the time they arrived.

The items were first stored in a railway warehouse in Yangmei and then moved to a cane sugar mill near Taichung. Later, they were kept in a mountain village called Beigou in Wufeng, Taichung. In 1957, a small exhibition hall opened there.

In 1960, enough money was raised to build a larger museum. Construction finished in August 1965 in the Taipei area. The new museum, named the “Chung-Shan Museum” in honor of Sun Yat-sen, opened to the public later that year. Since then, it has cared for and shown the collection.

Architecture

Northern Branch

The main building of the National Palace Museum in Taipei was built from March 1964 to August 1965. Because there was not enough space to show all the artifacts, the museum was expanded several times over the years. In 2002, a big renovation made the museum more modern and spacious, and it reopened in February 2007.

The museum changes its painting and calligraphy exhibits every three months. About 3,000 items from the collection can be seen at any time, and these exhibits are very popular.

Zhishan Garden

Inside the museum grounds is a beautiful garden that covers nearly two hectares. It uses ideas from many fields, like water management and landscape design, and has many ponds and wooden pavilions. The garden opened in 1985. There is also a smaller garden called the Zhide Garden nearby.

Chang Dai-chien residence

The museum also cares for the home of famous Chinese painter Chang Dai-chien, located in Shilin, Taipei. This two-story house with gardens was finished in 1978. After Chang passed away in 1983, the house was donated to the museum and turned into a memorial.

Southern Branch

Main article: Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum

The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum is in Taibao, Chiayi County, Taiwan. It sits on a large area of land and includes a lake and a garden. Planning began in 2000, and construction started in 2005. There were delays, and the building was finally finished and opened in December 2015. However, water problems caused it to close for repairs before reopening in August 2016.

Collections

The National Palace Museum has many beautiful and important items, such as calligraphy, porcelain, bronzes, paintings, and jades. Many of these items were moved to Taiwan during the retreat of the ROC government. The museum has nearly 700,000 artifacts, but only shows about 1% at a time. The rest are kept safe in special storage.

Some of the most famous pieces include a big bronze bell called the Zong Zhou Zhong, a large bronze cauldron named Mao Gong Ding, and a special statue of The Buddha called the Taihe Shakyamuni. The museum also has rare ceramics like Ru ware, beautiful jade carvings such as the Jadeite Cabbage, and many important paintings and calligraphy from ancient times. There are also rare books and historical documents, like the Yongle Encyclopedia and important records from the past.

Administration

The National Palace Museum is managed by the Executive Yuan as an important organization. Over the years, it has had many directors guiding its work. In 1949, a joint office was created to manage both the National Central Museum and the National Central Library. Then, in 1955, another joint office was formed to oversee the National Palace Museum and the National Central Museum.

Controversies

Ownership disputes

The National Palace Museum's collection has been a topic of debate because of questions about who truly owns the treasures. Some leaders in China believe the items were taken unfairly during a big fight in China long ago, and they say Taiwan should not own them. Some people in Taiwan also think the items do not belong there and should go back to China. Instead of going to court, China talks about sharing these treasures with everyone living on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. This idea was shown when museums in Beijing and Taipei worked together on shows and shared some items.

The museum in Taipei says it is the right keeper of the collection. Because of worries that China might try to take the items, the museum does not show them in China. Since 1965, the museum has only done big shows in countries that have laws to protect the treasures from being taken away. These countries include the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Japan, Australia, and the Czech Republic. One famous show happened in 1996 in the United States, where many pieces were displayed in museums in different cities. Recent shows have been in Prague and Paris.

Safety concerns

People have often worried about the safety of the museum’s collection. In 2022, three important old pieces broke, which some people said showed the museum was not careful enough. There are also worries about what would happen if there were a war. Some experts think the museum should use old tunnels in the mountains to keep things safe, while others think keeping the items where they are is best. In 2022, the museum did its first practice drill to help staff learn how to move items to safety if needed. The museum kept the exact plans secret.

In March 2023, it was found that many high-quality pictures of the museum’s collection had been shared online and sold on websites in China. This caused more concerns about how well the museum protects its information and manages its items.