Where to Find Masterpieces (TAIPEI Quarterly 2025 Summer Vol.40)Post date：2025-06-10
970
TAIPEI #40 (2025 Summer)
Where to Find Masterpieces
The National Palace Museum Is Celebrating Its Centennial This Year!
TEXT & PHOTOS VISION, NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM
Established in 1925 in Beijing's Forbidden City and relocated to its current Taipei site in 1965, the world-renowned National Palace Museum (NPM) commemorates its 100th birthday this year.
The year 2025 not only marks the centennial of the museum's founding but also the 75th anniversary of its relocation to Taiwan, the 60th anniversary of its current home in Waishuangxi, Shilin District, and the 10th anniversary of the opening of its southern branch in Chiayi County.
After the museum was established in Beijing in 1925, its invaluable collections were laboriously moved across China during wartime to safeguard them. As the Nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan, a significant portion of these treasures was also shipped across the strait. After a period of temporary storage in central Taiwan, the museum found a new home at the base of the Yangmingshan mountains in 1965, where the historically and culturally significant artifacts continue to be conserved, researched, and exhibited to the world. Established in 2015, the museum's southern branch in Chiayi has been a significant expansion. Its focus is on showcasing Asian art and culture, encompassing Taiwanese culture within that broader scope.
To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the special exhibition Enduring Legacy: A Centennial Celebration of the National Palace Museum (甲子萬年), will be staged simultaneously in Taipei and Chiayi from October 4th to January 4th next year. The main museum (northern branch) will explore the NPM's evolution and present precious artifacts on loan from Japan's Kyushu National Museum. An AI-integrated exhibition is also set to showcase NPM's innovative applications. In a historic first, the southern branch will feature the museum's three renowned landscape painting masterpieces: Fan Kuan's Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Guo Xi's Early Spring, and Li Tang's Wind in Pines Among a Myriad Valleys. It will also exhibit antique blue-and-white porcelain from the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka. A joint ticket for the NPM's two branches is being planned, along with package tours developed with airlines, Taiwan High Speed Rail, and hotel partners.
Why You Should Visit the National Palace Museum
The NPM offers a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty and history of Chinese art and culture. It houses one of the world's most extensive and highest-quality collections of Chinese imperial artifacts, spanning over 10,000 years of history. From exquisite jade carvings and delicate porcelains to intricate bronzes, calligraphy masterpieces, and stunning paintings, the sheer artistry and historical significance of the collection are breathtaking.
Among its countless gems are the famed Three National Treasures: the Jadeite Cabbage, a Qing Dynasty carving of a head of cabbage with a locust and a katydid; the Meat-shaped Stone, a piece of jasper carved and dyed to resemble a succulent piece of Dongpo pork, also from the Qing Dynasty; and the Ding Cauldron of Duke Mao, a bronze tripod vessel from the late Western Zhou Dynasty, which is highly significant not only for its age and craftsmanship but also for the long inscription on its interior.
The museum itself is located in a picturesque setting, mountainside as backdrop. The well-organized displays, informative signage (often in multiple languages), and modern facilities make for an enjoyable and enriching visitor experience.
If you visit the NPM this year, be sure to explore the museum's gift shop. It features several new items commemorating this centennial year, including the adorable NPM Small Cabbage Doll.
National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院
🚩221, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd., Shilin Dist.
📞(02) 2881-2021
🔗www.npm.gov.tw
🕝Tue-Sun 9:00am-5:00pm
Where to Find Masterpieces
The National Palace Museum Is Celebrating Its Centennial This Year!
TEXT & PHOTOS VISION, NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM
Established in 1925 in Beijing's Forbidden City and relocated to its current Taipei site in 1965, the world-renowned National Palace Museum (NPM) commemorates its 100th birthday this year.
The year 2025 not only marks the centennial of the museum's founding but also the 75th anniversary of its relocation to Taiwan, the 60th anniversary of its current home in Waishuangxi, Shilin District, and the 10th anniversary of the opening of its southern branch in Chiayi County.
After the museum was established in Beijing in 1925, its invaluable collections were laboriously moved across China during wartime to safeguard them. As the Nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan, a significant portion of these treasures was also shipped across the strait. After a period of temporary storage in central Taiwan, the museum found a new home at the base of the Yangmingshan mountains in 1965, where the historically and culturally significant artifacts continue to be conserved, researched, and exhibited to the world. Established in 2015, the museum's southern branch in Chiayi has been a significant expansion. Its focus is on showcasing Asian art and culture, encompassing Taiwanese culture within that broader scope.
To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the special exhibition Enduring Legacy: A Centennial Celebration of the National Palace Museum (甲子萬年), will be staged simultaneously in Taipei and Chiayi from October 4th to January 4th next year. The main museum (northern branch) will explore the NPM's evolution and present precious artifacts on loan from Japan's Kyushu National Museum. An AI-integrated exhibition is also set to showcase NPM's innovative applications. In a historic first, the southern branch will feature the museum's three renowned landscape painting masterpieces: Fan Kuan's Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Guo Xi's Early Spring, and Li Tang's Wind in Pines Among a Myriad Valleys. It will also exhibit antique blue-and-white porcelain from the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka. A joint ticket for the NPM's two branches is being planned, along with package tours developed with airlines, Taiwan High Speed Rail, and hotel partners.
Why You Should Visit the National Palace Museum
The NPM offers a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty and history of Chinese art and culture. It houses one of the world's most extensive and highest-quality collections of Chinese imperial artifacts, spanning over 10,000 years of history. From exquisite jade carvings and delicate porcelains to intricate bronzes, calligraphy masterpieces, and stunning paintings, the sheer artistry and historical significance of the collection are breathtaking.
Among its countless gems are the famed Three National Treasures: the Jadeite Cabbage, a Qing Dynasty carving of a head of cabbage with a locust and a katydid; the Meat-shaped Stone, a piece of jasper carved and dyed to resemble a succulent piece of Dongpo pork, also from the Qing Dynasty; and the Ding Cauldron of Duke Mao, a bronze tripod vessel from the late Western Zhou Dynasty, which is highly significant not only for its age and craftsmanship but also for the long inscription on its interior.
The museum itself is located in a picturesque setting, mountainside as backdrop. The well-organized displays, informative signage (often in multiple languages), and modern facilities make for an enjoyable and enriching visitor experience.
If you visit the NPM this year, be sure to explore the museum's gift shop. It features several new items commemorating this centennial year, including the adorable NPM Small Cabbage Doll.
National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院
🚩221, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd., Shilin Dist.
📞(02) 2881-2021
🔗www.npm.gov.tw
🕝Tue-Sun 9:00am-5:00pm
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