Guide to getting around Taiwan and the National Palace Museum in Taipei
Out of my love for the National Palace Museum, I decided to write a separate article about the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Strictly speaking, the National Palace Museum in Taipei can only be called the National Palace Museum's old collection of cultural relics, because it is just a newly built building to collect the National Palace Museum's cultural relics.
After the founding of the Republic of China and Puyi's abdication in 1912, the Ministry of Internal Affairs moved 3,150 boxes of approximately 234,100 cultural relics from the Rehe Summer Resort and Shengjing Palace to the outer court of the Forbidden City in 13 batches. It was opened to the outside world in 1913, becoming the first in Chinese history. a public museum.
After the September 18th Incident in 1931, the Palace Museum packed millions of cultural relics and shipped them southward. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, Japan fully invaded China and Nanjing was in danger. The Palace Museum was forced to evacuate again in three directions: south, middle and north to the southwest and rear. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, cultural relics from all over Sichuan were first collected in Chongqing, then returned to Nanjing and planned to return to Peiping. At the end of 1948, the Kuomintang saw that the situation was not good and transferred some of its fine cultural relics to Taiwan.
During this hurried sorting time, the staff selected as many treasures as possible to prevent the precious national treasures from being damaged. Therefore, the National Palace Museum in Taipei gathers the essence of the Forbidden City's cultural relics, so there is a saying in Beijing that "there is a Forbidden City but no cultural relics." This is of course an exaggeration. That year, Taipei took away 2,972 boxes of cultural relics, 22% of which were moved south, while 10,519 boxes, 78%, were left in the mainland. Although Taipei has transported away many of our fine works, the Forbidden City in Beijing also has a large number of fine works due to its huge base of cultural relics.
PS: Let’s make a digression here. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Forbidden City underwent a “great migration of cultural relics” and no major losses occurred while moving back and forth. However, under the leadership of Zheng Xinmiao, the Forbidden City in Beijing continued to suffer accidents even if it was left alone. The porcelain of the Song Dynasty was damaged due to human errors, and four incidents of damage to cultural relics were concealed. It is really amazing. Fortunately, Zheng Xinmiao stepped down, and Shan Jixiang, who took over in 2012, was the curator who carried forward the Taobao Forbidden City and the cultural relics I built in the Forbidden City. Since then, no more scandals in the Forbidden City have been heard of. When I was writing this article, I checked it out and found that Zheng Xinmiao is now only the honorary president of the China Lu Xun Research Association. I was relieved to know that this person was no longer related to cultural relics.
It is said that the artifacts on display in the Forbidden City are rotated every six months to two years, while the paintings, calligraphy, and books and documents on display are regularly replaced every three months. What is recorded here is what I saw in January 2017.
After the trip, my mother's first reaction after seeing the photos I took was: "Why are you so unqualified, taking pictures in the National Palace Museum in Taipei?" I quickly explained to her that the National Palace Museum in Taipei has been open to photography with conditions since 2016, but it is not allowed. flash.
Before I officially open the 8th, there is something I have to complain about. At the entrance of the Palace Museum, there is such a historical timeline——
Taiwan’s history is 2,800 years earlier than Indian civilization and Egyptian civilization? I have to admire the YY abilities of people in Taiwan. To this, I just want to say:
If the prehistoric era of Changbin Culture can be considered the origin of Taiwan's history, then to be fair, the history of Egypt should start from the 10th century BC. The Egyptian civilization generally recognized by historians began in 3200 B.C. This is because Egyptian hieroglyphics had already appeared at that time. Unfortunately, Taiwanese culture has never developed to that point. Therefore, Taiwan’s official history begins in the 16th century AD, which is more than 4,000 years later than most civilizations in the world. No wonder the Taiwanese don’t want to admit it and insist on a date of 6000 BC. .
If you feel ashamed to use Taiwan’s history, you might as well just use mainland China’s history. Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, none of them are more authentic and honorable than Changbin culture. Besides, all your exhibits are shipped from the mainland, so why are you embarrassed?
No wonder there are still Taiwanese hosts saying on the show that China has stolen Taiwan’s high-speed rail technology. Every time I watch Taiwanese TV programs, I feel a sense of intellectual superiority.
After purchasing the ticket in the lobby on the first floor, I rented a guide. Photography is allowed here, but selfie sticks are not allowed, so I still need to store the selfie stick. After passing the security check, I started from the 102 navigation hall.
I have complained about this before. It is a hall with a chronology of Eastern and Western cultures, showing that the history of Central Taiwan is 2,800 years earlier than the history of Egypt. Please allow me to laugh three times again: Ha~ha~ha~
YY I only accept Taiwanese and Korean people.
In addition to this chronology, it also used an animation to display the December order chart on the other side of the wall, but I was not very interested and left.
"Ji Qiong Zao" is the name of a treasure trove hidden by Emperor Qianlong, which means collecting many precious and beautiful items. The treasures collected here are of various types, excellent quality and abundant in quantity. After looking at this museum, I have no doubt that the nearly 3,000 boxes of toys that were shipped that year were carefully selected.
This is rosewood furniture from Prince Gong’s Mansion in the Qing Dynasty. But I wasn’t very interested in the furniture, so I walked around and left.
Buddhist statues are produced because of faith and convey the spiritual connotation of religion. The cultural relics themselves also have independent artistic value. The simplicity and naivety of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the fullness and vividness of the Tang Dynasty, and the cordiality and simplicity after the Song Dynasty all reflected the craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal of the time.
The most precious one among them is probably the gilt bronze seated Sakyamuni Buddha in the picture on the right. The emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty advocated Buddhism and governed the country with Buddhism. Buddhist art became the essence of the art of the era. The statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty are mainly Sakyamuni Buddha, emphasizing the Dharma spoken by Sakyamuni Buddha. In terms of style, the Buddha's slender face reveals the characteristics of the Hanization of the Northern Wei Dynasty, while the curly hair and the monk's robe with his right shoulder exposed are left over from Central Asia. Traces of Buddhist culture.
Behind the flame pattern of the Buddha statue, the composition can be divided into three layers: on the upper layer you can see Sakyamuni and the Duobao Buddha sitting together in the pagoda, on the middle layer is Sakyamuni preaching in Sarnath, and on the lower layer is the story of the birth of the Buddha. .
This exhibition hall hopes to let the public know Jiaqing himself through the display of documents and cultural relics related to Emperor Jiaqing. However, I generally prefer to visit cultural relics that have artistic value, rather than cultural relics that have added value because they were used by the emperor. What's more, although Jiaqing worked diligently throughout his life, he made no achievements. I am not interested in his life.
By the way, Jiaqing is the son of Concubine Ling in Huanzhuli. It seems that Queen Huanzhuli is no longer favored. After the fifth prince avoided Yunnan, it was your concubine who had the last laugh.
This is a very interesting exhibition hall. It displays the treaties on the borders of Vietnam and Myanmar signed between China and France and Britain during the Qing Dynasty. There are maps and agreements signed in various languages. I have never seen such cultural relics on display before. But this is not a permanent exhibition hall.
other:
It's a pity that exhibition rooms 105 and 107 are not open this time. They have just finished the exhibition "View of Nature in Chinese Art" and from tomorrow they will start to display a special exhibition of cultural relics donated by the Fu Xuanfu family. It is still being prepared today. Sorry to miss an exhibition.
No matter which country's museum you are in, as long as you encounter the Chinese exhibition hall, there will definitely be large tracts of ceramics on display. No wonder the English word for China and ceramics is china.
Although there are only 25,000 ceramic relics in the National Palace Museum in Taipei compared to the 350,000 in the National Palace Museum in Beijing, the exquisite collections in the National Palace Museum in Taipei can be said to be the most outstanding in the world, especially the collection of the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty and the official kiln porcelain of the Ming Dynasty. But the most precious thing is the celadon exhibition in Hall 203.
I once met a cultural relic enthusiast who took me to various antique shops to search for cultural relics and also taught me about the five famous kilns. Therefore, when I saw the large number of Ru kilns from the Northern Song Dynasty in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, I almost fainted with happiness. Ru kiln is famous for its warm azure glaze color and is regarded as the crown of celadon. Due to the short firing time, very few pieces have been handed down from generation to generation, and they have been regarded as rare treasures by all dynasties.
Knock on the blackboard, please note here - there are currently only about 70 Ru kiln products in the world, 21 of which are in the National Palace Museum in Taipei!
On the occasion of the Year of the Rooster, the National Palace Museum in Taipei has kept pace with the times and held a special exhibition of famous paintings of chickens. It’s hard to believe that they were able to find so many chicken-related paintings to fill the entire exhibition hall.
Calligraphy and painting have always been an important part of Chinese culture, especially the difficulty of preserving them, which makes the existing calligraphy scarcity even more precious. It's a pity that I have never been able to get the essence of Chinese calligraphy and painting. When I entered this exhibit, I was completely blind. Left quickly. I decided to brush up on my knowledge of calligraphy and painting after writing this travelogue.
Castiglione was a missionary from Milan, Italy. He came to China to preach more than 300 years ago. Because of his superb painting skills, he became a full-time court painter and served in the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties for 51 years. His painting style is mainly based on Western oil paintings, and is compatible with traditional Chinese painting techniques. This exhibition hall uses new media to display his works. I watched a short movie for a long time at the art exhibition. It said that all of Castiglione's eight horses must be assembled before dawn, otherwise there will be danger. All I can say is that the creativity is excellent, the plot is stupid, and there are many shadows of Japanese cartoons. I watched halfway through and couldn't bear to leave.
This is one of my favorite exhibition halls, but it doesn’t seem to be a permanent exhibition hall. Ten works by calligraphers and painters from past dynasties are exhibited here, either joking or ridiculing, all of which coincide with the theme of humor.
Calligraphy is a unique art in the Han cultural circle. Among the cultural relics of foreigners, generally only paintings are collected, without words. It’s a pity that I didn’t do much research on calligraphy and painting. Once I left in despair, it felt like I had entered a treasure mountain and returned empty-handed.
Generally speaking, the left side of the third floor is jade and the right side is bronze. When I arrived, I went straight to the third floor to see the legendary jade cabbage and Mao Gong Ding, but I was scared back by the huge crowd. Finally, we waited until it was almost closing before coming here, and sure enough, the crowds were much smaller.
It is said that there are at least 6 jadeite cabbages in existence, and the National Palace Museum in Taipei has three of them. But whenever people think of jade cabbage, the one in the picture on the right comes to mind.
Putting aside the value of cultural relics and history, judging from the artifact alone, this cabbage is of the ice bean species. The green part is oily, the white part is gray, and there are many impurities. It is not a high-quality jade material. But the beauty of this cabbage lies in the ingenuity, using the natural color of jade to carve out a lifelike cabbage, with a katydid and a locust each on top of the cabbage. Cabbage symbolizes a woman's innocence, while katydids and locusts symbolize many children and grandchildren, as mentioned in the Zhou Nan chapter of the Book of Songs, "The katydid feathers are flying, and the descendants of the children are vibrating."
Ironically, the cabbage's legendary owners, Concubine Jin and Concubine Zhen, had no heirs. Concubine Jin and Concubine Zhen were biological sisters. They married the same man, Guangxu, on the same day. Their fates were very different after that. One was a favorite concubine but was drowned in a well by the Empress Dowager Cixi at the age of 24. The other was 52 years old but seemed to be a widow.
This treasure was originally placed in Concubine Jin's Yonghe Palace, so it was considered to be Concubine Jin's dowry. However, folklore did not like this concubine. Some said that Concubine Jin cried and snatched away her sister's dowry when she got married. Some said that Concubine Jin helped Cixi kill Concubine Zhen and snatched it away. People seemed to think that this unattractive and unloved concubine was not favored at home, so even the dowry was inferior to that of her sister.
Unlike me who looks at everything with a gossipy eye, the museum gained a different taste from it and used "The True Taste of Life - Jade Cabbage" as the theme of this exhibition hall. At the entrance it says:
Both Chinese and Chinese cabbage are native to Asia and are the most common foods. In the field of Chinese art, cabbage has been included in paintings since the Song Dynasty. The painter did not cover up the traces of insects and allowed them to fly among the vegetable leaves to express the concept of the rhythm of life and the harmonious coexistence of all things in nature. Then, the cabbage theme has different meanings in the eyes of different people! The king uses cabbage to reflect on himself and enjoy the enshrinement of the world. He should ensure that his people are well fed and clothed without food. The literati use cabbage to clarify their ambitions, and are free from vanity and wealth, and are always content with what they have. And the most perfect thing is that the skillful craftsman does not mind that the jade is half green and half white, but only wants it to be like cabbage that has weathered the frost and snow, just like the purity and innocence of the bride, and wishes it long-term descendants. [North and South Forbidden City, Collection of National Treasures] This exhibition features jade cabbage and other cabbage-themed exhibits, inviting you to taste the true taste of life.
Instantly elevates the subject.
Chinese culture was founded on the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. The main axis of its cultural focus was rituals and music. Confucius often used Zhou Gong's "making rituals and music" as a model for establishing cultural macro-rules, which shows its importance. The culture of rituals and music is reflected in the bronze wares, which are treasures of the country. Among the ritual vessels, the "ding" ranks first; among the musical instruments, the "bell" ranks first. Due to the presentation and performance of the ceremony, the tripod and bells are indispensable. In ancient times, "gold" also generally referred to yellow copper, so bronze inscriptions were also called "golden inscriptions"; bronze ritual instruments, including bells and tripods, were also called "bells and tripods". Engraving inscriptions on bronze vessels to describe merits and virtues and enshrine them in ancestral temples to honor ancestors and pass them on to descendants is not only a true historical record, but also a precious source in the history of the development of Chinese characters. ——Taipei National Palace Museum
The Zongzhou Bell was made by King Li of the Western Zhou Dynasty and is also the most important surviving instrument made by the emperor. King Zhou Li was the tenth king of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the third to last king. He was the king of subjugation and the grandfather of King Zhou You who played war on the princes.
When King Zhou Li was still alive, he used traitors and implemented tyranny, so in 842 BC, a riot broke out among the people. The people rushed into the palace and tried to kill King Li. King Li had no choice but to escape from Haojing.
There are a total of thirty-six elongated figures on both sides of the clock body, which are majestic and majestic. The author "㝬" has the same pronunciation as "Hu". King Zhou Li's surname was Ji and his given name was Hu, so scholars concluded that the maker was King Zhou Li.
The 123-word inscription records the story of King Li's conquest of the small southern countries. It is the largest single inscription on the Yong Zhong in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The inscription probably means that King Li followed the virtues of King Wen and King Wu and worked diligently to consolidate the territory of the four regions. When a country in the south invaded, King Li led his army to conquer the country in person and made the country surrender. At the same time, representatives from other countries came to pay homage.
The Mao Gong Tripod was a ritual vessel cast by Mao Gong, the uncle and important minister of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty. King Zhou Xuan was the son of King Zhou Li (see left). King Zhou Li had improper policies in his later years. After the people rioted, they fled from Haojing and were exiled to the pig land. In the early days of his reign, King Xuan of Zhou wanted to revitalize the government, so he ordered his uncle Mao Gong to handle state affairs in silence. Duke Mao was grateful to the king of Zhou, so he built a tripod to commemorate it.
There is a 500-word destiny book engraved in the belly of the tripod, which has the largest number of inscribed bronzes in the world. It is a representative work of prose in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Its calligraphy is also the highest level among bronze inscriptions, so it is said to be "worthy of a Shangshu". Listed among the "Four National Treasures" of the late Qing Dynasty.
In addition to its literary and calligraphic value, the tripod also helps historians analyze historical facts and determine the year. For example, the first paragraph of Dingzhong mentions that "there are traces in all directions, and there is great concubine Pijing", which refers to the political environment faced by King Zhou Xuan after King Zhou Li fled.
King Xuan of Zhou's diligent administration briefly restored the national power of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which was known as the "King Xuan Zhongxing" in history. But in his later years, he also began to act arbitrarily and kill ministers indiscriminately. The revival of King Xuan was short-lived, and the Western Zhou Dynasty finally perished during the period of his son King You of Zhou.
Chinese people have special feelings for jade and believe that it has the virtue of a gentleman.
The collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei includes everything from jade figures with facial patterns from the Neolithic Age, to jade vessels from the Han Dynasty, to various ingenious jade products from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But most of them are small items. It is estimated that all the big items have been left in Beijing. What surprised me was that there was an oversized jade screen here. It didn't look like it was brought here during the escape. I checked online and found out that it was a work of the Republic of China. It was one of the national treasures that Wang Jingwei gave to the Emperor of Japan in 1941 and was later returned to Japan after its defeat.
The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs. Bronze was used for weapons, musical instruments, and various sacrificial vessels, and could not be used by non-nobles.
The Bronze Age in China began in the late Xia Dynasty (around the beginning of the 17th century BC) and lasted until the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, a period of 1,500 years. This exhibition hall displays various bronzes since the Shang Dynasty, including ceremonial musical instruments, weapons, bronze inscriptions, etc.
Speaking of the Bronze Exhibition, I still like the Shanxi Museum’s exhibits the most, as they have a lively atmosphere.
This exhibit is not a permanent exhibition hall and the theme changes frequently. This exhibition is about ancient mirrors from the Qing Dynasty. They are not ancient, and secondly, their technology was not that rare at that time, so I was not very interested in this exhibition hall, so I just walked around and left.
This exhibit is not a permanent exhibition hall, but the glass products on display this time are Qing Dynasty glass products, which are more boring than bronze mirrors. I walked away without even taking a photo.
When I came out of the exhibition hall, it was already dark. I felt my hungry and flat belly and decided to have dinner at the Forbidden City Jinghua nearby. I ordered beef noodles and baby cabbage. A major feature of his home is imitating national treasures. For example, this cabbage heart, placed on a spoon with a shrimp on its head, looks very much like the jade cabbage, a national treasure of the Forbidden City, and the katydids on it. Another example is this beef noodles, placed in a tripod, it reminds me of Mao Gongding. Fortunately, I didn't order the meat-shaped stone, otherwise this restaurant would probably give me a piece of braised pork.
The beef noodles here claim to be the champion of the 8th Taipei International Beef Noodles Festival, but I was a little disappointed with the taste. The chef probably didn't have time, so he just asked one of the assistants to cook for him.
After returning to the city, I found a bar and sat down to enjoy the night view of 101——
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