National Palace Museum

File:National Palace Treasure Crates 1930s.jpg

The National Palace Museum was originally established as the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City on 10 October 1925, shortly after the expulsion of Puyi,{{cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/about/chronology.htm |title=Chronology of Events |access-date=4 June 2008 |publisher=National Palace Museum |archive-date=21 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221111845/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/about/chronology.htm}}{{Cite web |title=Tradition & Continuity |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/about/tradition.htm |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=17 June 2012 |archive-date=30 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630004019/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/about/tradition.htm}} the last emperor of China, from the Forbidden City by warlord Feng Yuxiang. The articles in the museum consisted of the valuables of the former imperial family.

In 1931, shortly after the Mukden Incident, the Nationalist Government ordered the museum to make preparations to evacuate its most valuable pieces out of the city to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army. As a result, from 6 February to 15 May 1933, the Palace Museum's 13,491 crates and 6,066 crates of objects from the Exhibition Office of Ancient Artifacts, the Summer Palace and the Imperial Hanlin Academy were moved in five groups to Shanghai.{{Citation|last=Chiang|first=Fu-tsung|title=The Transfer of the National Palace Museum Collection to Taiwan and Its Subsequent Installation|journal=The National Palace Museum Quarterly|volume=14|issue =1|year=1979|pages=1–16, 37–43|language=en, zh}} In 1936, the collection was moved to Nanjing after the construction of the storage in the Taoist monastery Chaotian Palace was complete.{{cite web|url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/orientation/index3_2_en.html|title=The National Palace Museum: Timeline of the NPM|date=May 2007 |publisher=National Palace Museum|access-date=20 December 2010|archive-date=17 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217121128/http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/orientation/index3_2_en.html}} As the Imperial Japanese Army advanced farther inland during the Second Sino-Japanese War, which merged into the greater conflict of World War II, the collection was moved westward via three routes to several places including Anshun and Leshan until the surrender of Japan in 1945. In 1947, it was shipped back to the warehouse in Nanjing.

{{main|Retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan}}

The Chinese Civil War resumed following the surrender of the Japanese, ultimately resulting in Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's decision to evacuate the arts to Taiwan, which had been handed over to the ROC in 1945. When the fighting worsened in 1948 between the Communist and Nationalist armies, the National Beijing Palace Museum and other five institutions made the decision to send some of the most prized items to Taiwan.{{Cite book |script-title=zh:中華文物播遷記 |last=Hang |first=Li-wu |author-link1=Han Lih-wu|year=1983 |edition=2 |publisher=The Commercial Press |location=Taipei |language=zh}} Hang Li-wu, later director of the museum, supervised the transport of some of the collection in three groups from Nanjing to the harbor in Keelung, Taiwan between December 1948 and February 1949. By the time the items arrived in Taiwan, the Communist army had already seized control of the National Palace Museum collection from Beijing, so not all of the collection could be sent to Taiwan. A total of 2,972 crates of artifacts from the Forbidden City moved to Taiwan accounted for only 22% of the crates originally transported south, although the pieces represented some of the very best of the collection.

The collection from the National Beijing Palace Museum, the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum, the National Central Library, and the National Beijing Library was stored in a railway warehouse in Yangmei following transport across the Taiwan Strait and was later moved to storage in a cane sugar mill near Taichung. In 1949, the Executive Yuan created the Joint Managerial Office for the National Beijing Palace Museum, the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum, and the National Central Library, to oversee the organization of the collection. For security reasons, the Joint Managerial Office chose the mountain village of Beigou, located in Wufeng, Taichung, as the new storage site for the collection. The following year, the collection stored at the cane sugar mill was transported to the new site in Beigou.{{cite news |author1=Han Cheung |date=7 November 2021 |title=Taiwan in Time: Hiding national treasures in a cave |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2021/11/07/2003767451 |access-date=7 November 2021 |work=Taipei Times}}

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With the National Central Library's reinstatement in 1955, the collection from the National Beijing Library was simultaneously incorporated into the National Central Library. The Joint Managerial Office of the National Beijing Palace Museum and the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum stayed in Beigou for another ten years. During the decade, the office obtained a grant from the Asia Foundation to construct a small-scale exhibition hall in the spring of 1956.{{Citation |title=A Brief History of the National Palace Museum |journal=The National Palace Museum Quarterly |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=29–32, 85–89 |year=1966 |language=en, zh}} The exhibition hall, opened in March 1957, was divided into four galleries in which it was possible to exhibit more than 200 items.

In the autumn of 1960, the office received a grant of NT$32 million from AID. The Republic of China (ROC) government also contributed more than NT$30 million to establish a special fund for the construction of a museum in the Taipei suburb of Waishuanxi. The construction of the museum in Waishuanxi was completed in August 1965. The new museum site was christened the "Chung-Shan Museum" in honor of the founding father of the ROC, Sun Yat-sen, and first opened to the public on the centenary of Sun Yat-sen's birthday. Since then, the museum in Taipei has managed, conserved and exhibited the collections of the National Beijing Palace Museum and the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum.

File:National Palace Museum Taipei1.jpg

The National Palace Museum's main building in Taipei was designed by Huang Baoyu and constructed from March 1964 to August 1965.{{Cite web |url=http://210.69.170.79/en/administration/renovation/initiative_01.htm |title=Renovation |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=21 September 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121201235921/http://210.69.170.79/en/administration/renovation/initiative_01.htm |archive-date=1 December 2012}}{{Citation |last=Huang |first=Bao-yu |title=中山博物院之建築 [The Architecture of the Chung-Shan Museum] |journal=The National Palace Museum Quarterly |volume=1 |issue =1 |year=1966 |pages=69–78 |language=zh}} Due to the insufficient space to put on display over 600,000 artifacts, the museum underwent expansions in 1967, 1970, 1984 and 1996.{{Cite web |url=http://tainfra-building.pcc.gov.tw/ezfiles/7/1007/attach/66/pta_86_3502172_90765.pdf |script-title=zh:正館、行政大樓、圖書文獻大樓工程 |trans-title=The Construction of the Main Building, the Administration Building and the Library Building |language=zh |publisher=National Palace Museum |date=11 October 2010 |access-date=21 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027155017/http://tainfra-building.pcc.gov.tw/ezfiles/7/1007/attach/66/pta_86_3502172_90765.pdf |archive-date=27 October 2012}} In 2002, the museum underwent a major US$21 million renovation revamping the museum to make it more spacious and modern.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6335469.stm | work=BBC News | title=Taiwan's museum of treasures | date=7 February 2007 | access-date=30 March 2010 | first=Caroline | last=Gluck}} The renovation closed about two-thirds of the museum section and the museum officially reopened in February 2007.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/arts/design/28muse.html |title=Rare Glimpses of China's Long-Hidden Treasures |date=28 December 2006 |last=Bradsher |first=Keith |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/02/04/2003347701 |title=National Palace Museum is born again |last=Quartly |first=Jules |date=4 February 2007| work=Taipei Times}}

Permanent exhibitions of painting and calligraphy are rotated once every three months.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/visiting/exhibit/guide.htm |title=Visitor's Guide |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=21 September 2012 |archive-date=24 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824182103/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/visiting/exhibit/guide.htm}} Approximately 3,000 pieces of the museum's collection can be viewed at a given time.{{Cite news |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ2011101815043 |title=Taiwanese Palace Museum may increase floor area 7-fold |work=The Asahi Shimbun |last=Murakami |first=Takio |date=23 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113092233/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ2011101815043 |archive-date=13 November 2012}} Although brief, these exhibitions are extremely popular. In 2014, the museum organized the top three best-attended exhibitions worldwide, including paintings and calligraphic works by Tang Yin, as well as depictions of the Qing dynasty's Qianlong Emperor reinterpreted by contemporary artists.{{cite news|url=http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Visitor-figures--the-world-goes-dotty-over-Yayoi-Kusama/37403|title=Visitor figures 2014: the world goes dotty over Yayoi Kusama|newspaper=The Art Newspaper|date=2 April 2015|access-date=10 April 2015}}

File:202001 國立故宮博物院 至善園1.jpg

File:Chih-te Garden-19.2024-10-11.jpg

Housed within the compound of the National Palace Museum, this classical Chinese Song and Ming style garden covers {{convert|1.88|ha|m2}}.{{cite web |date=8 October 2008 |title=Zhishan Garden – Introduction |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/chih-shan/index1_en.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912193742/http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/chih-shan/index1_en.html |archive-date=12 September 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012 |publisher=National Palace Museum}} It incorporates the principles of such diverse fields as feng shui, Chinese architecture, water management, landscape design, and Chinese folklore and metaphor. It contains numerous ponds, waterworks, and wooden Chinese pavilions. It was completed and opened in 1985. There is also a second garden located on the southwest side, known as the Zhide Garden.{{cite web|url=https://www.npm.gov.tw/Courtyard-Space.aspx?sno=04012570&l=2|title=Outdoor Space|website=npm.gov.tw|date=22 December 2022 |access-date=19 January 2025}}

The National Palace Museum also maintains the residence of Chinese painter Chang Dai-chien, also in Shilin, Taipei. The residence, known as the Chang Dai-chien Residence or the Abode of Maya, was constructed in 1976 and completed in 1978.{{Cite web |date=October 2007 |title=Chang Dai-chien Residence |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/dai-chien/en01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127074049/http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/dai-chien/en01.html |archive-date=27 November 2019 |access-date=16 June 2012 |publisher=National Palace Museum}} It is a two-story Siheyuan building with Chinese-style gardens occupying approximately 1,911 m². After Chang's death in 1983, the house and gardens were donated to the National Palace Museum and turned into a museum and memorial.

{{main|Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum}}

The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum is located in Taibao, Chiayi County, Taiwan, and set on {{convert|70|ha|m2}} of land. There is also a lake and Asian style garden on the grounds. Planning for the southern branch began in 2000.{{cite news |date=28 December 2015 |title=Taiwan's National Palace Museum opens new branch after 15-year wait |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwans-national-palace-museum-opens-new-branch-after-15-year-wait |access-date=5 January 2016 |work=The Straits Times |agency=Agence France Presse}} The building was to be designed by architect Antoine Predock and began construction in 2005. However, due to serious construction delays and disputes between the contractors and the museum, the firm pulled out in 2008.{{cite news |date=28 November 2008 |title=U.S. architectural firm quits NPM southern branch project |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/t-business/2008/11/28/185218/U.S.-architectural.htm |access-date=20 December 2010 |newspaper=The China Post}} Museum director Chou Kung-shin stated in August 2010 that new architects Kris Yao for the project would commence, with construction completed in 2015.{{cite news |date=11 November 2010 |title=National Palace Museum chief upsets lawmakers |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2010/11/11/2003488259/1 |access-date=20 December 2010 |newspaper=Taipei Times}}{{cite news |date=22 August 2016 |title=NPM South Branch main hall to reopen on Tuesday |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/chiayi/2016/08/22/476210/NPM-South.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823200920/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/chiayi/2016/08/22/476210/NPM-South.htm |archive-date=23 August 2016 |access-date=31 August 2016 |work=The China Post}} The project cost NT$7.9 billion (US$268 million) and spread over {{convert|70|ha|m2}}.{{cite web |date=28 March 2011 |title=National Palace Museum in Taiwan unveils designs of Southern Branch |url=http://www.worldinteriordesignnetwork.com/news/national_palace_museum_in_taiwan_unveils_designs_of_southern_branch_110329/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009143258/http://www.worldinteriordesignnetwork.com/news/national_palace_museum_in_taiwan_unveils_designs_of_southern_branch_110329/ |archive-date=9 October 2011 |access-date=9 April 2011 |publisher=World Interior Design Network}} The museum itself, 9,000 square meters in total, was designed by the Taiwan-based firm Artech Inc. and is both earthquake resistant and flood resistant. After its grand opening on 28 December 2015, the building was plagued by water leakage, which forced its closure in April 2016. The Southern Branch then reopened on 23 August 2016, after repairs to address the water leakage issues were completed.

Among the collections of bronzes, Zong Zhou Zhong (Bell of Zhou), commissioned by King Li of Zhou, is the most important musical instrument cast under his royal decree.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/visiting/exhibit/exhibit_04.htm?docno=623 |title=The Bell and Cauldron Inscriptions–A Feast of Chinese Characters: the Origin and Development |date=22 December 2009 |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}} Mao Gong Ding (Cauldron of Duke of Mao) of the late Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE) carries the longest Chinese bronze inscriptions so far extant.

In 1995, the museum acquired the Taihe Shakyamuni, a statue of The Buddha from the Northern Wei Dynasty, that represents a pivotal shift from early Indian style towards Chinese Buddhist style.{{Cite web |title=Seated Sakyamuni Buddha - Unknown |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/seated-sakyamuni-buddha-unknown/xgE9fhp73M8txA |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Google Arts & Culture |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Tsai |first=Wen-ting |date=November 2004 |title=National Palace Museum Exhibits Donated Buddhist Statuary - Taiwan Panorama |url=http://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=e9792845-b5e8-4733-a193-a9673326bcb9&CatId=8&postname=National%20Palace%20Museum%20Exhibits%20Donated%20Buddhist%20Statuary |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Taiwan Panorama Magazine {{!}} An international, bilingual magazine for Chinese people around the world |language=zh-Hant-TW}}

With 21 pieces out of fewer than 80 surviving, the museum has the world's largest collection of Ru ware,[http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/ru-hk0367.html Sotheby's, Hong Kong], Sale "Ru – From a Japanese Collection", only lot, 4 April 2012 one of the rarest Chinese ceramics, made exclusively for the court and one of the Five Great Kilns of the Song dynasty (960–1279), along with Ding porcelain, Jun ware, Guan and Ge;{{Cite web |url=http://asianartnewspaper.com/article/northern-song-ru-ware-recent-archaeological-findings |title=Northern Song Ru Ware Recent Archaeological Finbings |publisher=Asian Art Newspaper |date=3 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105123332/http://asianartnewspaper.com/article/northern-song-ru-ware-recent-archaeological-findings |archive-date=5 November 2012}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh95/grandview/juware/index_en.html |title=Grand View: Ju Ware from the Northern Sung Dynasty |date=25 December 2006 |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}} the museum has major collections of all of these. Those from the official kilns of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, such as the doucai porcelains of the Chenghua reign during the Ming dynasty and painted enamel porcelains from the early Qing, are also of excellent quality.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/visiting/exhibit/exhibit_04.htm?docno=634 |title=The Magic of Kneaded Clay: A History of Chinese Ceramics |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}}

One of the most popular pieces of jade carvings in the museum is the Jadeite Cabbage,{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/administration/services/news_02.htm?docno=143&pageno=4 |title=Jadeite Cabbage is Moving to a New Gallery! |access-date=4 June 2008 |publisher=National Palace Museum |archive-date=25 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325113110/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/administration/services/news_02.htm?docno=143&pageno=4}} a piece of jadeite carved into the shape of a cabbage head, and with a large and a small grasshopper camouflaged in the leaves. The ruffled semi-translucent leaves attached is due to the masterful combination of various natural color of the jade to recreate the color variations of a real cabbage.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=867&catno=16&pageno=2 |title=Jadeite Cabbage with Insects |access-date=4 June 2008 |publisher=National Palace Museum |archive-date=1 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201033441/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=867&catno=16&pageno=2}} The Meat-shaped Stone is often exhibited together with the Jadeite Cabbage.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=900&catno=12&pageno=2 |title=Meat-shaped Stone |access-date=4 June 2008 |publisher=National Palace Museum |archive-date=11 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011040956/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=900&catno=12&pageno=2}} A piece of jasper, a form of agate, the strata of which are cleverly used to create a likeness of a piece of pork cooked in soy sauce. The dyed and textured surface makes the layers of skin, lean meat, and fat materialized incredibly lifelike.

Other various carvings of materials such as bamboo, wood, ivory, rhinoceros horn, and fruit pits are exhibited.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/visiting/exhibit/exhibit_04.htm?docno=605 |title=Uncanny Ingenuity and Celestial Feats – The Carvings of Ming and Qing Dynasties |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}} The Carved Olive-stone Boat, carved by Chen Zuzhang, is a tiny boat carved from an olive stone.{{cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=904&catno=12&pageno=2 |title=Carved Olive-stone Boat |access-date=4 June 2008 |publisher=National Palace Museum |archive-date=18 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518101443/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=904&catno=12&pageno=2}} The incredibly fully equipped skilled piece is carved with a covered deck and moveable windows. The interior has chairs, dishes on a table and eight figures representing the characters of Su Shih's Latter Ode on the Red Cliff. The bottom is carved in minute character the entire 300+ character text with the date and the artist's name.

The paintings in the National Palace Museum date from the Tang dynasty (618–907) to the modern era.{{Cite web |url=http://taiwanacademy.tw/en/archives/collection/16880/1.html |title=Collections: Painting and Calligraphy (National Palace Museum) |publisher=Taiwan Academy |access-date=25 September 2012 |archive-date=22 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722015847/http://taiwanacademy.tw/en/archives/collection/16880/1.html |url-status=dead }} The collection covers over one thousand years of Chinese painting, and encompasses a wide range of genres, including landscape, flower and bird, figure painting, boundary painting, etc. Among the most popular paintings in the collection is the Qing Palace Version of Along the River During the Qingming Festival by five Qing dynasty court painters (Chen Mu, Sun Hu, Jin Kun, Dai Hong and Cheng Zhidao).{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=90&catno=15&pageno=5 |title=Along the River During the Ch'ing-ming Festival |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028105008/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=90&catno=15&pageno=5 |archive-date=28 October 2012}} Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Wu-yung version) by Huang Gongwang of the Yuan dynasty is one of the rarest and most dramatic works.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=64&catno=15&pageno=3 |title=Dwelling in the Fu-ch'un Mountains (Wu-yung Version) |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}} Walking on a Mountain Path in Spring is another significant work. The museum has a vast collection of calligraphy works from the hands of major calligraphers, scholars and important courtiers in history. The calligraphy works date from the Jin (266–420) and Tang (618–907) dynasties, with a variety of styles.

Rare books in the National Palace Museum range from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties to the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, amounting to over 200,000 volumes.{{Cite web |url=http://culture.teldap.tw/culture/detail.php?i=115 |title=Rare Books (National Palace Museum) |publisher=Taiwan e-Learning and Digital Archives Program |access-date=25 September 2012}}{{Cite web |url=http://taiwanacademy.tw/en/archives/collection/14752/1.html |title=Collections: Rare Books (National Palace Museum) |publisher=Taiwan Academy |access-date=25 September 2012 |archive-date=4 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504011131/http://taiwanacademy.tw/en/archives/collection/14752/1.html |url-status=dead }} Yongle Encyclopedia and Complete Library of the Four Treasuries are among the examples.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=263&catno=14&pageno=3 |title=Vast Documents of the Yung-lo Era |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=264&catno=14&pageno=3 |title=Complete Library of the Four Treasuries |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}}

Historical documents in the museum include Jiu Manzhou Dang, a set of Manchu archives that are the sourcebook of Manwen Laodang and a primary source of early Manchu history.{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=235&catno=11 |title=Archives in Old Manchu |publisher=National Palace Museum |access-date=25 September 2012}} Other official documents such as the court archives are available for research in the history of the Qing dynasty.

File:National_Palace_Museum_Front_View.jpg of the Northern Branch of National Palace Museum]]

Due to fears that the artifacts may be impounded and claimed by China due to the controversial political status of Taiwan, the museum does not conduct exhibitions in mainland China. Since the museum's 1965 establishment in Taipei, the National Palace Museum has only made six large overseas exhibitions in countries which have passed laws to prevent judicial seizure of the treasures: the United States in 1996, France in 1998, Germany in 2003, Austria in 2008, Japan in 2014 and Australia in 2019.{{Cite news |title=New Japan law opens way for exhibits |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-affairs/2011/03/26/296109/New-Japan.htm |date=26 March 2011 |agency=Central News Agency |work=The China Post}}{{Cite news |title=Taiwan gives green light to museum exhibitions in Japan |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/06/23/national/taiwan-gives-green-light-museum-exhibitions-japan |date=23 June 2014 |agency=Kyodo News |work=The Japan Times}}{{cite web|url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/heaven-and-earth-chinese-art/|title=Heaven and earth in Chinese art: treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei|publisher=Art Gallery of New South Wales|access-date=26 April 2019}}

The past overseas exhibitions are as follows:

• 1935: "London International Exhibition of Chinese Art" at the Royal Academy of Arts, London.
• 1940: "Chinese Art Exhibition" in Moscow, Leningrad.
• 1961: "Ancient Chinese Art Exhibition" National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, the de Young Museum.
• 1973: "China Exhibition" in Seoul, South Korea.
• 1991: "On the Occasion of 1492: the art of the Age of Exploration" at the Washington National Gallery of Art.
• 1996: "Splendors of Imperial China" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chicago Art Institute, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Washington, D.C. National Gallery of Art exhibition.
• 1998: "Empire of Memory" at the Grand Palais in Paris exhibition.
• 1999: National Palace Museum exhibition in Central America.
• 2000: "Taoism and Chinese art," Chicago Art Institute and Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
• 2003: "Treasures of the Son of Heaven," the old museum in Berlin, Bonn, Federal Art Gallery touring exhibition.
• 2005: "Museum of World Culture Expo Korea" in Korea.
• 2005: "The Mongolian Empire – Genghis Khan and his generation" exhibition at the Museum of Anthropology in Munich, Germany.
• 2006: "magnificent years of the Qing court (1662–1795)" exhibition at the Guimet Museum, France.
• 2007: "Shanghai – Modern Art" exhibition in Japan.
• 2008: "Imperial Treasures" in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna exhibition.
• 2014: "The Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei" in the Tokyo National Museum and Kyushu National Museum.{{cite web|url=http://theme.npm.edu.tw/exh103/TreasuredfromNPM/en/en00.html|title=The Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei|date=17 June 2014|publisher=National Palace Museum|access-date=18 January 2015|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214308/http://theme.npm.edu.tw/exh103/TreasuredfromNPM/en/en00.html|url-status=dead}}
• 2019: "Heaven and earth in Chinese art" in the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

File:國立故宮博物院 - panoramio.jpg

The National Palace Museum operates under the Executive Yuan as a level-two agency.{{Cite web |date=2011-12-01 |title=行政院全球資訊網 |url=https://www.ey.gov.tw/Page/62FF949B3DBDD531 |website=行政院 |language=zh-tw}} It has been headed by many directors over the years:{{Cite web |date=2020-05-08 |title=Present/Former Leaders |url=https://www.npm.gov.tw/en/Article.aspx?sNo=02000049 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411131019/https://www.npm.gov.tw/en/Article.aspx?sNo=02000049 |archive-date=2021-04-11 |access-date= |website=National Palace Museum}}{{Cite web |date=2023-01-30 |title=History of NPM |url=https://www.npm.gov.tw/Articles.aspx?sno=03012532&l=2 |website=National Palace Museum}}{{Cite web |date=2023-02-03 |title=Director |url=https://www.npm.gov.tw/Articles.aspx?sno=03012694&l=2 |website=National Palace Museum}} Note that, in 1949, the Joint Managerial Office of the National Central Museum and National Central Library was established. In 1955, the Joint Managerial Office of the National Palace Museum and National Central Museum was established.

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According to writer Ian Johnson, many cultural items on the mainland were destroyed under communist rule and during the Cultural Revolution, so the Kuomintang built the new National Palace Museum to show that Taiwan is the better China. Now that the Chinese communist party has redefined its mission to protect China's cultural past, Beijing has requested the return of the artefacts displayed in Taipei. The museum refuses to do so and does not loan them to other countries either, for fear that they might be indirectly repatriated to the Chinese mainland.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-05 |title=China is waging a restitution campaign against Taiwan's Forbidden City treasures |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/06/05/china-is-waging-a-restitution-campaign-against-taiwans-forbidden-city-treasures |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events}}

Amid warmer relations in recent years, the Palace Museum in Beijing has lent relics to the National Palace Museum since 2009.{{cite news |date=16 February 2009 |title=China to lend treasures to Taiwan |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7892178.stm |access-date=16 June 2012 |publisher=BBC}} The Palace Museum curator Zheng Xinmiao said that the artifacts in both mainland and Taiwan museums are "China's cultural heritage jointly owned by people across the Taiwan Strait."{{Cite news |author=Mark McDonald |date=2 March 2009 |title=Top bid on disputed Yves Saint Laurent bronzes was a protest from China |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/world/asia/02iht-auction.3.20539588.html |work=The New York Times}}

In October 2022, it was revealed that three artefacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties, reportedly worth US$77 million, had been damaged. In response to inquiries, the museum admitted that two teacups were found broken in February and April that year, and a plate was dropped in May. Curator Wu Mi-cha suspected that the teacups might have been damaged due to unsatisfactory storage practices, which the museum is working to improve.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-01 |title=Taiwan museum admits to breaking three Ming and Qing dynasty artefacts worth US$77 million |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/taiwan-national-palace-museum-admitted-breaking-uninsured-ming-qing-dynasty-artefacts-3035871 |website=CNA}}

In August 2022, PLA drills around Taiwan raised concerns over the potential safety of the museum's artifacts. Former director Chou Kung-shin suggested creating a plan to store them in the mountain tunnels nearby. After they were originally shipped into Taiwan, the artifacts were first stored inside tunnels in Taichung during the 1950s before being moved to Taipei, where the museum was eventually built.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-09 |title=Taiwan seeks safety net for Palace Museum in case of PLA attack |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3188327/massive-pla-drills-around-taiwan-spark-worries-over-700000 |website=South China Morning Post}}

File:Pan water vessel with coiling dragon pattern, Late Shang Dynasty (c.14th - Mid 11th Century B.C.E.).tif|The Pan water vessel with coiling dragon pattern, {{Circa|14th}} – Mid 11th century BC

File:Zong-zhou Zhong, Late Western Zhou Period (Mid 9th Century B.C.E.).tif|The Zong-zhou Zhong (Bell of Zhou), 9th century BC

File:Mao kung Ting.JPG|The Mao Gong Ding, 9th century BC

File:San Family Plate.JPG|The San Family Plate, 9th century BC

File:Seated Sakyamuni Buddha.jpg|Taihe Shakyamuni, Northern Wei, 477

File:北宋汝窯青瓷蓮花式溫碗.tif|The Warming Bowl in the Shape of a Flower with Light Bluish-green Glaze, Ru ware, {{Circa|1086|1106}}

File:北宋汝窯青瓷無紋水仙盆.jpg|The Narcissus Basin with Light Bluish-green Glaze, Ru ware, {{Circa|1086|1106|lk=no}}

File:Jadeite Cabbage, National Palace Museum.jpg|The Jadeite Cabbage, 19th century

File:Song Taizu.jpg|The Seated Portrait of Emperor Taizu of Song, {{Circa|960|lk=no}}–76

File:Fan Kuan - Travelers Among Mountains and Streams - Google Art Project.jpg|The Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, by Fan Kuan, {{Circa|1000|lk=no}}

File:Guo Xi - Early Spring (large).jpg|The Early Spring, by Guo Xi, 1072

File:Li Tang - Wind in Pines Among a Myriad Valleys.jpg|The Wind in Pines Among a Myriad Valleys, by Li Tang, 1124

File:Immortal in Splashed Ink.jpg|The Immortal in Splashed Ink, by Liang Kai, {{Circa|1200|lk=no}}

File:Ma Yuan Walking on Path in Spring.jpg|The Walking on a Mountain Path in Spring, by Ma Yuan, 13th century

File:A palace concert.jpg|A palace concert, {{Circa|836|907|lk=no}}

File:Portrait assis de l'empereur Ming Xuanzong.jpg|The Seated Portrait of Xuande Emperor, {{Circa|1425|lk=no}}–35

File:Herd of Deer in a Maple Grove.png|The Herd of Deer in a Maple Grove, {{Circa|1031|lk=no}}–48

File:YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait.jpg|The Portrait of Kublai Khan, by Liu Guandao, {{Circa|1271}}–94.

File:YuanEmpressAlbumChabi.jpg|The Portrait of Empress Chabi, {{Circa|1271|lk=no}}–81

File:Cui Bai - Magpies and Hare.jpg|The Magpies and Hare, by Cui Bai, 1061

File:Ma Lin 010.jpg|The Listening Quietly to Soughing Pines, by Ma Lin, 13th century

File:Palefrenier menant deux chevaux par Han Gan.jpg|The Man Herding Horses, c. 12th century

File:Li Di, Homeward Oxherds in Wind and Rain.jpg|The Homeward Oxherds in Wind and Rain, by Li Di, 12th century

File:Lofty Mt.Lu by Shen Zhou.jpg|The Lofty Mt.Lu, by Shen Zhou, 1467

{{wide image|富春山居圖(無用師卷).jpg|3500px|The Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, by Huang Gongwang, 1347–1350|98%|dir=rtl}}

{{wide image|A Hundred Steeds.jpg|1000px|The One Hundred Horses: A painting done in 1728 by Giuseppe Castiglione by implementing a mixture of western artistic skills and utilizing eastern materials to realize a sense of realism to this native theme{{Cite web |url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=92&catno=15&pageno=5 |title=One Hundred Horses |access-date=4 June 2008 |publisher=National Palace Museum |archive-date=19 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619174405/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=92&catno=15&pageno=5}}|98%|dir=rtl}}

• List of most visited art museums
• List of largest art museums
• List of museums in Taipei
• List of museums in Taiwan

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://south.npm.gov.tw/en-US Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum official website]
• [http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/dai-chien/en01.html Chiang Dai-chien residence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127074049/http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/dai-chien/en01.html |date=27 November 2019}}
• [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-palace-museum-taiwan?hl=en Virtual tour of the National Palace Museum] provided by Google Arts & Culture

{{Directors of National Palace Museum}}

{{Executive Yuan}}

{{Palace Museum}}

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Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1965

Category:Chinese culture

Category:Museums established in 1964

Palace Museum

Category:Art museums and galleries in Taiwan

Category:Museums in Taipei

Category:Executive Yuan

Category:Asian art museums