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Introduction to National Palace Museum
Sitting in the foothills of Taipei is one of the best museum’s globally – the National Palace Museum. In fact, this incredible museum has one of the biggest and most stunning collections of Chinese art and antiquities anywhere in the world and will leave most visitors enthralled with over 8 millennia of Chinese imperial history.
The National Palace Museum located in Taipei today was founded in 1925 in Beijing’s Forbidden City and has survived several twists and turns including a change of continents. But, even at the time of the beginning of the Chinese Civil war in the late 1940s, the Museum’s treasures were packed and spirited away across China to escape the Japanese army during the 30s, after being boxed up. Last in 1965, Chiang Kai-Shek arranged for the movement of the treasures to where they are today in Taiwan.
Today it stands with the trees and gardens in the periphery area of Taipei City. The building incorporates a fusion of classical Beijing and Taiwanese features that enhances the aesthetic appeal of the exterior image. But wait, just a taste of awesomeness of what you can actually see inside has been given to you here. This is true given that the National Palace Museum has a dizzying collection of jade, bronzes, statuary, porcelain and curios that can be followed in a chronological history of the rise and development of aesthetics in China.
Major Exhibits in the Collection of the National Palace Museum
Jade Items
Lots of tourists rush to directly go to the exhibits that are the jade collection of the Museum, fawning around the most visited areas. White jade is considered more valuable in China as gold and diamonds are in other parts of the world and green jade is traditionally linked to virtue and life in China. The exquisite artifacts of jade are best noted for luxurious carving equipment, ceremonial weapons, decorations, ornaments, the smoke cloud pattern, and the realistic sculptures of plant and animal like evergreen vegetation and a life-like convincingly faced animal.
The Bronze and Metalwork Collection
Metallurgy of bronze and metal in the Museum gives the historical perspective of China’s great metallurgical prowess gained over centuries. Bronze and gold and silver inlaid ritual vessels add evidence of sophisticated techniques of production starting from over 3000 years ago. Details of more recent metalwork masterpieces suggest that advances in the techniques of enameling occurred in parallel to one another and which attained their ‘esoteric glory in the eighteenth century Qing dynasty’.
Porcelain Collection
A variety of porcelain art from Song through to Ming dynasty covers the Chinese fascination and skill at pottery which is best illustrated in the Museum porcelain collection. Some of the most wonderful examples of this concept include the ‘chicken cups’, so called, because they are painted with a family of chickens amidst foliage, which are part of the Ming dynasty. Porcelain was now being made in these exceptionally thin-walled vessels which was an important innovation in enhancing the improvement of porcelain manufacturing processes.
Imperial Curios and Artworks
Besides ceramics, burial jades and bronzes, there are more halls to exhibit miscellaneous Imperial Collections through thousands-year history. These include giving detailed personal glimpses of the lavish lives of Chinese nobilities and rulers who are now gone.. Beauty and significance of the products are many and varied; excellent bronze of Shang and Zhou dynasties, exquisite enamel and intricate lacquer furniture crafted for the imperial family in the Qing dynasty. These curios are not only manifestations of the refined palate of their owners but, perhaps more importantly of the splendid state of Chinese craftsmanship at every epoch.
Once again, the curious section holds some of the most unexpected and quickly becoming one of my favorite exhibits, the intricately carved jade thumb rings, and the meat shaped stone – an artifact believed to have been used as a sex toy by a Han dynasty empress that is approximately 2300 years old!
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Here are some important suggestions for going to the National Palace Museum
Opening hours:
The Museum will be opened on a daily basis from 8.30am to 6.30pm and on Friday and Saturday to 9.00pm. It is only open from Tuesday to Sunday throughout the periods of October to March. The last entry is one hour before the closing time but tends to arrive as early as possible because people tend to form a line before the park actually opens.
Getting there and tickets:
The Museum is also accessible by taxi and metro – only a stone throw from Shilin MRT Station on the red no.Tamsui-Xinyi Line. This attraction opened up earlier this year and costs 250 NTD to enter but tickets must be bought in advance. Candidates can order it online using the main website in order not to spend time in a queue.
Orientation and tours:
Maps can be retrieved at the information desks, then proceed to the left, through the permanent collections. English and Chinese speaking audio guides and guided tours for groups are offered. Public signs throughout are also written in English.
What to see:
Recommended for your visit, there is a star globe jadeite cabbage sculpture which is a beloved item in the country. Visiting the site, you cannot miss the Meat shaped Stone and the chicken cups, I wanted to feel like a king while enjoying my chicken soup from cups.numeral form
Dining:
The Silks Palace Chinese restaurant is located within the museum and presents visitors with scrumptious imperial food. Or go to the Shilin Night Market which is only one station away on the metro for street food after that.
The National Palace Museum is an excellent storehouse for any phenomenal exhibits that people can feast on with their sense organs. Here is the wide, awe-inspiring, dizzying spectrum of China: from the ceremonial bronzes of the ancient Shang dynasty to the painted erotic fans of the Qing: Imperial porcelains to the decorative arts – through which this outstanding museum offers the West perhaps the richest and most comprehensive view of China ever assembled.
As a piece of artwork, though, the exterior looks simple and small, like one of those refined Chinese lacquer boxes, but once opened, the National Palace Museum surprises its visitors with the unveiling of multiple magnificent Imperial treasures layering the heart and soul of this building to enthrall anybody present.
Conclusion
After a stormy start escaping war and regime changes across China, the institution finally established its permanent home in Taipei in 1965. Here this epic house of Chinese art and cultural collections is steadily on the rise and has to date welcomed more than 86 million visitors.
Due to its features as one of the biggest museums of China with full-size copies of most small and middle-sized Chinese cities’ palaces and other important buildings emphasizing a unique possibility of a glimpse at the life of ancient kings and nobles – due to the Museum’s collection that includes materials created for 8000 years. The dazzling display of such exquisite pieces as jades, ritual bronzes, imperial porcelain and many more which are shown in this museum offer the best possible documentation of the fascinating history not only of China but of its refined imperial tastes and the impressive advancement of artistry in Chinese antiquity.
Whether or not you already love China, going to the National Palace Museum immediately forces every visitor right into the world of Chinese culture and enforces the beauty of their senses. Expect yourself not to be able to find your way out since the halls of the palace are almost countless and the exhibits are worth millions, and thousands of sparkling gems and stones can dazzle anyone, taking one on an incredible time-traveling experience back to imperial China. This, of course, as long as you are careful not to schedule it in such a way that you barely get to enjoy the experience.
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FAQs about National Palace Museum
Is it necessary to buy tickets before planning a visit to this museum?
Yes, it will be recommended to purchase entry tickets online at the official website of the museum before entering the place. This enables you to avoid perhaps very long ticket lines that are at the physical museum on many occasions.
Which are now some of the impressive displays that I should not miss when at the museum?
Among the most popular exhibits are Jadeite Cabbage” sculpture made from a solid jade, “Meat Shaped Stone” – a phallic that was once used by a Han dynasty empress, “chicken cups” created from incredibly thin porcelain and the Gallery of Bronze Ritual Vessels displaying the history of bronze making in the country over the course of three millennia.
I could not help wondering if there are restaurants or cafes within the territory of the museum.
Yes there is, specifically there is the Silks Palace that is a Chinese restaurant situated within the museum where emperors dine right among replicas of the museum’s artifacts. The museum also includes a café and several places for snacks all over the territory.
