The National Palace Museum

The National Palace Museum was first established in the Forbidden City under Dai Kong in the Sung Dynasty on October 1925, and was moved after the expulsion of the last emperor of China. The museum collections mere relocated under the orders of Chiang Kai-Shek from Beijing to its current location to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Japanese. The present building was constructed in 1964 and was finished by August of 1965. It went under renovation in the late ninety’s and reopened on December 25, 2006.

It is a haven for attainable knowledge interesting for archaeologists, historians, connoisseurs and antiquarians as it contains the imperial family’s national treasures. It contains the finest collection of 4000 year old Chinese paintings and other works from the Ming, Quing and Tang dynasties. It also holds the world’s largest collection of ancient Chinese artifacts. The rotation of the 60,000 exhibit pieces happens once every three months- which means that it will take approximately 12 years to see everything the museum has to offer.

The main artifacts are mostly potteries, paintings, bronzes, jades, rare books and documents and some of the calligraphies from the different dynasties of China. Some of the most treasured items of the palace include jades like the “Jadeite Cabbage” and the “Meat-Shaped” Stone made of jasper which was made in the image of pork. They are also housing a realistic painting by Giuseppe Castiglione entitled, “The One-hundred Horses” which embeds in a native theme.

The National Palace Museum