Photos from a visit to the highly impressive National Palace Museum in Taipei Originally established in Beijing's Forbidden City after the last Emperor of China was expelled, the National Palace Museum was relocated to Taiwan in 1965. This museum has an immense permanent collection of Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks dating back to some of its most ancient dynasties, making it one of the largest of its kind in existence. Firstly, no trip to the National Palace Museum should be done without a visit first to the Zhishan Garden, a classical Chinese garden housed within the museum compound that incorporates many of the aesthetic principles of Song and Ming dynasty gardening styles. The history of this museum is 'interesting' to say the least. As the Kuomingtang (KMT) government under Chiang Kai-shek began losing the Chinese Civil War to the Chinese Communist Party, the KMT undertook efforts to evacuate as many of the museum's most prized items to the island of Taiwan. In all honesty, the National Palace Museum could be more accurately called the Best Qing Dynasty Loot the Nationalist Army Managed to Take with Them when They Fled to Taiwan After the Chinese Civil War Museum. Classy title, I know. The existence of so many glorious artefacts of Chinese civilisation is obviously a sore point for the People's Republic of China. Personally, I’m not terribly fussed. How much of it would’ve survived the cultural destruction of the Cultural Revolution, for instance? However, I was deeply saddened to discover that the museum’s famous 'Meat-shaped Stone' (literally a chunk of mineral carved into a slice of pork) was not on exhibit. Turned out it was on loan to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia till May of that year! Oh no! And it just so happened that later in the year I had a chance to visit Sydney and duck inside the Art Gallery of New South Wales. And it was there! It was a monumental day in my cultural education. I am elated to have finally seen this masterpiece of Chinese art, having missed it when I visited the National Palace Museum in Taipei earlier this year. Behold! The famous Meat-shaped Stone, a piece of jasper carved into the shape of a delectable piece of pork belly. It is exquisite. It is sublime. It’s so beautiful I could weep. I feel like a pilgrim having finally reached a holy relic.
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AuthorMing is an economist, traveller, and creative writer from Melbourne, Australia. He’s a nebulous collection of particles on the lookout for a good corner to sit with a book and a cup of coffee. Archives
September 2023
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