Tag Archives: Taiwan National Palace Museum

The Far-Reaching Fragrance of Tea: The Art and Culture of Tea in Asia, Southern Branch of the Taiwan National Palace Museum

The appreciation is a lifestyle, a fashion, an art, and a culture; it is a shared language of tea connoisseurs. The originated in China, and methods of tea making have undergone centuries of change, as have the equipment and the manner in which the tea has been enjoyed. In ancient…

Discover Asia in the Eyes of Jade, Southern Branch of the Taiwan National Palace Museum

Most of the Asian Jade artifacts of the National Palace Museum are from the Qing Court’s collection. Those exquisite jade artifacts not only shone with dazzling brilliance, more importantly, they spiced up the court culture with exotic cultures and diversified traditional carving techniques of jade objects. After conquering the Dzungarian…

Imprints of Buddhas: the Buddhist Art Collection, Southern Branch of the Taiwan National Palace Museum

Buddhism originated in India in the sixth century BCE and underwent more than 1,700 years of development on the subcontinent before the Muslim invasion of the late twelfth century. In the process, Buddhism evolved and its teachings became more and more systematic. With the support of Indian ruling houses and…

Wearing Asia, The Exchange and Creation of Textiles, Southern Branch of the Taiwan National Palace Museum

Fabric is essential for tailoring clothes. Before the Industrial Revolution, the production of textile was done in a very small scale and mostly at home. Nowadays, there are various ready made textile products available in the market, and people no longer have to work at a loom. As a result,…

The Bell and Cauldron Inscriptions, A Feast of Chinese Characters: the Origin and Development, Taiwan National Palace Museum

The foundation of Chinese culture was laid four thousand years ago in the remote ages of Three Dynasties (c. 2070 ~ 221 B.C.E.): Xia, Shang, and Zhou, during which Rites and Music acquired the status of the keystone of society. Their importance is illustrated by the fact that Confucius (551…

Nature and Human in Unison, the Smart Carvings of Jade and Beautiful Stones, Taiwan National Palace Museum

Pursuing optimal equilibrium and harmony between human and nature has always been a key concept in Chinese aesthetics. When it is embodied in the art of jade carving, fitting the design to the material and its inherent property is the guiding principle. In short, the principle means that the natural…

Uncanny Ingenuity and Celestial Feats, The Carving of Ming and Qing Dynasties, Taiwan National Palace Museum

Carving is one of the oldest crafts developed by mankind. Archaeological excavations and literature sources show that early primitive societies had already learned to make utilitarian or decorative objects out of materials readily available in nature, such as jade, stone, bamboo, wood, ivory, horn, and bone. Different materials, comprised of…

Sharing Treasures, A Special Exhibition of Antiquities Donated Collection, Taiwan National Palace Museum

Collecting and preserving cultural relics is one of the main tasks for a museum institution. In addition to inheriting the Qing imperial collection, the National Palace Museum acquires cultural articles by two other means—purchase and donation—to enrich its collections. Among various types of acquisition, acceptance of donations is one of…

Rituals Cast in Brilliance, Masterpieces of Bronzes in the Museum Collection, Taiwan National Palace Museum

The Bronze Age of China started in the late Xia dynasty (c. early 17th century B.C.E.), lasting about 1,500 years through several dynasties from Shang to Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou. Even after the subsequent emergence of iron in Qin and Han dynasties, bronzes continued to be in use. During…