Knowra National Palace Museum National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum in Taipei preserves a major collection of Chinese imperial art and artifacts, including objects transferred from Beijing to Taiwan in 1949.
Forbidden City : A palace complex in Beijing that served as the home of Chinese emperors and the seat of imperial government for nearly five centuries. Many objects now in Taipei were once kept in this former imperial palace.
Xuantong Emperor : Puyi, the last emperor of China, who ruled from 1908 until the Qing dynasty ended in 1912. His abdication helped make former imperial palace collections accessible to public institutions.
Museum conservation : The care and treatment of cultural objects to slow damage and preserve them for future study and display. Conservation protects fragile paintings, bronzes, ceramics, and manuscripts in the collection.
Cultural heritage : Practices, objects, places, and knowledge inherited from the past and valued by a community. The museum presents imperial objects as heritage while their ownership and meaning remain politically charged.
Jadeite Cabbage : A Qing-era carving of a cabbage from jadeite, displayed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Its lifelike carving makes a small jade object one of the museum’s best-known works.
Palace Museum : A museum established in Beijing’s Forbidden City in 1925 to preserve and display former imperial collections. It is the Beijing institution from which the Taipei museum’s collection history branches.
Republic of China : A state founded in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty, now governing Taiwan and several outlying islands. The museum’s collection was administered and moved by Republic of China institutions.
Chinese painting : A tradition of painting in China using media such as ink and color on paper or silk. Rotating displays and careful handling help protect the museum’s delicate scroll paintings.
Taiwanese identity : A sense of belonging shaped by Taiwan’s society, history, political experience, and cultural traditions. Debates over the museum’s role connect its mainland-derived collection to Taiwan’s distinct society.
Meat-shaped Stone : A Qing-era stone carving shaped to resemble a piece of braised pork belly. Its trompe-l’œil surface demonstrates the collection’s virtuoso carving traditions.
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