Overview of the National Palace Museum.

Inside the National Palace Museum.

The Main entrance gate to the National Palace Museum.

The National Palace Museum.

Taipei's National Palace Museum with apartments blocking the view.

The National Palace Museum (Chinese: 國立故宮博物院; pinyin: Gúolì Gùgōng Bówùyùan) is an art gallery and museum in Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China containing artifacts of ancient China. It should not be confused with the Palace Museum (note the absence of the word "National"), which is the Forbidden City in Beijing. Both institutions derive from the same original institution, which was split in two as a result of the Chinese Civil War. The National Palace Museum in Taipei holds one of the largest collection of Chinese artifacts and artwork in the world. Image File history File links National_Palace_Museum_view. ... Image File history File links National_Palace_Museum_view. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 339 KB)from www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 339 KB)from www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 373 KB)from www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 373 KB)from www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 397 KB)from www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 397 KB)from www. ... National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan| Picture taken December 2000 by Allen Timothy Chang File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan| Picture taken December 2000 by Allen Timothy Chang File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pinyin is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcription to Roman script) for Standard Mandarin, where pin means spell and yin means sound. The most common variant of pinyin in use is called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme... The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. ... The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ... Alternative meaning: Taipei County City nickname: the City of Azaleas Capital District Xinyi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 16 of 25 271. ... Motto: None Anthem(s): National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei City (de facto) Nanjing (de jure)1 Largest city Taipei City Official language(s) Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang Establishment Xinhai Revolution   - Declared... China is the worlds oldest continuous major civilization, with written records dating back about 3,500 years and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ... The Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿) at the centre of the Forbidden City The Forbidddden City (紫禁城, pinyin: Zǐjìn Chéng, literal meaning: Purple Forbidden City), located at the exact center of the ancient City of Beijing, was the imperial palace during the... Overview of the Forbidden City The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally Purple Forbidden City; Manchu: DabkÅ«ri dorgi hoton, literally Layered Inner City), located at the exact centre of the ancient city of Beijing, China was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and... Beijing [English Pronunciation] (Chinese: 北京 [Chinese Pronunciation]; Pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; IPA: ), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Combatants Chinese Nationalists Chinese Communists Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 3,600,000 (circa June 1948) 2,800,000 (circa June 1948) The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn; literally Nationalist-Communist Civil War) was a conflict in China between...

The museum is currently undergoing a large renovation project. Approximately half of the galleries are closed to visitors currently. Expected completion date is the end of December 2006.

History

The National Palace Museum was established in Beijing on October 10, 1925, shortly after the expulsion of Puyi, the last emperor of China, from the Forbidden City by warlord Feng Yü-hsiang. The articles in the museum consisted of the valuables of the former Imperial family and were moved from place to place in the 1930s and 1940s to prevent them from falling into the hands of the invading Imperial Japanese Army. Beijing [English Pronunciation] (Chinese: 北京 [Chinese Pronunciation]; Pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; IPA: ), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Puyi (Chinese:溥儀;) (February 7, 1906–October 17, 1967) of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro ruling family was the Xuantong Emperor (宣統皇帝) of China between 1908 and 1924 (ruling emperor between 1908 and 1912, and non-ruling emperor between 1912 and 1924), the tenth and last emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to... The emperor or huángdì (皇帝) of China was the head of government and head of state of China from the Qin dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. ... Warlord is a term that refers to one who has de facto military control of a subnational area, due to armed forces which are personally obedient to — somewhat circularly — that warlord. ... Feng Yü-hsiang (Traditional Chinese: 馮玉祥; Simplified Chinese: 冯玉祥; pinyin: ) (1882–1948) was a warlord during the early years of the Republic of China. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ...

During the final years of the Chinese Civil War, the museum collections were moved, under the orders of Chiang Kai-shek, from Beijing's Forbidden City to Taiwan. This removal has always been controversial with many in Mainland China viewing this as looting while some in Taiwan arguing that had the art not been moved to Taiwan in the 1940s, much would have been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. With the victory of the Communists, the National Palace Museum was split into two (the part on the mainland, like all other such institutions, lost its "National" designation). The part on the mainland is centered on the Forbidden City. Combatants Chinese Nationalists Chinese Communists Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 3,600,000 (circa June 1948) 2,800,000 (circa June 1948) The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn; literally Nationalist-Communist Civil War) was a conflict in China between... Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887–April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ... Overview of the Forbidden City The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally Purple Forbidden City; Manchu: Dabkūri dorgi hoton, literally Layered Inner City), located at the exact centre of the ancient city of Beijing, China was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and... The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù; literally The Chinese Massive Landmass or Continental China) is an informal (disputed — see talk page) geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area... The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Wúchǎn Jiējí Wénhuà Dà Gémìng; literally Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution; often abbreviated to 文化大革命 wénhuà dà gémìng, literally Great Cultural Revolution, or even simpler, to 文革 wéngé, Cultural Revolution) in the People... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (official name) also known as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; Pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng) is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Overview of the Forbidden City The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally Purple Forbidden City; Manchu: Dabkūri dorgi hoton, literally Layered Inner City), located at the exact centre of the ancient city of Beijing, China was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and...

The National Palace Museum on Taiwan has also been controversial in Taiwan with many supporters of Taiwan independence regarding it as an unwanted symbol of China-centeredness. Taiwan independence (Traditional Chinese: 台灣獨立; Pinyin: , Pe̍h-oē-jī: Tâi-oân To̍k-li̍p; abbreviated to 台獨, Táidú, Tâi-to̍k) is a political movement whose goal is primarily to create an independent and sovereign Republic of Taiwan (out of the lands currently administered by the...

During the 1960s and 1970s, the National Palace Museum was used by the Kuomintang to support its claim that the Republic of China was the sole legitimate government of all of China, in that it was the sole preserver of traditional Chinese culture amid the social change and Cultural Revolution in mainland China, and tended to emphasize Chinese nationalism. In recent years, the museum has focused more on local and minority cultures and has included some materials on loan from the People's Republic of China. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The Chinese Nationalist Party (Traditional Chinese: 中國國民黨; Simplified Chinese: 中国国民党; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Tongyong Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo Kuo-min-tang), commonly known as the Kuomintang (KMT), is a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in terms of sitting Legislative... Motto: None Anthem(s): National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei City (de facto) Nanjing (de jure)1 Largest city Taipei City Official language(s) Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang Establishment Xinhai Revolution   - Declared... The May Fourth Movement in 1919 marked a turning point in the history of Chinese nationalism. ...

Famous items

The museum houses several items that are the pride of their collection and famous worldwide. They include:

• Boat carved from olive pit
• Jade cabbage
• Painting of One Hundred Horses
• Stone that looks like meat

See also

• Chinese art
• Forbidden City
• Taipei City
• Republic of China

Chinese art is art that, whether ancient or modern, originated in or is practiced in China or by Chinese artists or performers. ... Overview of the Forbidden City The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally Purple Forbidden City; Manchu: DabkÅ«ri dorgi hoton, literally Layered Inner City), located at the exact centre of the ancient city of Beijing, China was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and... Alternative meaning: Taipei County City nickname: the City of Azaleas Capital District Xinyi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 16 of 25 271. ... Motto: None Anthem(s): National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei City (de facto) Nanjing (de jure)1 Largest city Taipei City Official language(s) Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang Establishment Xinhai Revolution   - Declared...

External links

• National Palace Museum Official Website
• Chinese Paintings
• The Splendors of Imperial China:Treasures from the National Palace Musuem, Taipei
• NY Times (subscription)
• The National Palace Museum