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About Exhibits

Virtual Reality
- The Spirit of Autobiography
  
  The Spirit of Autobiography, inspired from Autobiography, the world-famous cursive script masterpiece produced by T'ang dynasty monk Huaisu, is the world's very first calligraphy virtual reality installation. In the original, Huaisu excerpts poetic praise given to him by his contemporaries, who compares his calligraphy to images in nature. A famous segment, "my brush varies as the snake glides poised into his post, or thrashes in tune with the windstorm upon the walls," captures the changing rhythm in Huaisu's brushwork.
  
  In the virtual reality installation, the calligraphic text transforms rapidly from dragons and snakes into a storm. A dancer dances slowly in the diaphanous mist between water and sky, using his dance forms to interpret the speed and strength behind the calligraphy. Finally, a virtual brush can be used to practice writing calligraphy, allowing users to experience the spirit and intensity behind Huaisu's cursive script.
  
  Artifact Inspiration: Autobiography, Huaisu, T'ang dynasty,
- Roaming through Fantasy Land
  
  Roaming through Fantasy Land is a virtual reality adaptation of the late Sung and early Yuan dynasty painter Zhao Mengfu's Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains. The immersive virtual reality experience whisks the audience from the real world into a virtual fantasy land, in which one roams through the autumn scenery of Jinan Province depicted by Zhao Mengfu, proceeding along the contours of the sandbanks, the ancient Yellow River, pine trees, and the warm toned shallow waters. This installation allows the audience to partake in the profound friendship that spurred Zhao Mengfu to paint this masterpiece for Zhou Mi.
  
  Artifact Inspiration: Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains, Zhao Mengfu, Yuan dynasty,
- Classical Theater Pavilion
  
  This section presents a selection of films introducing the most important artifacts in the National Palace Museum's collection. Through innovative representational methods and 4K high resolution technology, the films attempt to capture the inner spirit and beauty of the artifacts. The production team also invited a contemporary dancer, music composer, and calligraphist to incorporate diverse and modern interpretations of the artifacts in the films, opening a dialogue between the contemporary and the timeless masterpieces.
- Spring Birth
  
  Spring brings back all the verdure of the Earth; Blossoms burst forth on branches with their songs.
  
  The images here of flowering crab apple, magnolia, peony, carnation, and peach blossom are representative of Lang Shining's fine brushwork and use of bright colors. He renders the charming poses of the birds and delicate blossoms in a unique style influenced by both Chinese and Western painting methods. Combining voice-activated interactive technology and animation that brings the moving beauty of spring to life in the paintings, this installation is completed by audience participation. The voice activates the animation and creates the appearance of movement. As the birds and blossoms sway in the breeze, audiences may bask in their eternal charm and fall under the enchantment of Lang Shining's spirited naturalism.
  
  Artifact Inspiration：Immortal Blossoms in an Everlasting Spring by Lang Shining (Giuseppe Castiglione), Qing dynasty
- Summer Lotus
  
  The green of lotus leaves stretches to the heavens; Lotus blossoms shine with their red in the sunshine
  
  Southern Sung dynasty painter Feng Tayu's Lotuses in the Wind at Taiye Pond portrays a lotus pond with flowers in full bloom, some of which blossom resplendently in the face of the wind, sporting dewdrops, while others are still budding in anticipation of blooming into vivid colors. In the pond, a flock of ducks swim leisurely. In the air above, butterflies flutter and swallows spread their wings, the scene teeming with vibrant life. The interactive virtual sensory installation, which presents a scene of summer lotuses in a pond decorated with charming details depicted by the painter, allows audience members to virtually experience the dynamism of life in summer.
  
  Artifact Inspiration: Lotuses in the Wind at Taiye pond, Feng Tayu, Song dynasty
- Autumn Colors
  
  A clear stream passes by mountains in green; Clear skies and limpid waters melt in the autumn hues.
  
  In "Autumn Colors: A Hand Recognition Interactive Installation," the Yuan dynasty painter Zhao Mengfu's masterpiece Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains is projected as if on a long scroll. Autumn arrives, and colors are on display, as though they are offerings to the earth. At first, the vast majority of trees are still cloaked in green, but a few anxiously decorate themselves in red leaves, and their branches bespeak the appearance of fall.
  
  When a visitor approaches, characters and animals interspersed throughout the painting slowly appear. When the visitor waves his or her hand toward the painting, the area of the painting opposite the visitor's palm becomes magnified, exposing the scene in greater detail. This interactive design allows the visitor to spread warm emotion with a wave of their hand, as if they were embodying Zhao Mengfu himself as he lifts his brush to depict the scene, painting, and at the same time alleviating an intense homesickness.
  
  Artifact Inspiration: Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains, Zhao Mengfu, Yuan dynasty
- Winter Snow
  
  A thousand peaks tower above like mountains of jade; Moss grows like thickets of silver petals on a million trees.
  
  Wen Zhengming's Deep Snow in Mountain Passes is his finest winter landscape painting. The painting took Wen five winters to complete and is rendered in the form of a long scroll. In the painting, the mountains undulate continuously from left to right throughout, and extends back and forth in space as well. Triangular peaks rise layer upon layer from front to back, creating a sense of depth and distance. Wen leaves blank areas of white, which stands out among the blue-and-green and light ochre, to create a visually expressive snow-filled scenery extending throughout the handscroll.
  
  This light installation employs haptic interactive methods to create the atmosphere of snow-covered landscapes in the north, enabling viewers to follow the characters in Wen's painting and pass through the layers of white in the magnificent winter mountains. As viewers wave their hands towards the painting, a gust of wind clears the snow away and the scene fades out, revealing the original Deep Snow in Mountain Passes.
  
  Artifact inspiration: Deep Snow in Mountain Passes, Wen Zhengming, Ming dynasty
- Stamps of Landscape
  
  Elements of the mountains, waters, stones, clouds, flowers, trees, houses and humans from Activities of the Twelve Months can be arranged by visitors on the screen via the digital interactive augmented reality program. Audience members can decide where they want to stamp on the screen and the locations of the other elements will arrange themselves accordingly to the position of the impression.
  
  Artifact Inspiration: Activities of the Twelve Lunar Months (Twelfth Month), painting academic artists, Qing dynasty
- The Ancient Paysage — Imitations of Shanshui
  
  How do people collect the ocean?
  The ocean is a vast body of water consisting of time. The long and winding river of human history eventually flows towards the ocean and carries with it infinite memories, stepping on eternal fugues, slowly approaching the future.
  
  In China 800 years ago, Chinese ink painters captured the twelve impressions of water with the ink brush. In modern Japan, Japanese photographers used long exposures to extend the capacity of time within a single frame. Behind the various interpretations through drawing and visual perceptions of different eras, they all convey the human fascination towards the ocean, which ultimately brings us to question: how do we perceive the ocean in the age of technology?
  
  The Ancient Paysage—Imitations of Shanshui employs computer graphic theories and artificial intelligence, combined with theories of Chinese landscape paintings and computer programming, to depict subtle observations and convey emotions through digitized drawings of the ocean.
  
  Creative medium: procedural simulation, image recording, neural style transfer, fabric installation
  
  Artifact Inspiration: Twenty Views of Water, Ma Yuan, Song Dynasty; The Complete Collection of Shanshui, Han Jhuo
  
  Creative Team: Hsieh Chi-Min (Associate Professor, Institute of Applied Arts, NCTU), Huang Yu-Fen, Huang Xue-Bei, Kuo Chih-Ting, Yang Yu-Shan, Li Chin-Chia, Chang Che, Hsu Yi-Chen, Kuo Tsai-Yu
NCTU Museum-School Collaboration Showcase—VR Creative Exhibition

This new media interactive installation is created with digital technology, and provides visitors with a virtual realistic experience. The exhibits combine technology and the NPM's collection, offering visitors a new means to understanding the NPM's artifacts, and aim to ignite the user's interest toward the museum's collection. A collaborated effort of NCTU Institute of Applied Arts and Institute of Computer Science, the VR installations "Fishermen's Delights" and "Hunting for Khubilai Khan" were inspired by the NPM's classic paintings. The creators combined haptic interactive installations with virtual reality games, enabling the instinctive operation of the devices and interactive participation from the viewers. With these innovative devices, paintings no longer remain static on the wall as they spring to life in virtual games that spur our imagination of the NPM's collection.

Principal Investigator: Hsu Chun-Cheng (Associate Professor, Institute of Applied Arts, NCTU)
Co-Investigator: Chan Li-Wei (Assistant Professor, Institute of Computer Science, NCTU)

Participants: Tsai Cheng-Chieh, Chen Hsin-Ju, Hsiao Yi-Tzu, Yao Hsin-Yu, Hsu Yi-Chen, Hsieh Wan-Yun, Tseng Chin-Ling, Fan Ting (Institute of Applied Arts, NCTU)
Wang Li-Yang, Chang Hong-Yu, Tsai Chia-En, Tseng Wen-Jie, Lee Yi-Chen (Institute of Computer Science, NCTU)
- Fishermen's Delights VR Installation
  
  The Jin Ming Pool, the Imperial water park, is located in the outskirts of Northern Song capital Kaifeng and opposite to the Imperial Gardens. Each year in March and April, the Jin Ming Pool is open to the public. The saying "tourists like ants, viewers like walls" can be used to describe the popularity of the site during the peak season.
  
  "Fishermen's Delights" is inspired by the paintings Touring the Imperial Gardens in Spring and Fishermen's Delights in the NPM's collection. The VR installation reconstructs the lively scenery of people fishing in the Jin Ming Pool, whisking players back to Northern Song to indulge in the pleasures of the ancient literati. When fish are caught by the hook, the device will give a visual and haptic response in the direction and level of the force, so that players can virtually experience the process of reeling in fish and share the delight of Northern Song fishermen.
  
  Finally, players will eventually be able to transform their catch into gourmet dishes for supper. "Fishermen's Delights" takes us back in time to experience the pleasures of "feasting by the river with fine wine" as did the ancient citizens of Kaifeng.
  
  Artifact Inspiration: Touring the Imperial Gardens in Spring, Chao Po-chu, Song Dynasty; Fishermen's Delights, Anonymous, Song Dynasty
  
  Creative Team: Hsu Chun-Cheng (Associate Professor, Institute of Applied Arts, NCTU), Chan Li-Wei (Assistant Professor, Institute of Computer Science, NCTU), Tsai Cheng-Chieh, Chen Hsin-Ju, Hsiao Yi-Tzu, Yao Hsin-Yu, Wang Li-Yang, Chang Hong-Yu, Tsai Chia-En, Lee Yi-Chen
- Hunting for Khubilai Khan
  
  "Hunting for Khubilai Khan" is a virtual reality game inspired by Khubilai Khan Hunting and Ayusi Scattering Rebels with Upraised Spear, which features the experience of actual hunting and shooting. Players are able to sense the reaction of the bowstring when shooting with the bow installation, and also control the velocity of their ride with the upper leg pressure sensor when simulating the action of horse-riding.
  
  The player must hunt down different wild animals for Khubilai Khan, including rabbits, wolves, deer, geese, etc., and accumulate points according to the number of their catch in order to claim their reward from the great Khan. This virtual reality horseback game integrates the renowned painting of Khubilai Khan Hunting, recreating the experience of the Yuan dynasty horseback hunters and how they displayed gallantry with bow and arrow while galloping across the boundless northern deserts in the golden era of hunting.
  
  Artifact inspiration: Khubilai Khan Hunting, Liu Guandao, Yuan Dynasty; Ayusi Scattering Rebels with Upraised Spear, Giuseppe Castiglione, Qing Dynasty
  
  Creative Team: Hsu Chun-Cheng (Associate Professor, Institute of Applied Arts, NCTU), Chan Li-Wei (Assistant Professor, Institute of Computer Science, NCTU), Hsu Yi-Chen, Hsieh Wan-Yun, Tseng Chin-Ling, Fan Ting, Wang Li-Yang, Chang Hong-Yu, Tsai Chia-En, Lee Yi-Chen
NCTU Museum-School Collaboration Showcase—Open Data Student Exhibition

In order to introduce NPM's Open Data to more users and develop students' aesthetic appreciation and creativity, NCTU has launched "NPM Seminars" this year and invited NPM researchers to introduce the artistic and humanistic tradition of the NPM's collection in a series of seminars. At the end of the semester, students are required to create posters from the resources shared on Open Data.

The creative elements of their works derive from the NPM's Open Data website. The works can be classified into "conceptual works", "descriptive works" and "mixed media." In the conceptual works, the students incorporate their concepts with the ancient artifacts and achieve innovative results, such as "Despite the tiger of Xi Mountain, we journey nonetheless" in which the tiger painted by Zhang Daqian's brother is integrated with Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, conveying the idea that "people travel far when in company and achieve more when they are valiant together." In the descriptive work "the Eighteen Wise Men of Tang", the eighteen prominent scholars during Emperor Taizong's reign are visually elaborated with illustrations and charts, delineating that a prosperous nation cannot do without their talents. Finally, an example of the mixed media works is "Up the river During Qingming" which merges ancient Chinese painting with modern art by using AI software.

Artifact inspiration: Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Fan Kuan, Song Dynasty; Up the River During Qingming, Qing Dynasty; Jade Boy and Bear, Qing Dynasty
Creative Team: NPM Seminar students (Instructed by Professor Henry Horng-Shing Lu, NCTU Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor Li Han-Lin, Institute of Information Management)
Special thanks to: National Chiao Tung University Library
NTCU Museum-School Collaboration Showcase—AI Student Exhibition

This section showcases creative works from the "NPM Artificial Intelligence" courses, featuring playful and interactive experiences designed by students. The "Interactive Display Wall" presents the abundant resources on NPM Open Data with animated displays. "Smart Curating" guides the audience members through the exhibition and facilitates the viewing process. In "Travelers Among Mountains and Dreams," viewers are introduced to the world of Chinese painting and calligraphy through augmented reality technology, enabling visitors to marvel at the breathtaking beauty of the Xi Mountain around the clock. "Changing Faces" uses technology to increase the fun of viewing portraits. The exhibition also invites alumni of the Institute of Applied Arts to showcase the "Animated Calligraphy Project," which is a series of experiments to animate Chinese characters according to the Chinese writing system and their structural characteristics.
Artifact inspiration: Travelers among Mountains and Streams, Fan Kuan, Song Dynasty; Jade Boy and Bear, Qing Dynasty; NPM portrait paintings
Technological application: Unity, IoT, OpenCV, Dlib database, etc.
Creative team: Lin Yi-Ching, Ho Ting-An, Chen Wei-Ming, Li Yi-Chun, Li Pi-An, Chao Tz-Yang, Chueh Yuan-Mao and Yang Po-Kai (instructed by Professor Li Han-Lin, Institute of Information Management, NCTU)
Special thanks to: National Chiao Tung University Library

National Palace Museum

About Exhibits

Virtual Reality

The Spirit of Autobiography

Roaming through Fantasy Land

Classical Theater Pavilion

Classical Theater Pavilion

Interactive Installations

Spring Birth

Summer Lotus

Autumn Colors

Winter Snow

Stamps of Landscape

The Ancient Paysage—Imitations of Shanshui

The Ancient Paysage — Imitations of Shanshui

NCTU Museum-School Collaboration Showcase—VR Creative Exhibition

Fishermen's Delights VR Installation

Hunting for Khubilai Khan

NCTU Museum-School Collaboration Showcase—Open Data Student Exhibition

NTCU Museum-School Collaboration Showcase—AI Student Exhibition