The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform

Exhibit

The National Palace Museum houses a collection of over 214,500 rare and antiquarian books, and its core is made up of print editions, volumes executed in movable type, imprints annotated by renowned scholars, old manuscripts, and delicately copied volumes, spanning the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. There are also some imprints and manuscripts originating from historical Korea and Japan. While the collection may not be large in quantity, it is of quite impressive quality. Apart from giving an opportunity to better understand how academic studies and scholarship, as well as printing and binding, evolved in China over the centuries, it also serves as point of reference for authenticating later editions. The collection is therefore highly significant for the preservation of ancient literature and bibliographic research.

When the Manchus came to rule over China, the new dynasty also took over the entire court library left by the defeated Ming and expanded the collections. Compilations of imperial writings and various other works were commissioned by imperial order, and great effort was put into actively acquiring books, which were for the emperor’s eyes only. Other sources in the National Palace Museum’s rich collection of rare and antiquarian books include Ming imprints and maps taken over from the former National Library of Peiping and rare Chinese originals and Japanese imprints assembled in Japan by Yang Shoujing who served as an attaché to the envoys to Japan in the late Qing dynasty, as well as Song and Yuan editions, local gazetteers, and various Qing literary anthologies bequeathed by donors from all walks of life. Together, they constitute a valuable complement to the Museum’s collection of imperial libraries, and those produced by private or commercial operations, in particular, are characterized by their ingenious variety and simple dignity. 

Exhibit

 Archival documents are not merely records produced by government agencies in the course of their administrative activities but also an important source of materials for the study of policy implementation and the forming of legal institutions. Since ancient times an administrative system has existed to safeguard national archives for auditing purposes and on account of their value as reference materials. In the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), it is noted that King Cheng of the Western Zhou dynasty commanded his officials to store important archives in golden cabinets, indicating that the archive system in China dates back more than 3,000 years. Successive dynasties continued the practice of preserving archives, leaving treasure troves of historical documents for posterity.

Due to their high confidentiality, it was difficult for outsiders to have access to government documents. The Qing dynasty archives in the National Palace Museum’s collection include a variety of official documents from government agencies, resumes and biographies of officials, as well as veritable records, imperial diaries and edicts, and collection of official statutes. As they were considered of great importance in state affairs, such archives were carefully sealed and preserved by the Qing court. When the Manchus came to rule over China they adopted the archival management system of the previous Ming dynasty, and clear and strict regulations for archival practice, such as registering, copying, recalling, repairing, checking, and filing, were spelled out. For example, in consideration of their frequent use by officials and the resulting physical damages, the huge number of archival documents preserved in the Grand Council (Junji chu), which oversaw the highly confidential state affairs, was to be examined and repaired every few years. This provision gives us a sense of the importance the Qing court accorded to the management, maintenance, and preservation of national archives.

Exhibit

Archival documents are not merely records produced by government agencies in the course of their administrative activities but also an important source of materials for the study of policy implementation and the forming of legal institutions. Since ancient times an administrative system has existed to safeguard national archives for auditing purposes and on account of their value as reference materials. In the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), it is noted that King Cheng of the Western Zhou dynasty commanded his officials to store important archives in golden cabinets, indicating that the archive system in China dates back more than 3,000 years. Successive dynasties continued the practice of preserving archives, leaving treasure troves of historical documents for posterity.

Due to their high confidentiality, it was difficult for outsiders to have access to government documents. The Qing dynasty archives in the National Palace Museum’s collection include a variety of official documents from government agencies, resumes and biographies of officials, as well as veritable records, imperial diaries and edicts, and collection of official statutes. As they were considered of great importance in state affairs, such archives were carefully sealed and preserved by the Qing court. When the Manchus came to rule over China they adopted the archival management system of the previous Ming dynasty, and clear and strict regulations for archival practice, such as registering, copying, recalling, repairing, checking, and filing, were spelled out. For example, in consideration of their frequent use by officials and the resulting physical damages, the huge number of archival documents preserved in the Grand Council (Junji chu), which oversaw the highly confidential state affairs, was to be examined and repaired every few years. This provision gives us a sense of the importance the Qing court accorded to the management, maintenance, and preservation of national archives. 

Exhibit

Archival documents are not merely records produced by government agencies in the course of their administrative activities but also an important source of materials for the study of policy implementation and the forming of legal institutions. Since ancient times an administrative system has existed to safeguard national archives for auditing purposes and on account of their value as reference materials. In the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), it is noted that King Cheng of the Western Zhou dynasty commanded his officials to store important archives in golden cabinets, indicating that the archive system in China dates back more than 3,000 years. Successive dynasties continued the practice of preserving archives, leaving treasure troves of historical documents for posterity.

Due to their high confidentiality, it was difficult for outsiders to have access to government documents. The Qing dynasty archives in the National Palace Museum’s collection include a variety of official documents from government agencies, resumes and biographies of officials, as well as veritable records, imperial diaries and edicts, and collection of official statutes. As they were considered of great importance in state affairs, such archives were carefully sealed and preserved by the Qing court. When the Manchus came to rule over China they adopted the archival management system of the previous Ming dynasty, and clear and strict regulations for archival practice, such as registering, copying, recalling, repairing, checking, and filing, were spelled out. For example, in consideration of their frequent use by officials and the resulting physical damages, the huge number of archival documents preserved in the Grand Council (Junji chu), which oversaw the highly confidential state affairs, was to be examined and repaired every few years. This provision gives us a sense of the importance the Qing court accorded to the management, maintenance, and preservation of national archives. 

Exhibit

Archival documents are not merely records produced by government agencies in the course of their administrative activities but also an important source of materials for the study of policy implementation and the forming of legal institutions. Since ancient times an administrative system has existed to safeguard national archives for auditing purposes and on account of their value as reference materials. In the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), it is noted that King Cheng of the Western Zhou dynasty commanded his officials to store important archives in golden cabinets, indicating that the archive system in China dates back more than 3,000 years. Successive dynasties continued the practice of preserving archives, leaving treasure troves of historical documents for posterity.

Due to their high confidentiality, it was difficult for outsiders to have access to government documents. The Qing dynasty archives in the National Palace Museum’s collection include a variety of official documents from government agencies, resumes and biographies of officials, as well as veritable records, imperial diaries and edicts, and collection of official statutes. As they were considered of great importance in state affairs, such archives were carefully sealed and preserved by the Qing court. When the Manchus came to rule over China they adopted the archival management system of the previous Ming dynasty, and clear and strict regulations for archival practice, such as registering, copying, recalling, repairing, checking, and filing, were spelled out. For example, in consideration of their frequent use by officials and the resulting physical damages, the huge number of archival documents preserved in the Grand Council (Junji chu), which oversaw the highly confidential state affairs, was to be examined and repaired every few years. This provision gives us a sense of the importance the Qing court accorded to the management, maintenance, and preservation of national archives. 

Exhibit

"Decorated paper" generally refers to letter paper that has been specially prepared to give it decoration, and the core of this exhibition features works produced in the Song dynasty (960-1279) with impressed designs. The technique for this type of paper involves carving a design into the press, yielding a pattern in low hollow relief after use. Documentary evidence for decorative pressed paper traces the technique back to the Five Dynasties period (907-960), but the earliest examples we have today are from the Northern Song period, with known pieces being quite rare. And the ones often cited are done so repeatedly, leading to a limited impression of the extent of Song dynasty pressed paper. In fact, our current understanding and study of decorative pressed paper involves mostly later works from the Ming and Qing dynasties, a time from which more surviving examples are extant and hence the source behind the saying that this kind of paper only became popular at that time. However, by conducting a careful study and looking carefully, we actually find that among the works of painting and calligraphy in the National Palace Museum are more than twenty precious examples done on Song dynasty decorative pressed paper. With the exception of a few with designs that are more apparent and have attracted scholarly attention, the remainder are mostly unknown. As in the parable of blind men each touching only one part of an elephant, and thus being unable to attain a complete picture, it has been difficult for us to gain a fuller understanding of decorated paper from this period. 

Exhibit

Many traditional festivals in Chinese society have their roots in agricultural life, in which people divided the seasons into plowing crops during springtime, tending to the fields in summer, reaping the harvest in autumn, and storing for the winter. To delineate this rhythm of life and reflect changes in the seasons, various festivals appeared over the course of time, gradually being filled with the popular customs we know and enjoy today. From celebrating the Chinese New Year all the way to the reunion dinner and staying up the following New Year’s Eve, people across the land observed festivals to thank the gods and pay homage to their ancestors, express gratitude for everything in the world, show respect for their roots, and make wishes for the future. Not only do festivals harbor the ideals inherent in particular moral principles, they are also an important part of Chinese culture and the human experience. 

Exhibit

To meet the need for recording information and ideas, unique forms of calligraphy (the art of writing) have been part of the Chinese cultural tradition through the ages. Naturally finding applications in daily life, calligraphy still serves as a continuous link between the past and the present. The development of calligraphy, long a subject of interest in Chinese culture, is the theme of this exhibit, which presents to the public selections from the National Palace Museum collection arranged in chronological order for a general overview. 

Exhibit

"Story of a Brand Name - The Collection and Packaging Aesthetics of the Qing Emperor Qianlong" is a special exhibition dedicated to exploring Emperor Qianlong's collecting and packaging of artworks. The exhibition selects from art objects, paintings, calligraphy works, and rare books to demonstrate the taste in art and interaction between the Qianlong emperor and his collection. Each artwork was stored in custom-made cases, and new creations with contemporary characters came into being from this process. The achievements of the Qianlong emperor correspond to the modern concepts of product innovations and brand establishment. It might thus be fruitful to reconsider the connection between new templates produced in the eighteenth century and the original imperial collection through the lens of the creation of a 'Brand of Qianlong'. The numerous remarkable storage methods also exemplify the art of packaging and artistic creativity. 

Exhibit

"Story of a Brand Name - The Collection and Packaging Aesthetics of the Qing Emperor Qianlong" is a special exhibition dedicated to exploring Emperor Qianlong's collecting and packaging of artworks. The exhibition selects from art objects, paintings, calligraphy works, and rare books to demonstrate the taste in art and interaction between the Qianlong emperor and his collection. Each artwork was stored in custom-made cases, and new creations with contemporary characters came into being from this process. The achievements of the Qianlong emperor correspond to the modern concepts of product innovations and brand establishment. It might thus be fruitful to reconsider the connection between new templates produced in the eighteenth century and the original imperial collection through the lens of the creation of a 'Brand of Qianlong'. The numerous remarkable storage methods also exemplify the art of packaging and artistic creativity.