The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform

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

 The Qianlong emperor, who sat on the throne of China from 1735 to 1796, was not a ruler who amassed a huge collection of painting and calligraphy merely for the sake of ownership, but someone who relished the appreciation of artworks and extolled their virtues, also placing much emphasis on searching for them. This exhibition takes a look at the observations he made during six inspection tours of the south between 1751 and 1784. From the voluminous poetry written by Qianlong in praise of painting and calligraphy, we can identify some of the artworks that accompanied his trips, offering a better understanding of and new perspective on his connoisseurial activities. Based on the contents of his inscriptions and the time they were written, it appears that Qianlong often enjoyed displaying artworks on or related to the places he visited on his tours. Some of his favorite works even became essential travel companions, which he took out to sing their praise time and again.

Exhibit

The Qianlong emperor, who sat on the throne of China from 1735 to 1796, was not a ruler who amassed a huge collection of painting and calligraphy merely for the sake of ownership, but someone who relished the appreciation of artworks and extolled their virtues, also placing much emphasis on searching for them. This exhibition takes a look at the observations he made during six inspection tours of the south between 1751 and 1784. From the voluminous poetry written by Qianlong in praise of painting and calligraphy, we can identify some of the artworks that accompanied his trips, offering a better understanding of and new perspective on his connoisseurial activities. Based on the contents of his inscriptions and the time they were written, it appears that Qianlong often enjoyed displaying artworks on or related to the places he visited on his tours. Some of his favorite works even became essential travel companions, which he took out to sing their praise time and again. 

Exhibit

The Qianlong emperor, who sat on the throne of China from 1735 to 1796, was not a ruler who amassed a huge collection of painting and calligraphy merely for the sake of ownership, but someone who relished the appreciation of artworks and extolled their virtues, also placing much emphasis on searching for them. This exhibition takes a look at the observations he made during six inspection tours of the south between 1751 and 1784. From the voluminous poetry written by Qianlong in praise of painting and calligraphy, we can identify some of the artworks that accompanied his trips, offering a better understanding of and new perspective on his connoisseurial activities. Based on the contents of his inscriptions and the time they were written, it appears that Qianlong often enjoyed displaying artworks on or related to the places he visited on his tours. Some of his favorite works even became essential travel companions, which he took out to sing their praise time and again. 

Exhibit

The Qianlong emperor, who sat on the throne of China from 1735 to 1796, was not a ruler who amassed a huge collection of painting and calligraphy merely for the sake of ownership, but someone who relished the appreciation of artworks and extolled their virtues, also placing much emphasis on searching for them. This exhibition takes a look at the observations he made during six inspection tours of the south between 1751 and 1784. From the voluminous poetry written by Qianlong in praise of painting and calligraphy, we can identify some of the artworks that accompanied his trips, offering a better understanding of and new perspective on his connoisseurial activities. Based on the contents of his inscriptions and the time they were written, it appears that Qianlong often enjoyed displaying artworks on or related to the places he visited on his tours. Some of his favorite works even became essential travel companions, which he took out to sing their praise time and again. 

Exhibit

The Mongolian, Tibetan, and western Muslim territories of China are located in the central part of the Eurasian continent and geographically consist mostly of plateaus and basins. With its northern latitude and high terrain, the cold climate of the area yields unpredictable rainfall. Except for settlements along river valleys and oases, a nomadic economy has traditionally governed the way of life there. The inhabitants of this region are ethnically diverse as well, being mostly comprised of Mongolian, Uyghur, and Tibetan peoples. In terms of geography, religion, and history, their lifestyle therefore differs greatly from that of the Han Chinese with their agriculture-based economy, highlighting the unique art and culture of these nomadic groups.

Starting from the seventeenth century, the Manchu people in China's northeast expanded their territorial control west and south to establish the "Great Qing Empire." As dynastic rulers, the Manchu never gave up their ambition of playing a dominating role among tribes on the northern steppes, at the same time actively maintaining control of Tibetan peoples in the Kham-Tibetan plateau of the southwest. In addition to military conquest and political rule, the Qing dynasty also used marital alliances, religious beliefs, and tributary relations to extend and maintain its governance, hold various peoples together, and consolidate its authority.

This special exhibition focuses on artifacts related to imperial authority of the Qing dynasty and its interaction with Mongolian, Muslim, and Tibetan peoples. From the perspectives of material culture and anthropology, it explains the features of these groups and, at the same time, the unique characteristics and cultural contents of their art forms.

The Mongolian, Tibetan, and western Muslim territories of China are located in the central part of the Eurasian continent and geographically consist mostly of plateaus and basins. With its northern latitude and high terrain, the cold climate of the area yields unpredictable rainfall. Except for settlements along river valleys and oases, a nomadic economy has traditionally governed the way of life there. The inhabitants of this region are ethnically diverse as well, being mostly comprised of Mongolian, Uyghur, and Tibetan peoples. In terms of geography, religion, and history, their lifestyle therefore differs greatly from that of the Han Chinese with their agriculture-based economy, highlighting the unique art and culture of these nomadic groups.

Starting from the seventeenth century, the Manchu people in China's northeast expanded their territorial control west and south to establish the "Great Qing Empire." As dynastic rulers, the Manchu never gave up their ambition of playing a dominating role among tribes on the northern steppes, at the same time actively maintaining control of Tibetan peoples in the Kham-Tibetan plateau of the southwest. In addition to military conquest and political rule, the Qing dynasty also used marital alliances, religious beliefs, and tributary relations to extend and maintain its governance, hold various peoples together, and consolidate its authority.

This special exhibition focuses on artifacts related to imperial authority of the Qing dynasty and its interaction with Mongolian, Muslim, and Tibetan peoples. From the perspectives of material culture and anthropology, it explains the features of these groups and, at the same time, the unique characteristics and cultural contents of their art forms. 

Exhibit

The Mongolian, Tibetan, and western Muslim territories of China are located in the central part of the Eurasian continent and geographically consist mostly of plateaus and basins. With its northern latitude and high terrain, the cold climate of the area yields unpredictable rainfall. Except for settlements along river valleys and oases, a nomadic economy has traditionally governed the way of life there. The inhabitants of this region are ethnically diverse as well, being mostly comprised of Mongolian, Uyghur, and Tibetan peoples. In terms of geography, religion, and history, their lifestyle therefore differs greatly from that of the Han Chinese with their agriculture-based economy, highlighting the unique art and culture of these nomadic groups.

Starting from the seventeenth century, the Manchu people in China's northeast expanded their territorial control west and south to establish the "Great Qing Empire." As dynastic rulers, the Manchu never gave up their ambition of playing a dominating role among tribes on the northern steppes, at the same time actively maintaining control of Tibetan peoples in the Kham-Tibetan plateau of the southwest. In addition to military conquest and political rule, the Qing dynasty also used marital alliances, religious beliefs, and tributary relations to extend and maintain its governance, hold various peoples together, and consolidate its authority.

This special exhibition focuses on artifacts related to imperial authority of the Qing dynasty and its interaction with Mongolian, Muslim, and Tibetan peoples. From the perspectives of material culture and anthropology, it explains the features of these groups and, at the same time, the unique characteristics and cultural contents of their art forms.

The Mongolian, Tibetan, and western Muslim territories of China are located in the central part of the Eurasian continent and geographically consist mostly of plateaus and basins. With its northern latitude and high terrain, the cold climate of the area yields unpredictable rainfall. Except for settlements along river valleys and oases, a nomadic economy has traditionally governed the way of life there. The inhabitants of this region are ethnically diverse as well, being mostly comprised of Mongolian, Uyghur, and Tibetan peoples. In terms of geography, religion, and history, their lifestyle therefore differs greatly from that of the Han Chinese with their agriculture-based economy, highlighting the unique art and culture of these nomadic groups.

Starting from the seventeenth century, the Manchu people in China's northeast expanded their territorial control west and south to establish the "Great Qing Empire." As dynastic rulers, the Manchu never gave up their ambition of playing a dominating role among tribes on the northern steppes, at the same time actively maintaining control of Tibetan peoples in the Kham-Tibetan plateau of the southwest. In addition to military conquest and political rule, the Qing dynasty also used marital alliances, religious beliefs, and tributary relations to extend and maintain its governance, hold various peoples together, and consolidate its authority.

This special exhibition focuses on artifacts related to imperial authority of the Qing dynasty and its interaction with Mongolian, Muslim, and Tibetan peoples. From the perspectives of material culture and anthropology, it explains the features of these groups and, at the same time, the unique characteristics and cultural contents of their art forms.

Exhibit

The Cold Food Observance manuscript was composed in 1079 while Su Shi was living in exile in Huangzhou (Huanggang, Hubei). On the Cold Food Festival in the fourth month of his third year there, he was inspired by the change in seasons to comment on the difficulties of life and the frustrations in his official career, composing "Two Poems on the Cold Food Observance in Rain," which he later transcribed in calligraphy to this hand scroll. Later generations praise this manuscript as Su Shi's best surviving calligraphy. At the end of the manuscript is a colophon by Huang Tingjian, adding another layer for appreciation.

This film utilizes the newest animation technologies to capture the dramatic interplay between the fluctuating emotions in Su Shi's poems and the expressive ink traces left by his brush. Su Shi’s characters lean here and there in a bold and unrestrained manner, exhibiting complexity in rhythm and form. 

Exhibit

Fu Chuan-fu (1910-2007) originally had the name Baoqing but became known by his sobriquet Juanfu (Chuan-fu) to avoid confusion with another famous contemporary painter, Fu Baoshi. Fu Chuan-fu also had the sobriquet Xuehua cunren and, after the age of seventy, took the sobriquet Jueweng ("Enlightened Elder"). A native of Hangzhou in Zhejiang, he reached great heights in painting and calligraphy. After coming to Taiwan in 1949, he continued to innovate as an artist, developing a unique form of "unbroken cursive" script calligraphy. In painting, he also skillfully adopted the coastal waves, sea of clouds, and rugged peaks of Taiwan, becoming renowned as the "Spokesman for Taiwan's Landscape. "Fu Chuan-fu excelled at both painting and calligraphy, and many in the core of today's art circles have studied under him, demonstrating his profound influence on contemporary painting and calligraphy in Taiwan.

Between 2010 and 2012, members of Fu Chuan-fu's family generously donated 134 works of painting and calligraphy by or related to him. In addition to these 63 pieces of calligraphy and 71 paintings, the donation also included 100 of the seals he used; together, they now form part of the National Palace Museum’s permanent collection. Not only are there works of painting and calligraphy by Fu himself but also examples by his teacher Wang Renzhi (1869-1932), father Fu Yu (1880-1959), and wife Fu-Si Te-fang (1916-). Moreover, there are title pieces written for his painting studio by such renowned friends of his in the art world as Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964) and Pu Hsin-yu (1896-1963); most of the seals are carved by Wang Chuang-wei (1909-1998), Wu Ping (1920-), and other contemporary masters in the field. As a group, these works serve as a precious testament to the heritage, family, friends, and artistic achievements of Fu Chuan-fu. Besides enriching the National Palace Museum collection, they also enhance the Museum’s connection to the local Taiwan art scene and testify to a crucial point in the transformation of traditional Chinese ink painting in modern times.

In gratitude to the family of Fu Chuan-fu for its great generosity in donating this collection of artworks, the National Palace Museum is holding this exhibition, featuring a selection of 78 works of painting and calligraphy as well as 53 seals, to commemorate Fu's attainments. The display spans his career and is divided into six sections: "A Visitor from Xiling," "Major Cursive Script Unbroken," "The Landscape of Taiwan," "Communing with Mi Fu," "Ink Realms of the Elder," and "Fragrance from the Heart." Together, they fully represent the art and life of Fu Chuan-fu. On the tenth anniversary of his passing, the National Palace Museum offers its sincere respect to him by holding this special exhibition.