Brief Chronology | Current Organization and Tasks | Museum Grounds
 Brief Chronology
The imperial collection of the Ch'ing dynasty was composed of many objects inherited from the previous Sung, Yüan, and Ming dynasties as well as works amassed during the Ch'ing. The collection was stored in the inner court at the northern end of the Forbidden City at the time of the founding of the Republic of China. In 1914, the Republican government established the Exhibition Office of Ancient Artifacts in the outer court at the southern end of the Forbidden City, to which the collections from the Ch'ing Summer Retreat in Jehol and the Ch'ing palace in Mukden (Sheng-yang) were transferred.
During the early years of the Republic, fighting among warlords raged on. In 1924, Feng Yü-hsiang occupied Peking. An opponent of the Ch'ing court, Feng forced P'u-i, the last emperor of China, to leave the Forbidden City and also set up the Committee for the Disposition of Ch'ing Imperial Possessions, appointing Li Yü-ying (Shih-tseng) as its head. Feng once said, "I am somewhat ashamed for not having done much since my arrival at the capital. However, I expelled P'u-i, which is something with which I can face posterity." Countless works of art had been lost during P'u-i's stay in the Forbidden City, and Feng's action is recognized for halting further losses from the collection.
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The opening of the crates of works of art on loan to the "International Exhibition of Chinese Art" in London (1935), and shown in the picture are the Chinese representatives Chuang Shang-yen (left) and Fu Chen-lun (right), and the British representative Sir Percival David (third from left).
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On 10 October 1925, the Palace Museum was officially inaugurated in the Forbidden City and exhibitions were opened to public view. The Museum then consisted of two departments, Antiquities and Books, the latter being subdivided into sections for Books and Documents. In June of 1928, the Nationalist army entered Peking, and the government placed I P'ei-chi in charge of the Museum. In October, a law regulating the organization of the Palace Museum was promulgated, formally transforming it into a government institution. The law also stipulated that the Museum was to be made up of three departments: Antiquities, Books, and Documents.
Under I P'ei-chi's administration, the inventory and cataloging of the collection continued and the number of exhibitions increased. Periodicals and monographs were published. By 1936, hundreds of publications had been issued in what was the golden era of the Palace Museum in mainland China.
In 1931, the Mukden Incident sparked turmoil in northern China, and the Nationalist government decided to evacuate the collection to China's south. The works that had been sent to Shanghai were divided into five groups for a total of 13,491 crates. An additional 6,066 crates of objects were also dispatched from the Exhibition Office of Ancient Artifacts, the I-ho-yüan summer palace and the Han-lin-yüan imperial academy. Three years later, the government appointed Ma Heng as Director of the Museum. In 1935, a group of treasured works from the collections of the Palace Museum and the Exhibition Office of Ancient Artifacts was sent to London for the "International Exhibition of Chinese Art". In December of the following year, the objects in Shanghai were moved again to specially built storage facilities at the Taoist monastery Ch'ao-t'ien-kung in Nanking.
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident on 7 July 1937 instigated Japan's full-scale invasion of China. The Palace Museum thereupon shipped eighty iron crates of works (those sent to London) by steamer to Wu-han. From there, the journey continued to Ch'ang-sha, Kwei-yang, An-shun, and finally to Pa-hsien in Szechwan.
After the fall of Shanghai, the Nanking branch of the Palace Museum evacuated by land and water over 16,000 crates of objects, including those of the Exhibition Office of Ancient Artifacts and the I-ho-yüan summer palace, to safer places inland. The route over water saw the collection move first to Ch'ang-sha then to Han-k'ou, I-ch'ang, and Chungking. It then was transported westward to Lo-shan in Szechwan. The collection traveling by land was moved north by train and then west on the Lung-hai train route to Pao-chi in Shensi province. There, trucks carried the precious cargo through Nan-cheng and Pao-ch'eng, finally arriving in O-mei, Szechwan. During the Sino-Japanese War, Museum staff focused mainly on protecting and safekeeping the collection, since it remained packed in crates during evacuation. In spite of the difficulties, the collection was put on view in five exhibitions, and, at one time, selected pieces were even sent to the Soviet Union for presentation.
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Map showing the shipments of the collections of the Palace Museum and the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum during the Sino-Japanese War, with orange and green lines indicating the routes taken by the former and the latter, respectively.
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Another parent organization of the National Palace Museum was the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum in Nanking, which was established in 1933 with Director Fu Ssu-nien of the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica appointed as its head. The Museum was divided into three divisions covering natural history, humanities, and arts and crafts. The following year, the renowned scholar Li Chi took over as head of the Preparatory Office. In November 1937, crates of cultural relics from the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum were also shipped westward to Chungking. After 1939, they were sent separate ways as one group went to Kunming and the other to Lo-shan, the two shipments being finally united in Nan-hsi, Szechwan. During the war, the staff of professionals in the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum carried out a series of studies on the peoples of Szechwan and Hsi-k'ang as well as their traditional handicrafts, the history and geography of the northwestern region, and Han dynasty tombs and burial grounds in the P'eng-shan area. Their excavations yielded a large number of artifacts, which form a prominent and important contribution to the advancement of scholarship and modern Chinese archaeology.
When Japan was defeated in August 1945, the Palace Museum reassembled the collection from storage sites in Pa-hsien, O-mei, and Lo-shan, sending it to Nanking via Chungking. The collection of the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum was also returned to Nanking. The government then dismantled the Exhibition Office of Ancient Artifacts and had its collection transferred to the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum.
In the autumn of 1948, fighting worsened between the Nationalist and Communist armies. A resolution was made to send the most precious objects in the collections of the Palace Museum, National Central Library, Institute of History and Philology of Academia Sinica, and Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum to Taiwan. The first shipment of crates was dispatched from Nanking by the navy and arrived in Keelung at the end of the year, followed in 1949 by the second and third batches, sent by commercial vessel and the navy, respectively. The Palace Museum shipped a total of 2,972 crates of objects to Taiwan. While accounting for only 22 percent of the 13,491 crates originally transported south from Peking, the pieces represented the cream of the collection. The 852 crates of objects shipped to Taiwan by the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum also boasted many of the finest works in the collection.
Not long after the arrival of the crates of artifacts and rare books in Taiwan, the government created the Joint Managerial Office of the National Palace Museum, Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum, and National Central Library to oversee their organization. The Office then transferred the collections to Pei-kou in the township of Wu-feng, Taichung County, for storage. A bomb shelter was built at the site to ensure their safety. During this period, an inventory of the collections and comprehensive cataloging work were undertaken as well as the publication of several monographs and catalogues. Apart from setting up a small gallery for public art expositions, the Office was invited to organize a major exhibition that circulated among five venues in the United States, also participating in New York World's Fair.
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| The exhibition gallery at Pei-kou, opened in 1957 |
A new museum was then built in the Taipei suburb, being completed and opened in 1965. At that time, regulations for the Provisional Board of Directors of the National Palace Museum were promulgated by the government, and Dr. Chiang Fu-ts'ung was appointed the director. The new institution was christened the "Chung-shan Museum" in honor of the founding father of the nation, Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
Since then, the Museum has undergone several expansions that have made possible the gradual increase of its exhibition space. In 1968, a separate department was created, and rare books and Ch'ing archival materials, which had been part of the collection of the Department of Painting and Calligraphy, were then placed in its custody. The Museum's collection was now administered by three professional departments: Antiquities, Painting and Calligraphy, and Rare Books and Documents. In 1970, a library was established under the Department of Rare Books and Documents. What followed was the re-inventory of the collection, including registration, organization, and documentation. Cooperative exchanges have also been orchestrated with other institutions. Examples include when the Museum assisted the National Taiwan University in opening a division on Chinese art history in its Graduate School of History in 1971. The Division eventually became the Graduate School of Art History, which has so far produced numerous art historians, many of whom have joined the professionals at the Museum. In 1978, the Museum cooperated with Academia Historica in annotating the "Draft History of the Ch'ing Dynasty", which was later published by Academia Historica. At the same time, the Museum's publication and research programs were greatly expanded, as evidenced by the publication of a large number of periodicals, research monographs, and catalogues of paintings and calligraphic works, antiquities, rare books and Ch'ing archival documents. Selected works of painting and calligraphy were also reproduced. Members of the professional staff have been sent abroad for specialized training and advanced study, and for participation in international scholarly events. In the 1970s, the Museum organized several international academic conferences, such as the "International Symposium on Ancient Chinese Painting" (1970). Objects have also been selected for presentation in international events, such as the Osaka Universal Expo and the China Exhibition in Seoul, Korea.
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| The International Symposium on Ancient Chinese Painting (1970) |
Dr. Chiang Fu-ts'ung, who had held the Museum's directorship for over 17 years, retired in 1983 for health reasons, and the post was soon filled by Dr. Ch'in Hsiao-yi, then Chair of the Party History Committee of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang. Under his administration, the construction of the Administrative Building was completed in 1984, and the bulk of the Museum's collection was moved to storage areas underneath the building. The Museum galleries were also expanded and renovated. The current temperature and humidity controls were installed in both the storage and exhibition areas along with measures to counter fires and earthquakes along with a 24-hour security and monitoring system. In 1987, the Museum became a ministerial-level institution in the government hierarchy. During this period, the family of Chang Dai-ch'ien, the renowned modern painter, donated the master's residence, Mo-jeh Ching-she ("Abode of Illusions"), to the Museum, which soon became a memorial museum. In 1985, the construction of the Chih-shan Garden was completed and opened to the public. The latest addition to the Museum's complex, the Library Building, was erected in 1996.
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| Pine Wind Pavilion, Chih-te Garden |
The Museum continued to put out new publications such as collectanea, monographic series, scholarly treatises and exhibition catalogs. The "National Palace Museum Newsletter" became the "National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art", aimed towards the general readership. The "National Palace Museum Quarterly" was re-inaugurated as the "National Palace Museum Research Quarterly" to emphasize its academic nature. Other notable publications would include the "Chinese Art in Overseas Collections" series, the photolithographic reprint of the Wen-yüan Pavilion edition of the "Ssu-k'u ch'üan-shu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries)", "A Catalog of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphic Works in the National Palace Museum", "A Panorama of Paintings in the Collection of the National Palace Museum" and "Ch'ing Archival Documents on Taiwan".
A comprehensive inventory of the collection was undertaken in July 1989, and the project was completed in May 1991. In that year, the "International Colloquium on Chinese Art History" was held to celebrate the founding of the Republic of China, in which many renowned scholars in the field were invited to participate and report on the results of their research.
Starting in the 1990s, the National Palace Museum has on several occasions selected works from its collection for overseas exhibit. For example, in October of 1991, the National Palace Museum, at the invitation of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., took part in the international art exposition "Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration", which was in many ways the predecessor of the exhibitions "Splendors of Imperial China: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei", a more ambitious project that circulated to four major U.S. venues in 1996-97, and "Memoire d'Empire: Tresors du Musee National du Palais, Taipei", held in Paris, France, in 1998. In 1993, the Museum also began to host exhibitions of Western art on loan from European museums, such as "Monet et les Impressionnistes au Musee Marmottan" (1993), "Famous Paintings of the XVI-XIX Centuries from the Louvre Museum" (1995) and "Le Monde de Picasso" (1998). The year 1999 saw the Museum organize for the first time a loan exhibition "The Mysteries of San-hin-tui" from mainland China, which was followed by a presentation in 2000 of cultural relics from the Han tombs at Ma-wang-tui and the tomb of the King of Nan-yüeh, both parts of a larger exhibition program "Art and Culture of the Han Dynasty" hosted by the Museum to celebrate the dawning of the new millennium.
Tu Cheng-sheng, a member of Academia Sinica and Director of its Institute of History and Philology, assumed the directorship of the Museum in May 2000. Focusing on the essential qualities of art and culture while reducing political overtones, he called for a pluralistic cultural vista that encompasses Taiwanese, Chinese and world vantage points, a perspective that emphasizes the universalism of aesthetic beauty, humanism and the accomplishments of human civilizations, rather than one that is limited by national glory. To achieve these goals, he promoted academic research by way of hosting regular symposia and scholarly discussions, and organized conferences, such as "Representations of the Literary Mind: the Theme of Poetry and Literature in Chinese Art", "Ch'ing Archives and the History of Taiwan" and "Age of the Great Khan: Pluralism in Chinese Art and Culture Under the Mongols", to complement exhibitions. He has also invited both domestic and foreign scholars to give lectures at the Museum. Preview and discussion sessions prior to the opening of exhibitions in which the Museum's professional staff, volunteer docents and school teachers trade views and ideas were set up, so that the presentations may be made more comprehensible and accessible to the public.
In an effort to resolve the vexing issues of confusing tour routes and congested traffic, the Museum proposed to the Government a five-part plan for "The National Palace Museum in the New Century". Comprehensive in scope, the plan also deals with such feasible projects as the installation of more advanced measures to prevent earthquake damages and the application of technologies to preserving and conserving the collection. Moreover, the building of a branch museum in southern Taiwan is becoming a reality. In short, it has outlined a new vision with an impact that is both immediate and long-term, and it may well serve as a blueprint for the continued development of the Museum.
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The exhibition "Splendors of Imperial China" premiering
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1996)
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With a new administration, two fundamental schemes crucial to the future growth of the Museum have been in effect. The first is the revision of guidelines for the employment and promotion of museum professionals to re-assure transparency, openness, impartiality and fairness in personnel matters. The second is the passage of a law governing the management and uses of the Museum's acquisitions fund, which has now been placed under the control of a committee of governors. In addition, a "Friends of the National Palace Museum" group and a Museum affinity credit card have been initiated to encourage the participation of the public at large, and principles and procedures of corporate financial management have also been integrated into their operation.
Additionally, the format of the "National Palace Museum Research Quarterly" was re-designed, and the scope of the English-language bi-monthly "National Palace Museum Bulletin" substantially enlarged to become a semi-annual publication. In terms of its localization and internationalization efforts, the National Palace Museum launched two major exhibitions, "Portraits of the Land and Her People: a Centennial Exhibition in Commemoration of Li Mei-shu" and "Salvador Dali: a Genius of the 20th Century", bringing the Museum closer to the local Taiwanese people, while exposing the public to the cultures of the world.
Current Organization and Tasks
In 1986, the "Statutes for the Organization of the National Palace Museum" was made effective, placing the Museum in the executive branch of the government with the purposes of "organizing, safeguarding and exhibiting the original collections of cultural relics and objets d'art from the Palace Museum in Peking and the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum, and of supplementing the collection by acquisitions and engaging in the research and promotion of ancient China's cultural and artistic legacy so as to broaden its function in social education."
1. Organization
According to Clause 3 in Article 1 of the organizational statutes of the National Palace Museum, the National Palace Museum is responsible for organizing, safeguarding and exhibiting the original collections of cultural relics and objets d'art from the Palace Museum in Peking and the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum, and supplementing the collection by acquisitions and engaging in the research and promotion of ancient China's cultural and artistic legacy so as to broaden its function in social education. Part of the Executive Yuan of the ROC government, there is one Director, two Deputy Directors, one Secretary General, three departments for the collection (Antiquities, Painting and Calligraphy, and Rare Books and Documents), three divisions for Education and Exhibition, Publications, and Registration, the Conservation department, Secretariat, General Affairs, Security, Personnel, Fiscal Office, and Government Ethics Office, along with the Information Management Center. These departments are in charge of their respective tasks for the management of the Museum.
【Organizational Chart】
| Director |
| Deputy Directors |
| Secretary General |
| Advisors |
| Antiquities Department |
| Painting and Calligraphy Department |
| Rare Books and Documents Department |
| Education and Exhibition Department |
| Publications Department |
| Registration Department |
| Conservation Department |
| Secretariat |
| General Affairs Office |
| Security Office |
| Personnel Office |
| Fiscal Office |
| Government Ethics Office |
| Information Management Center |
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Department
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Title
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Name
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Antiquities Department
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Chief Curator
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Chi, Jo-hsin
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Painting and Calligraphy Department
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Wang, Yao-t'ing
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Rare Books and Documents Department
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Fung, Ming-Chu
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Education and Exhibition Department
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Lin Ming-Mei
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Registration Department
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Chief Registrar
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Tseng, Chen Yuan
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Secretariat
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Secretary General
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Chin, Shih Hsien
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Conservation Department
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Chief Conservator
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Yen, Su-fen
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Publications Department
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Head
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Hsu, Hsiaote
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Fiscal Office
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Head
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Hwang, Chin Sheng
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Security Office
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Head
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Siao, Li-Ciang
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General Affairs Office
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Head
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Chen, Tsung-Chuan
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Personnel Office
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Head
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Chen, Kai Hsuan
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Government Ethics Office
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Head
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Hwang, Mei-Long
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Information Management Center
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Head
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Lin, James Quo-Ping
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2. Responsibilities
The responsibilities of each department are as follows:
a. Antiquities Department
Composed of two sections, the Antiquities Department is responsible for the preservation, conservation, research, exhibition, and publication of bronzes, ceramics, jades, and miscellaneous objects in the collection as well as new acquisitions. The general public may also consult the department on related matters.
b. Painting and Calligraphy Department
Composed of two sections, the Painting and Calligraphy Department is responsible for holding regular exhibitions and publishing catalogues as well as research and evaluation of painting and calligraphy, tapestries, and embroideries. Updating display cases conservation and mounting, and new acquisitions are also among this department's projects. The general public may also consult the department on related matters.
c. Rare Books and Documents Department
Composed of three sections, the Rare Books and Documents Department is responsible for the conservation, organization, cataloguing, research, and exhibition of rare books and Ch'ing archives as well as the acquisition and preparation of new books and periodicals for library use. The general public may also consult the department on related matters.
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| Reading Area of the Museum Library |
d. Education and Exhibition Department
Composed of two sections, the Education and Exhibition Department conducts activities related to Museum news, education, art programs, academic lectures, tours, traveling exhibits, visitor arrangements, and exhibition design. The department also deals with exhibit arrangement, recruiting volunteers and their training, and surveying public opinion.
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| Lobby to the exhibition galleries |
e. Publications Department
Divided into three sections, it is responsible for editing and having printed Museum catalogues, books, and research reports in various languages as well as reproducing images of the collection artifacts. It also authorizes the sale and production of publications, videotapes, high-resolution video disc introductions to the artifacts, and computerized reproductions of painting and calligraphy derived from the collection. It is also responsible for the reproduction of artifacts and the promotion of plans related to the operations fund and the development of new reproductions of artifacts.
f. Registration Department
Composed of one section, the Registration Department is responsible for classifying and registering objects in the collection as well as works entrusted to, purchased by, and donated to the Museum. It also supervises regular inventory checks on Museum collections, and has established photographic information on the Museum and other collections.
g. Conservation Department
Divided into two sections, it manages the scientific analysis of the materials of artifacts in the Museum collection, conservation technology, and protection against damage and deterioration. It also repairs artworks and tests the environmental conditions of storage areas and display galleries.
h. Secretariat
Composed of three sections, the Secretariat receives, processes, and sends all official correspondence and documents of the Museum. It keeps track of administrative projects and work situations, and coordinates Museum meetings and government correspondence.
i. General Affairs Office
Composed of two sections, the General Affairs Office is responsible for construction projects, equipment and material purchases, the repair and management of property and dormitories, payments, assistance with government-sponsored mortgages, maintaining supplementary staff, and approval and management of related matters.
j. Security Department
Composed of one section, the Security Department supervises the safety and protection of the works of art and monitors the entire Museum grounds.
k. Personnel Office
Composed of two sections, the Personnel Office oversees various aspects of the staff, including the organization, distribution, hiring, promotion, training, retirement, and approval of personnel.
l. Fiscal Office
Composed of two sections, the Fiscal Office coordinates the planning, distribution, administration, and payment of funds for the printing for catalogues. Keeps monthly records related to financial matters.
m. Government Ethics Office
Composed of one section, the Government Ethics Office ensures that the Museum procedures follow government regulations.
n. Information Management Center
The Information Management Center is responsible for the planning and development of the overall information system for the Museum, computerization of procedures, automation of office equipment, designing of facilities for Internet and image systems, and computer education.
Museum Grounds
When the construction of the Museum in Wai-shuang-hsi, Taipei, was completed in August 1965, President Chiang Kai-shek inscribed the name of the museum as "Chung-shan Po-wu-yuan" on a tablet above the door in honor of the nation's founding father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The Museum was officially inaugurated on November 12 of that year.
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| Orchid Pavilion in the Chih-shan Garden |
Built in the architectural style of a Chinese palace, the Museum has four stories ornamented with corbels and colorful green tiled-roofs with yellow ridges. In 1967 and 1969, the Museum underwent two expansions, and in 1985 a major renovation of the galleries took place. The first three floors in the Exhibition Hall are used exclusively for presentations of artifacts, while the fourth floor houses the San-hsi-t'ang Teahouse.
The construction of the Chih-shan Garden, which lies to the left of the Museum, began in 1984. A fine example of traditional Chinese landscaping, the garden's picturesque pavilions and terraces, small bridges, ponds and winding paths offer a relaxing atmosphere. The beams and pillars of the pavilions are carved with couplets in elegant calligraphy that uplift the spirit.
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| Studio of Chang Dai-ch'ien with a wax figure of him |
The land on the right side of the Museum grounds was turned into the Chih-te Garden with winding bridges over ponds and small pavilions. On cool autumn evenings, the fragrance of cassia and lotus flowers floats on the breeze.
The Mo-jeh Ching-she, the residence of the late master Chang Dai-ch'ien, was donated to the Museum by his family in May 1983. It soon became the Chang Dai-ch'ien Memorial Residence, and is open to public visit by appointment. Two streams traverse the grounds on which stands a shady thatched pavilion. Peaceful and isolated, the cries of birds can be heard in the distance. Inside the studio is found a wax figure of the master.
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