Taipei, Taiwan - October 6, 2009 – The first "report card" on the new relations between the National Palace Museum and the Beijing Palace Museum reveals impressive results with the opening of the exhibit "Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times." And this is only the start of exchanges between the two Palace Museums, who plan in the future to engage in further substantive cooperation on various levels and on equal standing. On October 6, Director Chou Kung-shin of the National Palace Museum announced "Substantive Points of Cooperative Exchange in 2010 by the National Palace Museum and the Palace Museum, Beijing" at the press conference for the preview of the exhibit. In it, specific examples of progress and plans were given in terms of exchanges in personnel visits, gift publications, information technology and education, and academic conferences.
At the press conference for the preview, Director Zheng Xinmiao of the Palace Museum, Beijing, presented the National Palace Museum with the generous gift of a 108-box set of The Complete Tripitaka in Manchu from the Qing Court of Qianlong. Director Chou Kung-shin represented the National Palace Museum in offering a reciprocal gift of a 108-box set of The Dragon Tripitaka in Tibetan from the Qing Court of Kangxi (to be official published next year) to Director Zheng Xinmiao, further symbolizing the level of exchange and harmony between the two Palace Museums.
The grand opening of "Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times," representing the first cooperative exhibit between the two Palace Museums, takes place on October 7. The display provides audiences with an understanding of the Yongzheng Emperor's achievements in government and military matters, his life and administration, and his taste in art via 246 important pieces of art and culture from his reign. As opposed to the often critical and negative portrayal of the Yongzheng Emperor in anecdotal histories and popular shows, this exhibit presents viewers with a more balanced and complete presentation of Yongzheng's life through actual cultural objects while demonstrating his leadership and managerial abilities, his successful reforms in government, and his achievements in cultural policies and art.
"Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times" not only includes works from the rich collection of the National Palace Museum, but also treasured loan pieces from the Beijing Palace Museum, the Shanghai Museum, the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica, and U.C. Pharmaceuticals. The exhibit is accompanied by a wide range of events, including thematic tours, training sessions for elementary and junior high school teachers, educational activities for children, and an academic conference from November 4 to 6 on the life and times of the Yongzheng Emperor. These provide a wealth of educational opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds, thus expanding the lifetime learning function of the museum.
"Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times" runs from October 7 to January 10, 2010, at the main exhibit building of the National Palace Museum.
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