Preface
        The National Palace Museum, in support of international efforts in ecology and conservation, is holding this special exhibition of Chinese bird paintings as part of the "E-BIRDS: Global Educational Initiative to Save the Birds Series", jointly organized by Wild Bird Federation Taiwan and Birdlife International. Even though you may stop to wonder what makes such "common" birds as sparrows, Chinese bulbuls, and mynahs in these paintings so "treasured", all living things are invaluable for the roles they play in the natural world.

        Birds can seem so close yet so far away as they fly through the skies above. But as one of Nature's greatest engineering feats, they are admired for their beautiful array of shapes, sizes, and colors as well. No wonder bird watching and bird painting have gone hand-in-hand as forms of appreciation through the ages.