The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum is an institution conceived for the promotion of Asian arts and culture. Its goals are to explore and appreciate the cultural exchange and vitality inherent in Asian art and its history.
Asian history and culture is both exciting and intriguing. Since antiquity, Asian countries have built a rapport sparked by trade, spread of religion, diplomatic relations and even wars and battles. High volumes of encounters and interactions resulted in strong influences on each other's local cultures, sending out customs and taking in traditions. A versatile, multifarious Asian emerged.
Reveal every corner of Asia from the perspective of its cultural discourse, the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum shall maintain the following two missions :
- A new interpretation of the National Palace Museum's prized collections : from the broad perspective of the Asian continent, the cultural backgrounds of the artfacts in National Palace Museum's highly esteemed collections can more clearly be traced.
- Rediscover Asia : what is Asia? In history, the definition of "Asia" has gone through multiple stages of transformation. Here at the Museum, the history, culture and art behind centuries of such relentless change will be divulged and presented to the public for furthur exploration, analysis and understanding.
The future Southern Branch Museum shall have five permanent galleries as well as galleries for unscheduled special exhibitions.
Permanent Galleries :
- A Handbook to life : Asian Texts and Writing
This classical gallery shall encompass the thre\e major Asian scripts : Sino system, Indic system and Arabic system. Launching from the "Chinese Cultural Sphere", the exhibition will progress into the "Indian Cultural Sphere" along with "Islamic Cultural Sphere".
"Ya-ch'in-fu-i" Tsun Wine Vessel
with a Four-character Inscription
China; late Shang dynasty, ca. 14-11th c. BC; bronze; H: 28 cmThe preliminary plan shows three divisions :
- The Calligraphy and Images of the Three Major Scripts : revealing the classical beauty of calligraphy and printing.
- The Power of Inspiration : revealing the propagation of teaching and enlightenment.
- The Art of Bookbinding and Decoration : revealing the aesthetics and beauty behind the methods and media involved in putting together classical books.
China; Yuan dynasty ( imprint of 1247, Tangut edition );
ink on paper; block sizes of per half-folio, 19.4×10.4 cm
China; Ch'ing dynasty, Ch'ien-lung reign ( 1736-1795 ); imperial household gold scripted edition; block sizes of per folio, 28.4×75 cm; H: 31 cm ( including the blocks )
China; Northern Wei dynasty,
dated 477; gilt bronze; H: 40.3 cm
Arhats, and Lamas
Tibet; 15th c.; thangka;
distemper on cloth; 296×140 cm
- Incarnation Represented : The Buddhist Art of Asia
Buddhism originated from India, trickled eastward and saturated the rest of Asia. During its developmental history of more than 2000 years, the religion has seen periods of great success and prevalence as well as difficulty as it struggled to grow or even survive. Such details are testimony to the spiritual life and cultural psyche of the Asian peoples.The room dedicated to Asian Buddhist arts embodies the Southern Branch Museum's aspirations, the main approach being “exchange.” With respect to the discursive, intertwining nature of Buddhist ideology behind the Mahayana sect's “Indra Net” as well as the “Mandala” of the Vajrayana sect , the exhibition will assume an overall design that will hearken to such characteristics of the religion. The displays in the gallery shall be derived from the various developmental stages of Buddhist art and other subsidiary themes and topics, in order to reincarnate Buddhist representations that exemplify the idea of the Buddhist doctrine of simulating appearance in order to salvage the soul. Hopefully, the mutual influences between regional renditions of Buddhism can be recreated as well as the cultural exchanges and the everlasting transformations involved.
China; Sung dynasty (960-1279); album leaf silk tapestry; 28.1× 35.7 cm
China; Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911); gold, pearls, & other materials; cap height & diameter: 12.5×23 cm
- The Ultimate Luxury : The Cultures of Asian Textiles
The traditional costumes of various Asian ethnic groups are divided into many categories: for ceremonial, aesthetic or practical purposes. As a result, a colourful Asian textile culture was born.The textiles gallery is segmented into three parts :
- Main Thematic Exhibit : this will include the themes of the intersections between textiles and rituals, textiles and visual arts, textiles and commercial trade, textiles and insignia as well as textiles and techniques of handicraft
- Featured Exhibition : here, a meticulously selected piece of textile based on its beauty or cultural significance shall be placed in its historical context and relevant setting so that the viewer may mentally recreate the scene and as a result, fully appreciate the piece and its importance.
- Open Storage : this exhibit is to allow the viewers to more closely understand the beauty and significance of textiles.
- Blue-and-White : An Aesthetic of Asian Ceramics
Blue-and-white ceramics were first initiated in South Asia and China, and then eventually spread throughout all corners of Asia until now, where the style has become a global blue and white decorative culture. Blue-and-white has assumed a role as one of the representative arts of Asia. This exhibit shall draw attention to geographical locations as it distinguishes between blue-and-white ceramics from South Asia, China, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Taiwan. On the other hand, the exhibit shall also highlight the mutual exchanges between different regions of Asia as they influence each other on the craft, in learning, in imitation and in competition. The precious collections of Ming and Ch'ing official wares and ceramics from the Ch'ing imperial court shall occupy a key part within the exhibit.
in Underglaze Blue
China; Ming dynasty, Yung-lo reign (1403-1424);
porcelain; H: 36.4 cm
and Gilt Motif of Curling Leaves
China; Ming dynasty, Yung-lo reign (1403-1424);
porcelain; H: 6.5 cm, Diam: 15.2 cm
- The Cultures of Tea in Asia
"Tea", now a drink consumed around the world, has been given varying names in different countries, but the pronunciation of most derives either from the northern Chinese sound for "cha" or the southern "te". Without a doubt, China is the home of the original "tea culture". This exhibition therefore takes China as its origin and focus to compare and contrast the features of tea cultures in other places, such as Japan, Tibet, Southeast Asia, and India. The exhibit then goes on to explore their mutual relationships based on similarities and differences and as "drink" for thought about the stimuli of cultural flow. The period of the exhibit objects is set between the 16th and 20th centuries, since this is the time when interaction between the Asian cultures of tea were most widespread and active. Nonetheless, in order to narrate a complete historical overview, some early cultural objects will also be included.
of Gentlemen amid a Landscape
China; Ming dynasty, Chia-ching and Wan-li reigns
(1522 to 1620); porcelain
Incised Clouds-and-Dragons Decoration
China; Ming dynasty, Chia-ching and Wan-li reigns
(1522 to 1620); porcelain
- Religious Folk Art in Taiwan
Taiwanese folk religion mostly comes from mainland China. However, due to developments in Chinese beliefs that have taken place in Taiwan over the years, these have become a thoroughly localized religion. Nor is the current synthesis of Taiwan folk cultures the sole domain of religious temple culture for that matter.The outlay of this exhibition can be divided into two main areas composed of an inner and outer section. The outer section can be further subdivided into the four areas for koji pottery, mosaic cut-and-paste, religious sculptures, and painting.
The arrangement of the outer section can include pairs of stone lions and elaborately carved dragon pillars to flank the hall, thereby creating an element of atmosphere outside the exhibition while also illustrating the relationship between Taiwanese and Chinese religions; in other words, the heritage and historical developments.
Temporary Exhibitions
- Western Influences ： Trends in Later Asian Arts
The theme of the exhibit is the modern Western influence on Asian arts and culture in the 17th-19th centuries. The displays include maps of the world, maps of Asia, Western artifacts brought over by European missionaries and Jesuits, Asian works of art produced for export to Western markets as well as Asian works of art that show traces of Western cultural influence. Cultural discourse between the West and the East resulted in Asia's transformed interpretation of Western ideals.The themes are devised to illustrate the wave of Western elements that have been injected into Asian countries and they shall be manifested as such :
- Opening the Window of the World : main items include the European artifacts as well as those influenced by the West found within the Ch'ing art collection.
- Asian Art and Technology under Western Influence : those artifacts from China, India, Japan and Southeast Asia that have been most deeply influenced by the West are exhibited here, revealing the Asian countries' reaction to, imitation of and exchange with the Western wave.
- European and Asian Styles : compare and contrast European and Asian arts in order to illustrate Asia's impression of the Western ideal.
of European Women
China; Ch'ing dynasty, Ch'ien-lung reign (1736-95);
H: 19.9 cm, W: 12.6 cm
Decorated with Painted Enamel
London, England; 18th c.; gilt bronze;
Diam: 6 cm, H: 3.8 cm
- Islamic Jades
In the latter half of the 18th century, the Ch'ien-lung Emperor of the Ch'ing dynasty pacified the Zunghars and Muslims north and south of T'ien-shan ( the Heavenly Mountains ), merging this region into the Ch'ing domain as "Sinkiang ( New Frontier )" . Actively developing this region into a central area for land trade between Europe and Asia, it yielded a large influx of jade carvings from the Islamic world into the court at Peking. Since the Ch'ien-lung Emperor researched the name of northern India as "Hindustan" , these Islamic jades at court were referred to as "Hindustan jades".The display of these objects not only can explain the development of Islamic art and culture in regions from Central to South Asia, it can help tell the story of the influx of Islamic jades into China from the latter half of the 18th to the early 19th century. In the process, it will touch on changes in political and trade relations as well as artistic style that took place in both areas. In the initial planning, this exhibition is divided in four sub-units as follows:
India; Mughal empire; jade;
L: 20.7 cm, W: 11.4 cm, H: 7 cm
China; Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911); jade; W: 18.4 cm; vase,
H: 11.3 cm, box, Diam: 7.4 cm
- Asian Arms and Armor
The exhibit on Asian arms and armor will emphasize the artistic and cultural aspects of these implements, revealing features of Asian cultures in terms of these objects and how they reflect the regions from which they came. Arms are not just implements of aggression on the battlefield but also an important commodity. In addition, religious ceremonies often involve the use of arms as implements, and states frequently presented gifts of weapons as symbols of friendship. The significance of arms as trade commodity and ritual implement along with the relationship between surface decoration and function will be issues of interest in this exhibit. Emphasis will be placed on the forms of cold arms in China and other places in Asia, including such types as long arms, short arms, ceremonial weapons, and projectile weapons, but with particular focus on the precious and cultural elements related to their exchange, heritage, and unique features.