National Palace Museum

Beloved Jadeite Cabbage Travels to the Czech Republic
Two “Cabbage Sisters” to Take Over Display at the National Palace Museum Starting August 4

The National Palace Museum’s most beloved national treasure, the Jadeite Cabbage (翠玉白菜) from the Qing Dynasty, will be on display at the National Museum in Prague from September 11 to December 31 as part of the special exhibition “100 Treasures, 100 Stories: Treasures from the National Palace Museum.” This marks its first overseas exhibition in 11 years, following its last appearance at Japan's Tokyo National Museum in 2014.

Currently, the Jadeite Cabbage is on view in Gallery 302 at the Museum’s Northern Branch, with its final day of exhibition set for August 3. Beginning August 4, two closely related works from the “cabbage family”— “Petite Jadeite Cabbage” (翠玉小白菜) and “Jadeite Cabbage-shaped Flower Holder” (翠玉白菜花插) —will take turns on display in its place. Visitors hoping to catch a last glimpse of the famed Jadeite Cabbage in Taiwan are encouraged to visit before its overseas departure.

A Landmark International Cultural Exchange Celebrating the Museum’s Centennial

The National Palace Museum announced that, for the first time, a selection of its treasured artifacts will be exhibited in the Czech Republic. This landmark international exchange marks a significant event in the Museum’s centennial celebrations and, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture’s initiative of the “Taiwan Culture in Europe 2025,” promotes Taiwan’s rich and diverse cultural heritage to European audiences.

The exhibition will feature 131 carefully selected masterpieces, including the Jadeite Cabbage, an imperial Curio Cabinet (Duobaoge), and the Qing court’s version of the painting “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.” Combining physical artifacts with digital displays, the exhibition explores themes that resonate across cultures: from the widely beloved Jadeite Cabbage and the miniature cosmos of imperial collecting embodied by the Curio Cabinet, to the mysterious translucence of ancient mirrors, the poetic nostalgia of Ode to the Red Cliff, the refined daily life of literati, and the vibrant scenes of ordinary people during Qingming festivities. Additional highlights include Chinese legends of spirits and ghosts, cats in the palace, auspicious beasts, and the symbolic imagery of a carp leaping over the dragon gate—presenting stories and aesthetics that invite resonance and connection with European audiences. The exhibition opens with the 'national treasure,' the Jadeite Cabbage, which, with its fresh and lifelike imagery rooted in everyday life, serves as a cultural bridge connecting East and West and bringing European audiences closer to Taiwan’s artistic heritage.

Meet the “Cabbage Family”

Few people know that the National Palace Museum actually holds three Jadeite Cabbage pieces, each with distinct shapes, sizes, and colors.

While the iconic Jadeite Cabbage is on display in the Czech Republic, two “family members” will take its place in Gallery 302 of the Museum’s Northern Branch. The “Petite Jadeite Cabbage” is crafted from vibrant green jade with white mottling. Its leaf veins are delicately incised to vividly capture the soft texture of the cabbage leaves, and a small praying mantis is carved on the stem, symbolizing harmony in nature. The “Jadeite Cabbage-shaped Flower Holder” is triangular with a hollow center, believed to have been intended as a flower vessel. The green portion represents the outer old leaves of the cabbage, with bold veins carved using deep engraving techniques typical of the 18th to 19th centuries.

Also on display: Qing Imperial Jade Seals

Also on view in Gallery 302 alongside the “Cabbage Family” are two imperial jade seals from the Qianlong reign—Guxi Tianzi Zhibao ( “Treasure of the Emperor at Seventy” 古稀天子之寶玉璽) and Bazheng Maonian Zhibao (“Treasure of the Emperor at Eighty” 八徵耄念之寶玉璽)—both designated as national treasures. These seals embody Emperor Qianlong’s self-expectations at the ages of seventy and eighty.

Inscriptions on their original wooden box reveal the cultural origins of the seals’ names. Guxi Tianzi Zhibao references the renowned Tang poet Du Fu’s line, “Among men, seventy years is a rare blessing.” It expresses the emperor’s resolve to remain diligent and dedicated to governance even at seventy.“Treasure of the Emperor at Eighty” takes its name from a phrase in the Hong Fan chapter of the Book of Documents(Shangshu). It highlights that even at the age of eighty, Emperor Qianlong remained devoted to his people and earnest in governance, offering a glimpse into the mindset of a ruler who reigned for sixty years.

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