An Overview of the National Palace Museum is the first guidebook about the National Palace Museum (NPM) edited and published by the NPM in nearly a decade. Written and edited exclusively by NPM researchers, this portable, ingeniously designed guidebook introduces the history of, landscapes of, and classic artifacts housed by the NPM Northern and Southern Branches, enabling both readers familiar and unfamiliar with the NPM to learn about its history, artifacts, exhibitions, services, and visiting-related information.
This guidebook is divided into four chapters, which are “A Brief History of the National Palace Museum,” “Artifact Masterpieces,” “Friendly Services Provided to Visitors,” and “The Grand and Beautiful Architectural Landscapes of the National Palace Museum.” A Brief History of the National Palace Museum” introduces the history of the NPM, including the relocation of its artifacts, its building construction, and its expansions, revealing how it transformed from an imperial museum to a modern international museum. “Artifact Masterpieces” presents exhibitions and 81 artifacts out of the nearly 700,000 boasted by the NPM. The 81 artifacts include popular artifacts, rarely exhibited national treasures, and new, exciting artifacts in the form of ceramics, bronzeware, jade ware, rare curios, painting, calligraphy, rare books, historical documents, files, maps, religious art, and/or textiles. The exhibitions presented include permanent and special exhibitions, where readers can refer to different images and plan their visiting routes. “Friendly Services Provided to Visitors” discloses the efforts made by the NPM in recent years in preserving and restoring artifacts, promoting education, marketing cultural and creative products, and integrating artifacts and digital technology together, enabling all readers to learn about NPM artifacts in depth. “The Grand and Beautiful Architectural Landscapes of the National Palace Museum” shows the architectural landscapes of the NPM Northern and Southern Branches, such as the classical gardens of the NPM Northern Branch and magnificent buildings of the NPM Southern Branch. Finally, easy-to-read transportation and visiting-related information is provided.