National Palace Museum

Arts & Sciences Culture & History
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After being partially closed for more than a year for renovations, the National Palace Museum (Gugong) will finally open again in full, allowing visitors access again to the paintings and calligraphy, to name just a couple areas that had been inaccessible.

The museum will be celebrating with a special exhibition of some particularly rare items.

For more information, see the Gugong’s website and these stories:
[ul][li]On tour in the Song Dynasty, Taipei Times[/li]
[li]Rare Glimpses of China’s Long-Hidden Treasures, New York Times[/li][/ul]

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Cool, thanks cranky! :slight_smile:

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There’s also an exhibition on loan from the British Museum that promises to have some very interesting stuff. Don’t know if it’s started yet, though.

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I have been looking forward to this for a long, long time. Can’t wait to see the Sung landscapes again. In ten years I have seen Travellers in Mountains and Streams just 3 times and was newly astonished each visit.

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[quote=“cranky laowai”]For more information, see the Gugong’s website and these stories:
[ul][li]On tour in the Song Dynasty, Taipei Times[/li][/ul][/quote]

At least the National Palace Museum (Gugong) website sticks consistently, perhaps stubbornly, with using Wade-Giles in their transliteration (i.e. Ju, Sung, Honan rather than Hanyu Pinyin’s Ru, Song, Henan) rather than the mixed WG/HYPY/other in the TT article.

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As long as they shun Tongyong, I’m happy.

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One does not mess up with commonly known spelling.

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As long as they shun Tongyong, I’m happy.[/quote]

i hear ya bro’

death to the evil tongyong

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I just love those little translucent glazed cups and bowls from the Sung. There are 2 or 3 that used to be on permanent display stuffed in a little corner.

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Really?

I agree there are some nice paintings in the museum – cliffs, waterfalls, monkeys, boats and little people walking about – and lots of ancient three-legged bronze urns and some pretty remarkable jade and ivory carvings.

But wouldn’t you agree that even the best collection of Chinese art in the world doesn’t hold a candle to scores of Western art museums, in terms of variety of great works that will have you going, “wow, that’s totally awesome.”

It’s not that I don’t like Chinese art. I do. But it just seems that they did the same thing over and over and over ten million times over the past few centuries: master teaching pupil, teaching his pupil, teaching his pupil, teaching his pupil how to paint a waterfall with a little boat at the bottom and some people drinking tea in the temple.

On the other hand, walk in any halfway decent art museum in New York, San Francisco, LA, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, etc., and prepare to be blown away by the extraordinary talents of so many diverse artists who created so many completely different and outstanding works. Rembrandt, Renoir, Vermeer, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Monet, Cezanne, Degas, etc. – can anyone honestly say they prefer Chinese work to the lot of them?

I know, I know, some may say it’s apples and oranges, they’re both good, and I would agree. But in my opinion the National Palace Museum and its best-collection-in-the-world are vastly overrated (even if they could display all of it). Yes, it’s a great collection, for Chinese art, but the whole building is still only comparable to the coat-check room in the Louvre or the snack bar in the Tate.

Or am I missing something?

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That’s great news. I can’t wait to visit Gu Gong again.

I don’t know what Mother Theresa is on about, but the last I checked, this thread is titled “National Palace Museum Reopens,” not “Though Gu Gong is Niiice, It’s Not Stellar Compared to XXX in the West.” Oh, this is the Culture & History Forum in Taiwan! Well, good golly gee!

:unamused:

Or am I missing something here?

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Sorry I refused to toe the line. I’ll try to be more obediant in the future. :blush:

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Really?

I agree there are some nice paintings in the museum – cliffs, waterfalls, monkeys, boats and little people walking about – and lots of ancient three-legged bronze urns and some pretty remarkable jade and ivory carvings.

But wouldn’t you agree that even the best collection of Chinese art in the world doesn’t hold a candle to scores of Western art museums, in terms of variety of great works that will have you going, “wow, that’s totally awesome.”

It’s not that I don’t like Chinese art. I do. But it just seems that they did the same thing over and over and over ten million times over the past few centuries: master teaching pupil, teaching his pupil, teaching his pupil, teaching his pupil how to paint a waterfall with a little boat at the bottom and some people drinking tea in the temple.

On the other hand, walk in any halfway decent art museum in New York, San Francisco, LA, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, etc., and prepare to be blown away by the extraordinary talents of so many diverse artists who created so many completely different and outstanding works. Rembrandt, Renoir, Vermeer, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Monet, Cezanne, Degas, etc. – can anyone honestly say they prefer Chinese work to the lot of them?

I know, I know, some may say it’s apples and oranges, they’re both good, and I would agree. But in my opinion the National Palace Museum and its best-collection-in-the-world are vastly overrated (even if they could display all of it). Yes, it’s a great collection, for Chinese art, but the whole building is still only comparable to the coat-check room in the Louvre or the snack bar in the Tate.

Or am I missing something?[/quote]

You’re missing something. Of all the artists you mention only three, Rembrant, Picasso and Cezanne, can seriously compare with the Song Dynasty landscape masters. These artists had a perfect sense of composition, absolute control over their medium (ink) and an esoteric philosophy that gives their paintings life and grandeur and mystery. These paintings on display are the peak of Chinese landscape painting, and a high point in the world of painting comparable with other high points in the west.

I wonder if you have seen any of the paintings that will be displayed. They don’t show them very often. Once every three years and only for a few weeks.

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And EYE can’t wait until you’re in a position to do so. Is it a possibility? I mean, before you’re all like fat and 70 years old and stuff.

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The GuGong is open again, but it’s not worth visiting now. I had fond memories of visiting years ago when I firts got to Taiwan. I actually went a couple of times those first few years and always enjoyed it.

But the new building is more like a modern art museum or an airport. There are lots of wide open spaces and very, very few exhibits. They even have big escalators, just like an airport. Most of the pieces are gone, they had almost nothing on display.

The building to the west used to have some interesting stuff too, with a traditional food court, if I remember correctly. Now it’s just got a bland cafe serving microwaved food and again – almost no art.

I don’t know what they were thinking but the new design has destoryed the museum in my opinion. I love Chinese art but the government ruined it.

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Art is not a thing, art is a way
Visiting the Taiwan National Palace museum with Guide Steven

Do not hesitate to give it a shot if you are interested in Chinese ancient culture. I am pleased to guide you to exploring Chinese art.

 Departure Time:
Tour 1 : 14:00, Oct 24
Tour 2: 14:00, Oct 28
Please arrive at the departure location 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time to make sure you don’t miss the bus.
 Departure Location: square in front of the Information Center (Add: 221 Chih-shan Rd., Sec. 2; Shih-lin, Taipei,) Traffic information is available at taiwan.national.palace.museum/

 Fee: you only need to pay for admission to the museum
Adult: 100 TWD, Foreign Student: 50 TWD(valid student ID is required)
Guide Tips are optional, NOT MENDATED
 REGISTRATION of the tour:

  1. Please write an email to or call Steven Chen
    c10031@ms24.hinet.net Tel: 02-27029450, 0938380566
  2. The registration shall include the following information
    A. your name B. your phone number or email address
    C. departure date
  3. The deadline for registration is one day before the scheduled date( Oct 23 for tour 1 and Oct 27 for tour 2)
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I would like to say sorry to the interested person who did not deliver his/her registration information to me. The information center I have selected as a departure location of Tour 2 is gone. Look forward to your joining us next time.

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Note that free tours are also available with the museum’s own volunteer guides, daily at 10am and 3pm in English. Tours in Chinese are also given daily, and tours in a few other languages are available by arrangement.

All are free, (you do still have to buy the museum’s door ticket, which is dirt cheap) and the guides are not allowed to take tips.

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Just found out that on Saturdays, 17:00 hrs till 20:30 hrs, the NPM is not charging any entrance fee. Nobody could tell me for how long they will continue doing this.

That could save a family of four some NT$ 800…

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If you become a volunteer there (or at other gov’t museums and cultural sites) you can get in for free as much as you want, and get free tickets for friends too (in very limited quantities). Normally now (July) is the time to apply for the docent program, which (if you have some free time on your hands during the weekdays) is an extremely cool thing. You get to learn all about the collection in quite a bit of depth over a 3- to 4-month training period. Sometimes the docents even get private tours of the underground treasure vaults, restoration rooms, and so on. :sunglasses: