National Palace Museum

The National Palace Museum holds the finest collection of Chinese imperial art in the world, nearly seven hundred thousand objects that once belonged to the emperors in the Forbidden City in Beijing. When war and revolution threatened them in the nineteen thirties and forties, the crates were moved across China by train, truck and boat, and in nineteen forty nine the best of them were shipped to Taiwan. Since nineteen sixty five they have lived in a palace style building against the green hills of Shilin, on the northern edge of Taipei.

The main building, called Exhibition Hall One, has three floors of galleries arranged by material. The ground floor holds rare books, documents and religious sculpture, the second floor is given to painting and calligraphy and to ceramics, and the third floor to jade, bronzes and curios. Because the collection is so large, only a small fraction is on view at any time, and the galleries of painting and calligraphy change every few months. The famous objects that never leave, the Jadeite Cabbage, the Meat shaped Stone and the great bronzes, draw the biggest crowds.

A first time visitor should go early, head straight to the third floor for the jade and bronzes, then work down through ceramics and painting. Allow at least three hours. The museum also has a Southern Branch in Chiayi, and a few star pieces travel between the two, so check where the Cabbage is before you set out.