Photo Gallery: Mystery of the Body from Historical Images – Special Exhibition in Taiwan’s National Palace Museum.

The National Palace Museum in Taiwan has launched a special exhibition titled “Body Performance: Mysteries of the Body through Historical Images”. By exploring the ancient perspectives on the body and their understanding and imagination of it, the exhibition aims to reexamine the rich implications of the body in various aspects such as medicine, religion, culture, law, and more.

The museum explained that the exhibition delves into the viewpoints on the body from different cultural contexts including medicine, forensic science, Buddhist and Taoist beliefs through four thematic sections: “Body Perspective”, “Body Practice”, “Body Variations”, and “Body Discipline”. It showcases practices such as martial arts, bedroom arts, secret performances, dance, sports, and breathing exercises, while also addressing topics like human-faced beasts, beast-faced humans, disabled bodies, and the societal constraints imposed by politics, customs, and punishments.

How did ancient people view the body in terms of science and religion? The exhibition displays the “Correction of the Errors in Investigating Cases” from the Song Dynasty compiled by the investigating magistrate Song Ci (1186-1249), which is the earliest surviving and profoundly influential forensic medicine treatise known as the “Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified”. During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong ordered its revision and promulgation, making it a standard knowledge in the field of forensic examination for officials and autopsy examiners.

Furthermore, under the pseudonym of the renowned physician Qipo from the 6th century BC, the “Qipo’s Classic of the Five Viscera” illustrates a symbolic layout of the internal organs, representing a religious concept rather than physical organs.

Moreover, the museum highlighted how ancient people practiced various body techniques for military purposes, longevity, reproduction, and physiological needs. Besides showcasing exquisite martial arts such as Shaolin Kung Fu, Five Animal Frolics, Eight Pieces of Brocade, it also features the art of lovemaking.

Regarding the practice of lovemaking in ancient times, the main purposes were to attain longevity, prevent and treat illnesses, and most importantly, to nurture life. The vivid descriptions in the “Fictional Journey of Cultivation” regarding lovemaking techniques, breath control, emotional regulation, language, and physical manipulation are quite intriguing.

Where does the line between normal and abnormal lie? The museum mentioned that the “Diagrams of the Three Realms” depict hybrid forms such as human-faced beasts, tiger-headed humans, human-faced fish-bodied creatures, and more based on the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”. Ancient interpretations of bodily ailments are multifaceted, as seen in the “Golden Mirror of Medicine” presenting images of talking and eating facial sores, and breast abscesses affecting both males and females, shedding light on how diseases alter the physical form.

Assistant researcher Liu Shixun from the Department of Exhibitions and Scholarly Works at the National Palace Museum expressed that the body is a familiar yet enigmatic entity. Different eras, cultures, and knowledge systems offer distinct interpretations and imaginations of the body. From the internal view of the human body in ancient medical texts to the sacred interpretations of the body in religious scriptures; from the practices of martial arts and health preservation to the disciplinary and regulatory measures regarding the body in laws and customs.

Shixun mentioned that from the fantastical depictions of human-animal hybrids to the conceptualization and definition of bodily defects — these historical images not only reflect the diverse development of body knowledge but also mirror the intertwined operations of power, belief, and culture.

She further explained that on the 30th anniversary of the implementation of national health insurance, this exhibition not only looks back at the history of the body but also invites viewers to reconsider the significance of the body and reflect on its connection to their own health, echoing the government’s vision of a “Healthy Taiwan”. As we reexamine these images, can we gain a deeper understanding of the concept of the “body”? This historical journey about the body awaits your exploration.