Photo Story: Taiwan’s National Palace Museum Launches “Celebrating the New Year with Treasures” Exhibition

The National Palace Museum in Taiwan has launched a special exhibition for the Chinese New Year, featuring auspicious artifacts called “Seasonal Celebrations – Treasures of Festivals from the Museum Collection.” The exhibition aims to showcase the seasonal changes and festival customs closely related to our lives through selected artifacts from the museum’s collection, allowing visitors to experience an intellectual Year of the Snake.

According to the Taiwan National Palace Museum, the exhibition “Seasonal Celebrations – Treasures of Festivals from the Museum Collection” is divided into three sections: “Seasons and Ages,” “Enjoying Festivals Together,” and “Responding to the Four Seasons.” It presents the ancient people’s perspective on time, observing the timeline through a year, four seasons, eight festivals, twelve months, twenty-four solar terms, and seventy-two pentads, as well as the corresponding actions and festival cultures that align with calendars, seasons, and time intervals.

One of the highlighted exhibits is the “Qing Dynasty Painting of the Coalescence of the Sun, Moon, and Five Stars.” This painting, created in the 26th year of the Qianlong Emperor in 1761, depicts the rare astronomical phenomenon of the “coalescence of the sun, moon, and five stars,” observed by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory on New Year’s Day. It not only portrays the astronomical observation but also captures the New Year’s activities of officials paying respects to the emperor and the common people’s New Year rituals, showcasing urban festival customs.

Another significant exhibit is the “Qing Dynasty Painting of Royal Silkworm Husbandry.” This national treasure was ordered to be painted by the Qianlong Emperor after the passing of Empress Xiaoxian. The painting depicts the imperial ceremonies of “Royal Plowing” and “Royal Silkworm Husbandry,” where the empress led court ladies to worship the “Silkworm Deity” before tending to the silkworms, promoting agricultural and weaving activities through official rituals.

During the festive season of Chinese New Year, narcissus flowers bloom as a common symbol. The exhibition features a “Qing Dynasty Narcissus Bonsai” displayed in a green jade pot with narcissus petals crafted from white jade, embellished with gilt flower stamen and leaves, alongside a bamboo branch. The exhibit reflects elegance and grace with inlaid materials like turquoise and turquoise, with the “Copper-Gilt-Inlaid Turquoise Talisman” piece echoing the recent Winter Solstice, one of the most solemn rituals during the Qing Dynasty where the emperor personally conducted the Heaven Worship Ceremony. Prior to the ceremony, fasting and abstinence were observed by the emperor and court officials, wearing talismans to maintain reverence and mindfulness.

The curator, Vice Researcher Lai Yuling from the Paintings and Calligraphy Division, noted that the Taiwan National Palace Museum has specially curated the “Seasonal Celebrations – Treasures of Festivals from the Museum Collection” exhibition to celebrate its upcoming centenary. The exhibition delves into the seasonal activities exhibited by the Qing Dynasty, drawing from the customs of the Manchu and Mongolian peoples from the northern grasslands, as well as the diverse cultural traditions of the Han people in managing traditional festivals. By showcasing the major Qing Dynasty festivals of Winter Solstice, New Year’s Day, and the Longevity Celebration, along with the traditional seasonal activities of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the exhibition aims to shed light on the cultural developments influenced by environmental changes and human interactions in daily life.

The Taiwan National Palace Museum has selected 121 sets of exquisite artifacts to portray descriptions of time-related activities from literary and historical documents, capturing the flow of time presented on paintings, calligraphy, and objects, inviting audiences to explore the future “century” alongside the museum.

To celebrate its centenary with the public, the Taiwan National Palace Museum will distribute 1,000 commemorative one-yuan coins of the museum centenary celebrations to visitors at the main hall from the first to the third day of the Lunar New Year. Additionally, from now until February 28, the museum’s Children’s Art Center will host the “Print Good Luck for the Year of the Snake – Little Palace New Year Couplets/Red Envelope Stamping Activity.” Collaborating with illustrators, the museum has designed three auspicious stamps inspired by artifacts with snake patterns from the collection, enabling visitors to create unique Palace-style couplets and red envelope designs by stamping. Visitors can also explore the exhibition hall to find the cultural artifacts depicted in the stamp patterns with accompanying educational materials.