The National Palace Museum has a large collection of cultural relics. The collections cover almost five thousand years of Chinese history. Among them, jadeite cabbage with insects, meat-shaped stone, and Cauldron of Duke Mao are the most famous.

Saint Paul, MN (Merxwire) - The collections of The National Palace Museum mainly involve artworks of Chinese cultural relics. The collections include palace cultural relics of the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty, and other dynasties. After the changes of times and environment, these cultural relics came to Taiwan and became precious Treasure.

Various Collections

As of April 30, 2019, the collection of The National Palace Museum totaled 698,649 items. Categories include Paintings, Bronzes, Ceramics, Jades, Carvings, Lacquer wares, Enamel wares, Calligraphic works, Studio implements, Coins, Tapestries and embroideries, Fans, Textiles, Rubbings, Calligraphic model books, Rare books, Archival documents, Miscellaneous objects. Except for the fixed exhibition, the cultural relics on display are different each time. People mostly like Jadeite cabbage with insects, Meat-shaped stone, and the Cauldron of Duke Mao.

Food & Culture

In the Chinese proverb, there is a saying: "Hunger breeds discontentment" which means that food is the most important to the people. So far, among all the collections of The National Palace Museum, the three cultural relics most admired by the general public are Jadeite cabbage with insects, Meat-shaped stone, and the Cauldron of Duke Mao. These three cultural relics are all related to food!

The Jadeite cabbage with insects

The Jadeite cabbage with insects is almost 100% similar to cabbage, is made of jadeite, and it was made around 1644-1911 AD. The cordial subject matter and the vivid vegetable leaves all make people feel very familiar. Dont forget to take a look at the two insects Katydid and Locust, that stayed above. They represent have many sons and grandsons, meaning blessings.

The Meat-shaped stone

The Meat-shaped stone is an exquisite carving. It is carved from jasper mineral, and it was made around 1644-1911 AD. The artist used its natural patterns to produce good results. Make fine pores on the surface, similar to the pores of pork, and dye the top layer brownish-red to imitate the color of pork marinated in soy sauce. This artwork looks delicious! Doesnt it?

The Cauldron of Duke Mao

The Cauldron of Duke Mao is a food container. It was made around 857-771 BC. The Cauldron has a large opening, decorated with a chain pattern, an upright handle, and three hoofed feet. According to the National Palace Museum introduction: "The inscription, which can be divided into seven sections, describes how when King Xuan of Zhou came to the throne, he was anxious to see the country thrive, and charged his uncle, the Duke of Mao, with governing the domestic and external affairs of state, big and small, and to do so conscientiously and selflessly. The inscription goes on to state that the King then presented the Duke with official vestments and gifts, and that this vessel was cast in order to record the honor given to the Duke for his descendants."

Cultural Relics & History

In addition to the fixed exhibitions, the National Palace Museum also holds special exhibitions from time to time so that visitors can see different cultural relics each time they visit. The Imperial Bronze Collection during the Qianlong Reign and Imperial Porcelain with Painted Enamels of the Qianlong Emperor are all popular art relics. From these cultural relics, people can imagine the life and scene at that time.

The National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, collects the cultural and artistic achievements of Chinese culture over thousands of years. The editors of Merxwire love these fascinating and brilliant cultures. Readers are welcome to appreciate the beauty of art with us.