If that photo was clearer, you'd be noticing the dates of this Special Exhibition and saying "But it finished last month. Why is it still being advertised?"Well, there's the story!
What happened was that Taiwan balked. Although this entire joint China-Taiwan Exhibition was set up in good faith, in the name of improving their relationship, (and since China has thousands of nuclear missiles aimed straight into the heart of Taipei, it could do with some improving. Yes?) when the time came to pack everything up and send it on its way, Taiwan suddenly realised it absolutely could not keep its side of the bargain; there was no way it could send these so-precious items, as promised, over to tour Mainland China.
And so it is still here on show at The National Palace Museum while they decide what to do next.
Taiwan isn't alone in this balking. Everyone with half a brain balks at sending anything valuable and precious into Mainland China. Pour cause! It's because you can pretty much count on not getting it back again. It's why the Olympic Equestrian Events were held in HK - because no one was willing to send their precious thoroughbreds into Communist China - and all Southeby's and Christie's auctions are also held in HK, because, again, they know that anything that goes into China is unlikely to come out again. Oh, and that you'd probably be thrown into prison if you kick up a fuss about it.
Oh, I'm sure China means well but without Rule of Law and an Independent Judiciary/Police Force/Army etc etc, all it needs is one avaricious, unscrupulous Communist Party Member to covet something and, yee ha!, it's all over! Sorry, buster, you've lost it. And you can just sod off now because there's only a special sort of horror awaiting you if you protest!
Hey, remember that business at the Museum of Modern Chinese Art in Dafen several years back? When was it? 2004? 2005? Anyway, remember how Margaret and I walked in on the Red Guard packing the entire contents of this museum into crates and how they waved guns at us and told us, we assumed, to "Bugger off or die."? And remember how I then saw several of these same paintings at a Southeby's auction in HK, going down for zillions? So, yes, I saw for myself and thus know that nothing is safe and nothing is sacred up there in Mainland China.
Truly, because of the avariciousness and unscrupulousness of its high-ranking Communist Party Members, and its lack of Rule of Law, Independent Judiciary, etc, etc, China is NOT a country you want to send your serious treasures into.
So, please, let's all be understanding and supportive of Taiwan with their Bigtime Balk, and cross our fingers that nothing awful happens in consequence.
And, yes, I know China is smarting that Taiwan has all its greatest treasures - and that this Special Joint Exhibition could simply be a ploy to get some back again - but my position on all of this is that if Taiwan hadn't had the entire contents of the Forbidden Palace Museum none of these infinitely precious items would be around today. There's no way that China's Cultural Revolution wouldn't have targeted this Museum because its entire raison d'etre was to destroy all vestiges of the past and this Forbidden Palace Museum was the very essence of The Past. Yes?
And since China would have destroyed it, it's lost all right to any of it, and that goes for all time.
So there, China! And Go Taiwan!
But anyway, when I read in the papers last year that Taiwan and China were working together to put together a Special Exhibition, my immediate response was "AAHHHHHH!!! What is Taiwan thinking?", because there was no way that this Special Joint Exhibition wasn't some ploy for China to get some of its treasures back again ...
... however the moment I walked into this Special Exhibition Gallery, I got it! Totally, I understood!
You have to see it. Go there immediately. Boy, is it some brilliant and clever premise. I'd even go so far as to say cannot imagine any museum anyplace putting together something so clever and brilliant.
What they've done is - oh boy, my body is tingling just thinking about it - found the actual items that are famous in Chinese art and literature. Do you too LOVE?
Like, you see that photo above? That painting of the first Ch'ing Emperor? The photo has been cropped so you can't see that beside him is a small table and on that table are two teapots and a cup. Well, that's one of the displays in this Special Exhibition. Next to this actual painting is ... that self-same two teapots and cup. Yes, those exact ones. So can you see what they've done? This is what the entire thing is about: the actual objects themselves so you can see them for yourself! How unimaginably cool is that?
And there's another display case that has that famous 17th century Italian artist Giuseppe Castiglione's painting "Assembly of Auspicious Things", and with it is an assembly of all those self-same auspicious things. Not copies. Those exact things. And all there too. You too are biting your knuckles?
And that famous statue of a general on his horse? Well, sorry, we don't have either the general or his horse, but here is the actual armour he's wearing, and his saddle and bridle too. So, did the sculptor get them right?
And I'm sorry I've lost the paper where I wrote down the real names of famous Chinese poems, but there are also display cases with the original copy of a poem, a translation in English beside it, and the actual object the poem is about. Truly, the actual object! Like, the famous poem "Ode to a Blue Ting" ... well, here's the actual blue ting the poet was raving about. And "Ode to a Black Jade Mirror", voila!, right alongside, the actual black jade mirror, and so you can read about how, if you look deeply into the jade, you can see the stars in the night sky, and then you can yourself look deeply into the jade and, yes, you can indeed see the stars in the night sky. You cannot imagine how cool this all is.
And so it goes, on and on. Case after case of literary and artistic masterpieces and the actual objects! And you are there, and you can see it all for yourself. It's enough to make you throw yourself on the ground, crying "I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy."
So you too understand? You get why Taiwan would have willingly put itself at risk this way? And also why they don't want to send it on its way?
The amount of work that obviously went into this Special Exhibition! Kudos, guys, kudos! Heartfelt congratulations on your exceptional creative achievement. I have nothing but respect for your accomplishment of this particularly difficult and risky feat. And nothing but goodwill for you in whatever comes next.
Folks, I cannot stress this enough, this Special Exhibition is truly a mighty accomplishment, and, although no one has any idea how long it will remain there, I suggest to you quickly hurry over to see it for yourself.
And Go, Go, National Palace Museum!
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