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National Palace Museum (Taipei)

221 Section 2, Zhi Shan Road, 臨溪里, Taipei City

Description

The National Palace Museum in Taipei (國立故宮博物院) holds an extensive collection of Chinese artworks and artefacts (over 700,000 items) spanning the period from the neolithic age up to the modern era, thus covering over 8,000 years of Chinese history. The bulk of the articles originates from the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties that provided the foundation for the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing; a substantial portion was transferred to the island of Formosa by the Kuomintang shortly before its retreat there to establish the ROC in 1949. Exhibits include paintings, calligraphy, documents, ceramics, jades, curio, rare books, and bronzes.

Access & Transport

The main museum complex is the Northern Branch in the Shilin district of northern Taipei. The easiest way to get there is by taxi or MRT to Shilin station (Red line) then bus (15 mins journey). Directions: https://www.npm.gov.tw/Articles.aspx?sno=03009216&l=2

Instructions & Recommendations

At the time of this review, the English guided tours were held at 10h00 and 15h00 and those in Mandarin at 10h30 and 14h30. Online reservation is required. The Shilin Night Market is a short walk from the Shilin MRT station, so if you visit the museum in the afternoon you may want to enjoy an early dinner there.

Meta review

This is the top cultural activity in Taipei according to travel guidebooks and online reviews concur. Visitors highlight the quality and incredible quantity of the items exhibited but note that it is impossible to take everything in and that, because labels have scant details, it is a good idea to register (in advance) for the free guided tours. There are also recurring comments about the dated curation style and that the size of the complex is sufficiently large for the many tour groups not to be a real hindrance.

Environmental & Social

We could find no information around environmental sustainability so we deem this attraction marginally negative in that respect, mostly on account of electricity consumption. Spreads culture and the arts.

Conclusion

The National Place Museum is not only the star museum in the country but arguably one of the very best and most comprehensive repository or Chinese art in the world. Yes, the display style is a little old-school and it gets repetitive after a while but any art & culture aficionado should consider the museum a must-see attraction whilst in Taipei. Not a stamp we often affix.

Key positive

Many impressive items

Wide range of collections (periods and media)

Key negative

A little time consuming to get to from downtown

Curation could do with some modernization

Suitability

Accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. Children under 12-14years old may not be very interested in the museum content

About this Rating

TYPE

Onsite

RESEARCHED IN

February 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Closed on CNY Eve

av. transport time:0h 45m

est. visit time:3h

Regulated hours

Monday -

Tuesday09:00 - 17:00

Wednesday09:00 - 17:00

Thursday09:00 - 17:00

Friday09:00 - 17:00

Saturday09:00 - 17:00

Sunday09:00 - 17:00

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
65 - 99
NT$350
Adult
18 - 64
NT$350
Child
3 - 17
NT$0
Infant
0 - 2
NT$0
Student price is NT$150 and weekend ticket for seniors aged 65+ is NT$75

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