National Palace Museum (Taipei)
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National Palace Museum in Taipei - by Kevin Cheng on Google





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.
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
av. transport time:0h 45m
est. visit time:3h
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