Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
China suffering heavy bombing attacks and fierce battles for nearly a decade, vir-
tually the entire collection survived and a public exhibition was held in Nanjing in
1947.
In 1949, near the end of the civil war between the KMT and the Chinese Com-
munist Party (CCP), the collection was moved to the Taiwan port of Keelung. When
it became clear that a retaking of the mainland would not happen soon, plans were
made for a new venue to showcase the art. In 1965, the National Palace Museum in
Shilin was officially opened.
For decades the collection remained a bone of contention between the CCP and
the KMT, with Chinese leaders accusing the Nationalists of stealing the country's
treasures (as they had the gold reserve). These days, however, with Chinese tour-
ists making up the bulk of daily visitors to the museum, such talk seems passe.
More current is the challenge from the Taiwanese side: you can have your treas-
ures back in exchange for recognising our independence.
Chances are the very colourful history of this superb collection is still far from
told.
Shilin
North of the city centre, Shilin (Shìlín) is an affluent residential area sitting at the base of
Yangmingshan National Park. It's home to some of Taipei's best-known cultural attrac-
tions, including the National Palace Museum. In 2015 look for the opening of the heady
Taipei Performing Arts Centre
directly across from Zhishan MRT.
