History of museums -The Palace Museum

History of museums

The Palace Museum-China

Palace Museum is large museum in the world and containing historical objects 
attention lots of visitors. 16 million visitors seen the palace museum 2016. 

China the country with ancient civilization.The Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) forbidden City once served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors. In the reign of Emperor Chengzu it was first built in Ming Dynasty (1468-1644). Chinese Ancient Astronomers believed that the purple star(Polaris) ws in the center of heaven and the heavenly Emperor lived in the purple Palace . The palace for the emperor on earth was so called the Purple city. It was forbidden to enter without special permission of the emperor. Hence its mane ` The Purple Forbidden City’ usually `The Forbidden City’ lies at the city center of Beijing, north of Tiananmen Square . In the history of museums now it known as the Palace Museum.

 

The Palace Museum

In the year of 5the Yongle reign of the third emperor (Empeoro Chengzu,Zhu di) of the Ming dynasty the  palace complex construction began in1407. About a million workers including one hundred thousand artisans were driven tnto the long-term hard labor, needed stone was quarried from Fangshan District and large number of others materials were hired from faraway provinces. It was completed fourteen years later in 1420.

Palace Museum complex

It is the largest palace complex in the world. It has  more than 8700 rooms and covers 74 hectares . Surrounded by a 52 meter-wied mad a 10 meter high wall. Each side has gate, distance between the south Meridian gate (women) and the north gate of divine Prowess (Shenwumen) of 961 meters while the distance between the east and west gates is 753 meters. There are unique and delicately structured towers on each of the four corners of the screen wall.

The hongwa Emperor founder of Ming d

ynesty

The symbol of royal family dominant yellow color in it. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles; decoration in the palace are painted yellow, bricks on the ground are made yellow.

Emperor Puyi

In1912  under an agreement the last emperor of China Puyi with Republic of China government that puyi remained in the Inner Court, while the Outer court was given over to public use, where a small museum was set up to display artifacts housed in the Outer Court. After coup in 1924 Puyi was evicted from the Inner Court. The Palace Museum than established in the the forbidden City on October10, 1925. In the history of museums – The palace Museum is rich museum in the world.
 Collections :

Jade antiquities

The Palace Museum has different galleries The Pottery Gallery, The Bronze Gallery, The Treasure Gallery, The Painting Gallery, The Clock Gallery, The Metal-Roughcast Enamel Gallery, Jade Gallery.

Interior of one of hall in the Museum

On the based of Ming and Qing imperial historical documents, Rare books and paintings are the Collections of Palace museum. This collection was expanded in the 20th century with new acquisitions, transfers from other museums, and new archaeological discoveries.Japanese invasion forced the evacuation to the most important parts of the museum’s Collection. After world war II these collection was returned to Nanjing. The nationalist government under Chang Kai-Shek ordered the evacuation of the pick of this collection to Taiwan. 13491 boxes of evacuated artifacts. 2972 boxes are now in National Palace Museum in Taipei. More than 8000 boxes were returned to Beijing but 2221 boxes remain today storage under the charge of the Nanjing Museum.

Over a million rare and valuable works of art in the permanent collection of  the palace museum. collections are ceramic, paintings, seals steles, sculptures inscribed wares, bronze wares, enamel objects etc. Palace museum contain 1407,558 artifacts and includes 1648,490 items designated as nationally protected `valuable cultural relics’

China ceramics lotus vessel

China is a country with an ancient civilization. Pottery products  were from beginning of Neolithic age. These are colour of red, gray painted, white , black pottery and multi- color- glazed, under glazed colour,over glazed colour etc. Objects are displayed in different galleries in the Museum. World largest collection of ceramics goods in Palace museum. The collection of Palace museum represents a extensive record of Chinese ceramic goods. This collections drives from the imperial collection and best of procelain production in china. Other collection are in national Palace museum in Taipei and the Nanjing Museum. Pottery objects display in the Pottery galleries in the museum.

Ge Zhichuan Relocating by Wang Meng, 14th century

 

Large number of Paintings contain in Palace museum. It holds about 50,00o paintings. This collection in China and includes some of the rarest and most valuable in history of china. Collections is based on the Ming and Qing dynasties.  The emperor personally interested to collect most important paintings in Chinese history was at the palace. After his abdication, Puyi transferred paintings out of the palace, many of these were subsequently lost or destroyed. In 1948 some of the best parts of the collection were moved to Taiwan. The collection has since been gradually replenished, through donations, purchases and transfers from other museums. Paintings are exhibited in The Painting Gallery in the Palace Museum.

Significant part of the collection is ceremonial bronze were from imperial court including complete sets of musical instruments. The palace museum’s bronze were collection dates  from the early Shang Dynasty. Bronze objects exhibited in The Bronze Gallery in the Palace Museum. 

Mechanical timepieces of the 18^th  and 19^th centuries are one of the largest Collections of palace museum.

Museum's collection consists of the artifacts of the imperial imperial family and the palace in daily life, ceremonial and bureaucratic items. These important collection carry on imperial era.

Jade antiquities

Long history of Chinese jade bears strong national characteristics and distinctive features. Its development has close relations with Chinese history. Jade wares display in jade ware gallery in the palace museum.

These articles on display here are selected from jade wares handed down from ancient times in the Palace Museum. It shows out the thread of the development of the crafts,artistic attainments and features of the times in the past five to six thousand years.

Palace Museum is one of the top museums for its visitors. 16 million visitors hit to the Palace Museum in 2016.

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