Painting of Jin, Tang, and the two Song dynasties. Figures and customs

Author: Yu Hui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The Palace Museum was established on the foundation of the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Located in the center of Beijing, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters and houses nearly a million cultural relics. In 1406, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty decreed that Beiping be renamed Beijing, and the following year, large-scale construction of new palaces began on the site of the old Yuan Dynasty palace. In 1420, the palaces were completed and named the Forbidden City, marking the official transfer of the capital to Beijing. In 1644, the Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty in rule, still maintaining its capital in Beijing and residing in the Forbidden City. According to ancient rituals, the Forbidden City was divided into two main parts: the Front Court and the Rear Palace. The Front Court included the Three Great Halls (Taihe, Zhonghe, and Baohe), supplemented by the Wenhua and Wuying Halls. The Rear Palace comprised the Three Palaces (Qianqing, Jiaotai, and Kunning) and the East and West Six Palaces, collectively known as the Inner Court. From the Yongle Emperor to the last emperor Puyi, 24 emperors and their consorts resided here during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty, ending more than two thousand years of feudal monarchy. In 1914, the Beiyang Government moved some artifacts from the Shenyang Palace Museum and Chengde Mountain Resort to establish the Ancient Objects Exhibition Hall in the Front Court of the Forbidden City. In 1924, Puyi was expelled from the Inner Court; the second half of the Forbidden City was completed as the Palace Museum in 1925. Throughout history, emperors called themselves "Son of Heaven." As the saying goes, "All under heaven is the king's land; all by the land's edge are the king's subjects" (Book of Songs, Xiaoya, Beishan), viewing the land and people of the nation as their own property. Therefore, the imperial court not only collected various cultural, historical, and artistic treasures and rare artifacts from all over the country but also gathered the finest artists and craftsmen to create new cultural and artistic works. Despite repeated changes of dynasties, the losses of imperial collections were incalculable. However, due to China's vast territory and long history, as well as its people's creativity, artifacts were scattered and then reunited. The Qing Dynasty inherited the Ming Dynasty's imperial legacy, and by the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the imperial collection surpassed any previous era in richness. By the late Qing Dynasty, the Anglo-French Alliance and the Eight-Nation Alliance twice invaded Beijing, burning and looting, resulting in significant losses and dispersal of artifacts. Puyi, while residing in the Inner Court, stole artifacts under the guise of gifts and rewards, and his subordinates followed suit. By 1923, a fire in the Zhongzheng Hall caused further severe damage to the imperial collection. Despite these losses, the Qing imperial collection remained impressive. When the Palace Museum was being established, the "Committee for the Settlement of the Qing Imperial Household Affairs" conducted an inventory of its holdings, which were later compiled into the Report on the Inventory of Palace Objects in six volumes and 28 books, totaling over 111,000 artifacts (sets). By the end of 1947, the Ancient Objects Exhibition Hall was merged into the Palace Museum, and its artifacts were also under the collection and management of the Palace Museum. During World War II, to protect the Palace Museum's artifacts from Japanese invaders and destruction by war, the museum selected 1,342 boxes and 64 packages of artifacts, including utensils, calligraphy and paintings, books, and archives, and transported them in five batches to Shanghai and Nanjing. They were later scattered to Sichuan and Guizhou. After the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the artifacts were returned to Nanjing. With changes in the domestic political situation, 972 boxes of artifacts were moved to Taiwan between late 1948 and 1949. In the 1950s, most of the Nanjing artifacts were returned to Beijing, while 2,211 boxes remain stored in the warehouse built by the Palace Museum in Nanjing. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Palace Museum's system has undergone changes. According to relevant directives from the authorities, a portion of the imperial library collection was transferred to the Beijing Library, while archives and documents were placed under the management of the "National Historical Archives of China." Between the 1950s and 1960s, the Palace Museum conducted a thorough review and verification of its artifacts in Beijing, reclassifying items previously categorized as "utensils" and calligraphy/paintings as cultural relics. Those from the former imperial collection were given "Gu" numbering, totaling 113,388 items, including over 1,200 previously unregistered "items" discovered in a pile of miscellaneous objects. As a major national museum, the Palace Museum is responsible for collecting and protecting precious artifacts scattered in society. Since 1949, it has enriched its collection through purchases, transfers, exchanges, and donations. New acquisitions are given "Xin" numbering, and by the end of 1994, the collection included 222,920 items. These nearly a million artifacts contain an extremely rich historical record of Chinese cultural and artistic heritage, spanning from the primitive society, Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties, through the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Song, Yuan, Ming, and up to the Qing Dynasty and modern times. Each dynasty has its own treasures, without interruption. The categories of artifacts are comprehensive, including bronze, jade, ceramics, steles and sculptures, calligraphy and paintings, seals, lacquerware, enamel, silk textiles and embroidery, bamboo, wood, ivory, bone carvings, gold and silver utensils, stationery treasures, clocks and watches, jade and pearl jewelry, furniture, and other historical artifacts. Each category forms its own historical series. It can be said that the Palace Museum is a vast treasure trove of Eastern cultural and artistic heritage, not only reflecting the historical development of Chinese cultural and artistic traditions over thousands of years but also embodying the immense spiritual strength of the Chinese people. It is also an indispensable element of human civilization's progress. Developing this treasure trove, promoting the traditional culture of the nation, and providing reliable historical materials for society to understand and study this tradition are among the important tasks of the Palace Museum. In the past, the museum has published various books, albums, and periodicals to provide such materials, which have had a broad impact on society and contributed to the in-depth study of various academic fields. However, due to various reasons, a comprehensive and systematic publication introducing the Palace Museum's artifacts has not yet been realized. Today, with the improvement of material living standards and frequent exchanges of cultural and artistic ties between China and the world, both Chinese and Western people are increasingly paying attention to the Palace Museum. Scholars and experts, whether specializing in Chinese cultural history or conducting comparative studies of Eastern and Western cultures, also hope to explore the mysteries of human civilization's development through the artifacts of the Palace Museum. Therefore, we have decided to collaborate with the Commercial Press (Hong Kong) and the Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing House to jointly publish a large-scale atlas that comprehensively and systematically reflects the collection of artifacts in the Palace Museum. It is impossible to publish every one of the nearly a million artifacts in the near future. Therefore, while considering the needs of society, we cannot help but adopt a selective approach, choosing the most typical and representative artifacts, approximately 12,000 in total, to be published in 60 volumes, hence the title The Great Series of Treasures from the Palace Museum. This will take eight to ten years to complete, making it a project spanning centuries. The 60 volumes will be organized by artifact categories, but we will not be confined to this method. For example, some artifacts directly related to the history of the imperial court, ceremonial systems, and daily life will be edited under specific themes. This part includes artifacts with strong imperial characteristics, which were often overlooked in the past but have increasingly demonstrated their historical value with the deepening of academic research. Additionally, for artifact categories with larger quantities, such as paintings and ceramics, we will adopt a relatively independent and complete organization within each volume or several volumes to meet the needs of readers and their selections. Such a monumental project is a challenging task. To this end, we have mobilized all artifact researchers in the museum to work together. Experienced experts within the museum and several renowned scholars outside the museum serve as consultants and guides, ensuring that this large-scale atlas achieves the best possible combination of scientific rigor, comprehensive information, and aesthetic appeal. However, due to our limited resources, the main tasks are carried out by middle-aged and young people, and errors and shortcomings are inevitable. Therefore, as we embark on this work, we sincerely hope to receive criticism, corrections, and constructive suggestions from all sides, so that the subsequent volumes can achieve even better results.