Colorful. Doucai

Author: Wang Liying
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-09-01
Features: The Palace Museum was established on the foundations 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 artifacts. In 1406, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty decreed that Beiping be elevated to Beijing, and the following year, construction of a new palace complex began on the site of the Yuan Dynasty's old palace. The palace complex was completed in 1420 and named the Forbidden City, marking the official transfer of the capital to Beijing. In 1644, the Qing Dynasty overthrew the Ming Empire and maintained its capital in Beijing, residing in the Forbidden City. According to ancient rituals, the Forbidden City was divided into two main sections: the Front Court and the Rear Palaces. The Front Court included the Three Great Halls (Taihe, Zhonghe, and Baohe), supplemented by the Wenhua and Wuying Halls. The Rear Palaces comprised the Three Palaces (Qianqing, Jiaotai, and Kunning) and the Eastern and Western Six Palaces, collectively known as the Inner Court. From the Yongle Emperor to the last emperor, Puyi, a total of 24 emperors and their consorts resided here. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty, ending over two thousand years of feudal monarchy. In 1914, the Beiyang Government moved part of the artifacts from the Shenyang Palace Museum and Chengde Mountain Resort to establish the Palace of Antiquities in the Front Court of the Forbidden City. In 1924, Puyi was expelled from the Inner Court, and the Palace Museum was officially established in the latter half of the Forbidden City 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 riverside is the king's subject" (from the 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 across the country but also gathered the finest artists and craftsmen to create new cultural and artistic works. Despite repeated changes in dynasties, the loss of imperial collections was 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 setbacks, 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 the artifacts, 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 late 1947, the Palace of Antiquities 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—such as vessels, 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 landscape, 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 repository 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, part 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 re-examined and verified its artifacts in Beijing, incorporating previously categorized "vessels" and calligraphy/paintings into the artifact collection. All artifacts from the former imperial collection were given "Gu" numbering, totaling 113,388 pieces, including over 1,200 previously unregistered items discovered in the "object" piles. As a major national museum, the Palace Museum is responsible for collecting and preserving precious artifacts scattered in society. Since 1949, it has enriched its collection through purchases, transfers, exchanges, and donations, with newly acquired artifacts given "Xin" numbering. By the end of 1994, the collection had grown to 222,920 pieces. 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 wares, 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 this 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 component 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, picture albums, and periodicals to provide such materials, which have had a broad impact on society and contributed to the in-depth study of various disciplines. However, due to various reasons, a comprehensive and systematic publication introducing the Palace Museum's artifacts to give a glimpse of the entire collection has yet to be realized. Today, with the improvement of material living standards and the frequent exchanges of cultural and artistic interactions between China and the West, people in both China and the West 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 in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Scientific and Technical 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 decades. Therefore, while considering the needs of society, we cannot help but adopt a selective approach, picking the best of the best, focusing on those that are most typical and representative, numbering about 12,000 pieces, and dividing them into 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 section includes artifacts with distinct imperial characteristics, which were often overlooked in the past but are now increasingly recognized for their significant historical value in the context of in-depth academic research. Additionally, for artifact categories with larger quantities, such as paintings and ceramics, we will adopt a relatively independent and complete organization for each volume or several volumes to meet the needs of readers and facilitate their selection. Such a monumental project is a formidable task. To this end, we have mobilized all artifact researchers in the museum to work together. Experienced experts within the museum and renowned scholars from outside have been invited as consultants to guide the project, ensuring that this large-scale atlas combines scientific rigor, comprehensive information, and aesthetic appeal to the best of our ability. However, due to our limited resources, the main tasks are carried out by middle-aged and young researchers, and errors and shortcomings are inevitable. Therefore, as we embark on this work, we sincerely hope for criticism, corrections, and constructive suggestions from all sides, so that the subsequent volumes can achieve even better results.