National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院

A historical treasure trove
Word to the wise: Admission is free to the exhibit halls and children's gallery (Sat: 6.30pm - 8.30pm).

Word to the wise: Free tours in English are offered daily (10am, 3pm). Register in advance and meet at the counter next to the information desk on the first floor of Exhibition Area I.
Over 600,000 artefacts including ceramics, jade, paintings, calligraphy, books and documents make up the National Palace Museum's collection, one of the largest in the world of Chinese art. Much of the collection was secretly shipped in thousands of crates to Taiwan before the Nationalists fled from mainland China in 1949. Only one-percent of the collection is displayed at a given time.

Included in the smuggled treasures were Shang Dynasty bronze ritual vessels and the museum’s two most famous pieces: Jadeite Cabbage - a green and white jadeite carving of a bok choy cabbage with katydid and locust resting on top; and the meat-shaped stone - a jasper stone sculpture that resembles a realistic-looking piece of dung po meat.

The four-story museum includes exhibition halls, a library, Zhishan Garden, Chih-le Garden, Children's Gallery and Chang Dai-ch'ien Memorial Residence (open Tue-Sun, call +886 2 2881 2021 ext. 2683 to arrange a visit).