After we had seen the ceremonial change of Guard held at Martyr's Shrine, our group went to the National Palace Museum that houses the world's largest collection of Chinese art treasures. National Palace Museum covers almost the entire five thousand-old Chinese history. Most of the 650,000 art objects were part of the Chinese Imperial collection making it one of the largest and finest collections of its kind in the world.

Eventually we got our tickets and our tour guide provided us a quick tour to some important parts of the museum. Then, he allocated us some free time to explore the rest of the galleries on our own. The exhibits range from Chinese earthen ware like pottery to porcelain, as well as bronze, jade ware, sculpture, embroidery, rare books, curios, documents, calligraphy and paintings. It is said that the collection is too large to be displayed at one time. While many popular pieces remain on permanent display, other items are rotated regularly, making each visit unique. We observed that the poor lighting and design of the exhibit halls results in more than poor presentation. It does not complement with the magnificence of the collection. In addition, most of the halls were jampacked with people and sometimes there wasn't enough elbow-room for viewing. However, this museum is still one of the must visit places in Taipei especially if you're into historical and artistic value.

Please keep in mind that all forms of photography and filming in the exhibition areas are prohibited.

After admiring the treasures from the ancient imperial collection, I decided to go to the large open paved area adjacent to the exhibit hall while hb waited for the rest of the group. From the huge terrace I was stunned by the magnificent view of lush tropical gardens surrounding and adding to the charm of the museum.




Our visit to the place ended at the Museum Gift Shop located at the Exhibition Area 1 on the ground floor. It has reproductions of museum pieces, apparels, books, postcards, key chains and many other interesting items.



The museum has no fixed path through the galleries but you can start at the Orientation Gallery 102 for an interactive introduction to the museum's history and a preview of the collection and "what's in the galleries".

If you are not in a group tour, I suggest you register in advance at Exhibition Area 1 First Floor Information Desk to join the free daily tours that are available in Mandarin and in English. If you want to have a tour at your own pace, you can rent an audio guide available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean for NT$100 (rate as of 2008) at the Audio Guide Center.


Apart from the exhibit halls and gift shops, there are also some available resources such as children gallery, multimedia kiosks, library, traditional Chinese gardens and auditoriums. The place also has restaurants and cafes that allow visitors to enjoy a casual and quick snack service.

National Palace Museum is located at No. 221, Chih-Shan Road, Taipei 11143, Taiwan. Exhibition building is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Regular admission to general audiences is NT$160.00 per person.