Exhibitions to brighten golden September of Palace Museum

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September is the traditional “golden month” for the Palace Museum, located at the heart of the Chinese capital Beijing, to introduce diverse exhibitions.

With the summer heat fading away and the seven-day National Day holiday around the corner, the museum, which is the country’s largest existing palace complex, provides a perfect destination for those who prefer an outing.

This year, starting September 6, at least nine exhibitions have been scheduled for the art enthusiasts.

A corner of the Palace Museum in autumn. /Photo via Palace Museum

Highlights of paintings and calligraphic works

The most expected exhibition is probably a famous painting, “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.” Painted by Wang Ximeng from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the 11.9-meter-long scroll is one of two most renowned paintings from that period.

The other one is “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” the exhibition of which has seen some 8,000 people queuing up every day to watch.

Part of the painting "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" /Photo via Palace Museum

Wang was recorded as a real genius in painting, and one of the most famous court painters of the time. He was taught by Emperor Huizong of Song himself, and has painted the scroll when he was only 18 years old.

The painting was only exhibited twice in the 20th century, and this is the first time the whole scroll will meet the public. Long queues can be predicted when it is on display from September 15 to December 14.

Already on display is a collection of paintings and calligraphic works of Zhao Mengfu, a scholar, calligrapher and painter of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

Calligraphic works of Zhao Mengfu. /Photo via Palace Museum

Being a descendant of the imperial family of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Zhao has inherited the artistic talents and fine tastes of his ancestors, and has achieved great accomplishments in several art forms including seal engraving, painting, calligraphy and literature.

Except for being a great artist of his own age, he had also greatly influenced the painters and calligraphers of the following generations, and has remained to be a crucial figure for today’s artistic critics and experts.

A piece of painting by Zhao Mengfu. /Photo via Palace Museum

The exhibition has selected more than 100 pieces from his works, and will give a full picture of the evolvement in his paintings. Most of the works were from the collections of the museum, with only several pieces borrowed from museums in Shanghai and Liaoning.

Staff put the long scroll into display cabinet. /Xinhua Photo

Routine exhibitions’ new characteristics

New additions to the routine exhibitions of the ancient palatial architectures include the newly repaired and reopened opera house Changyin Hall (“Chang Yin Ge” in Chinese) in the palace.

The opera house was a three-layer stage built during Emperor Qianlong’s regime (1711-1799) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). It was mainly used for the opera-enthusiastic rulers to enjoy the performances.

Changyin Hall, a three-layer stage in the Palace Museum. /Photo via Palace Museum

After the repair work, a basement which was used as the backstage will be open to the public for the first time. Visitors would now have a general view of how the performers could get dressed and get onto the stage to perform.

According to the staff of the Palace Museum, through the improvement and repair work, the exhibition will focus on explaining the unique characteristics of the operas performed in the court. They have also been planning to resume the operas which used to be performed, so as to give the visitors a vivid experience of the imperial entertainment in the past.

The reopening date is set on September 19.

The Palace Museum will also bring nine living sika deer for a special deer-themed exhibition set to open from September 26 to February next year.

Costumes on display at Changyin Hall. /Photo via Palace Museum

According to Shan Jixiang, curator of the museum, the emperors have always kept the tradition of raising deer in their gardens, and bringing the real animals or plants into the exhibitions is part of the museum’s future plan to allow the visitors to closely observe and experience the imperial family’s life in the court.

Shan said it was not the first time the palaces have welcomed deer. There are several living in the imperial gardens during the Qing Dynasty, and there was even a platform built for the rulers to observe the deer.

Exotic exhibitions to shine in ancient Chinese palaces

Among all the exhibitions, there will also be one featuring the Hungarian aristocracy between the 17th and 19th centuries, including the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who is more widely known in China as “Princess Sissi.”

A painting of Princess Sissi. /Photo via Palace Museum

After three months of exhibition in Shanghai, the relics will be moved into the ancient Chinese palace as well.

It was not the first time foreign relics, especially the ones featuring court life, were on display in the Palace Museum. Earlier this year, the museum also exhibited some priceless pieces of jewelry from the 18th century France, which amazed many Chinese visitors.

Diadema of the 18th century France on display at Palace Museum. /Photo via Palace Museum‍

Exhibition exchanges with the West is also on the museum’s plan, which, like all the other reforms and improvements, are aiming to bring more diverse cultural feasts to the visitors.

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