Qianlong period Spring Festival programs discovered at Palace Museum

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Staff at the Palace Museum's Hall of Mental Cultivation, or "Yangxindian," discovered two copies of the Spring Festival opera program from the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1733–1735) reported China News on Thursday.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation has been under repair since September 2018. On Wednesday afternoon, a restorer was cleaning the air vent and checking the condition of the column of the gate, when they found rolls of paper between the gap of the air vent and the column.

In looking at the documents, the staff saw the papers had a soft texture, was yellow in color and the handwriting was clear. The words – November 19, the 24th year of Qianlong reign – was written at the beginning of the list. It also included the names of 19 members of the cast and crew.

The front door of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, facing south, was named the Gate of Mental Cultivation, was under the maintenance after September 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

After research, the two lists were written in the same programs, but the introduction of the cast and crew were slightly different. A researcher has confirmed that the papers were the program list for Chinese New Year's Eve during the 24th year of Qianlong reign.

According to researchers at the Department of Palace Life and Imperial Ritual of the Palace Museum, there is no list of such forms among the museum's surviving relics. The findings will contribute to the in-depth study of palace opera and festival culture of the Qing Dynasty.

The relic has been transferred to the archives section of the Department of Palace Life and Imperial Ritual of the Palace Museum for safekeeping and will be displayed to the public at an appropriate time after the restoration study is completed.