NPM exhibition draws big crowds in Kyushu

2014-10-22

A special exhibition of treasured pieces from Taipei City-based National Palace Museum is underway at Kyushu National Museum in Japan.

The event kicked off Oct. 6 with a ceremony attended by Li Shu-chen, wife of Premier Jiang Yi-huah, and NPM Director Fung Ming-chu. Also present were ROC Representative to Japan Shen Ssu-tsun and Wang Chen-chih, aka Sadaharu Oh, the famous retired Japanese-aiwanese baseball player.

Running until Nov. 30 at KNM near Fukuoka, the exhibition comprises 110 artworks, calligraphies and paintings, including a Song dynasty-era (960-1279) scroll by extraordinary Chinese talent Su Shih.

According to the NPM, the two-week special showing of Meat-shaped Stone, which ended Oct. 20, attracted nearly 84,000 visitors. The signature NPM piece is scheduled to return to the Taiwan later this week.

Another highlight of the exhibition is 12,000 pieces of local cultural and creative items incorporating aspects of NPM artworks and showcasing Taiwan’s soft power. These include book marks, cell phone straps, key chains, miniature replicas, postcards, stickers and tea sets produced by around 100 Taiwan firms and six cultural and creative industry heavyweights such as Artilize Worldwide Co. Ltd., Franz Collection Inc. and Rich Jade Jewelry Co. Ltd.

In a similar exhibition staged at Tokyo National Museum between June 24 and Sept. 15, more than 402,000 art lovers attended the first overseas showing of NPM treasures in Asia, including iconic piece Jadeite Cabbage with Insects.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223109&CtNode=413)