The National Palace Museum
“The cultural artifacts in the National Palace Museum’s collection are often one of a kind,” says Wang Yao-feng, deputy director of the museum’s Department of Cultural Creativity and Marketing. “They are brilliant and important, and can only be experienced in Taiwan.”
“At the National Palace Museum, we treat you as a guest in our home, and show you our family treasures. Culture is the most important of our treasures. We see the transformation of cultural artifacts into creative and cultural products as a way to provide visitors with souvenirs that they can take home with them. We are very sincere about this,” says Wu I-ching, who works in the museum’s publishing section.
Over the last few years, the NPM has put more creativity into its souvenirs and has also incorporated more local character into them. Lee Weidy, a section chief in the Department of Cultural Creativity and Marketing, shows us the Jadeite Cabbage Sun & Rain Umbrella, a new addition to the museum’s product line based on the famous Jadeite Cabbage sculpture, bundled with a custom-sized red, blue and green tote just the right size for holding a cup of boba tea. The designs practically shout “Taiwan!”
Nearly all of the artifacts on display in the museum are from the Chinese imperial collection, but the museum makes sure to connect its gifts to ordinary folk. The pattern on the outside of the Passport Cover with Ice Plum Pattern is based on the cover of Emperor Qianlong’s First Collection of Imperial Poetry, and still looks fashionable today. Produced by Tainan-based canvas bag maker Guangfuhao, the made-in-Taiwan passport cover opens to the right, like an antique book. The museum’s attention to this kind of small detail is indicative of its determination to promote education.
The NPM also offers more contemporary “cool” products such as its collaboration with Taiwanese creative‡cultural designer Justin Chou, which incorporates “Sunlight After Snowfall,” a famous letter from the hand of Jin-Dynasty calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303‡361), into the lenses of a pair of sunglasses, and Emperor Qianlong’s calligraphic praise of the letter into the frame.
The museum offers some even quirkier souvenirs. A design competition for products using elements drawn from national treasures in the museum’s open database led to “I’m Weary—Put Me On & Be the Emperor or Empress,” a hilarious eye mask printed with pairs of eyes from Ming-Dynasty imperial portraits in the museum’s collection. Other products include “Imperial Court Chopstick Rests,” which were inspired by a seated image of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty and feature the black cap with wing-like flaps of an imperial official. The base of these cartoony chopstick rests doubles as a soy-sauce dish. On seeing the rests, some of Lee’s colleagues joked that having “the emperor” hold the chopsticks for guests would show just how committed the museum was to being a good host.