The exterior of the Northern Branch of the National Palace Museum features Chinese imperial palace architecture, built along the hillside, magnificent and grand. In addition to the main building exhibition area, the museum grounds include the Library and Information Building, the Chang Dai-chên Memorial Residence, the Zhishan Garden, the Zhide Garden, and the Children's Gallery. Beyond historical artifact exploration, it also serves purposes for leisure and academic research.
The museum houses the finest collection of Chinese historical artifacts and art across dynasties, which can be broadly categorized into bronzes, paintings and calligraphy, ceramics, books and historical documents, handicrafts, and imperial palace artifacts. Famous bronzes include the Mao Gong Ding, the San Shi Pan, and the Zong Zhou Zhong. The three great masterpieces of painting and calligraphy are Guo Xi's "Early Spring", Fan Kuan's "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams", and Su Shi's "The Cold Food Observance". Renowned historical documents include the Wenyuan Pavilion edition of the "Siku Quanshu" (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) and the Chizao Hall edition of the "Siku Quanshu Huiyao", among others. Handicrafts are the museum's greatest highlight, featuring must-see star exhibits like the Jadeite Cabbage and the Meat-Shaped Stone. There are also around tens of thousands of jade items, along with lacquerware, glassware, gold and silver ware, and the four treasures of the study (brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones).
For first-time visitors, it is recommended to focus on the aforementioned popular exhibits. If time permits, you can also add the Coral Coral-and-Jadeite Carving of the Deity Kuixing, the Painted Pottery Figurine of a Lady from the Tang Dynasty, the Warming Basin in the Shape of a Lotus Flower in Celadon with Ru Glaze from the Northern Song Dynasty, the Revolving Vase with Swimming Fish in Cloisonné Blue and Gilt from the Qianlong Reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Sacrificial Vessel (Zun) Inlaid with Malachite and Turquoise from the Mid-Warring States Period, the Jade Bixie (Mythical Animal) from the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the Yellow Jade Duck from the Song to Yuan Dynasties. Exhibits within the museum are rotated periodically, and special exhibitions are introduced based on various themes to satisfy travelers' exploration of thousands of years of Chinese culture.
｜National Palace Museum (Northern Branch) AR Guided Tour Experience (Mandarin/English)
It is recommended to use your personal smartphone for this service (don't forget to bring your headphones).
After activating the "NPM AR Guide", you can enter the exhibition hall and use the "AR Scan" at the bottom right of the interface to identify the exhibits. Once identified successfully, click on the artifact icon to enjoy AR effects and listen to the audio guide.
With the 3D models, you can also interact by zooming in, zooming out, and rotating the model to appreciate the fine details of the artifacts from all angles.
There are three themed tour routes. By collecting 3 stamps (exhibits) on any route, you can unlock a digital photo frame to take a commemorative photo!
