National Palace Museum announces 2021 exhibition highlights

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) National Palace Museum (NPM) announced Tuesday a line-up of exhibitions at its museums in northern and southern Taiwan throughout 2021, which include Chinese imperial portraits and historical relics from the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom.

One of the highlight at the NPM in Taipei is an exhibition titled "Hidden Gems -- Treasured Masterpieces from the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts." This will include several items from the Japanese museum's collections that are being shown in Taiwan for the first time.

The exhibition will run from July 24 to Sept. 21 at NPM in Taipei, the museum said in a press release.

The museum will also present three landscape masterpieces by Song Dynasty (960-1297) artists Fan Kuan (范寬), Guo Xi (郭熙) and Li Tang (李唐) from Oct. 6 to Nov. 16, NPM said.

"Bridge of Nations: The Ryukyu Kingdom and its Historical Relics" will be held from Sept. 25 to Dec. 29, presenting the folk culture and local customs of the empire that ruled the Ryukyu Islands from 1429-1879, NPM added.

The exhibition will offer a glimpse into the historic connections between Taiwan and the kingdom as well as the role the Ryukyu Kingdom played in the maritime history of East Asia.

Meanwhile, the NPM's Southern Branch in Chiayi County, will hold an exhibition from June 29 to Dec. 26 displaying portraits of prominent Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) figures, as well as depictions of the dynasty's military victories, the museum said.

The Chiayi branch will hold a special exhibition on Indonesian textiles from Oct. 1 to Jan. 8, 2022, showcasing the unique batik textiles and the Southeast Asian nation's multicultural diversity, NPM said.