I was able to get Kelly away for some fun in Taiwan on Saturday, May 15th! Paul had to work and had an important meeting in the afternoon. But, we thought of him while we explored the National Palace Museum.
I really appreciated the company! Thank you Kelly for being a great host!
We had planned to go to the National Palace Museum (NPM) and then go to the Hot Springs but we had such a good time at the Museum and the Teahouse at the top we just stayed there until around 5pm then headed to the Shilin Night Market – oh, that was a crazy place!!!! I think the picture below aptly describes what we experienced there!
So, let’s back up to the beginning of the day. Once Kelly picked me up from the hotel and got me set up with a MRT Easy Card, we were on our way. I felt right at home back on a MRT system (Underground/Above Ground Rapid Transit System). Along the way, we stopped at The Body Shop – thought you might get a kick out of the local signage – kind of fun, huh?!
Above ground, we saw, again, the many Scooters that are the preferred mode of transport here. Here’s one scooter with a Mom driving and son in front!
Once we arrived at the National Palace Museum, neither of us knew what to expect. As you can see from the photos, it was tremendous! We talked about the interior architecture when we entered the building – the inside felt like it was built in the sixties but we didn’t yet know the history. It feels quite repressive and functional inside. But, the outside is so ornate – the architecture seems confused. I’ve learned from a National Geographic documentary that aired on the 18th (two days after we visited the Museum – great timing!) the NPM was built in 1965 and later renovated in 2007 for $21M USD.
To give you a bit of history the artifacts are all from mainland China. There were some Nationalists (KMT) that fled China (& Communism) around 1950; they felt that they were the keepers of Chinese Culture and took approximately 3,000 crates of the best Chinese Artifacts.
After looking at some fascinating pieces, I think the scrolls and Chinese Calligraphy were some of my favorites. But, the curio boxes were absolutely fabulous and Kelly’s favorites! The NPM is a leader in preservation of artifacts; each floor, area and cabinet is air controlled and checked electronically. Additionally, objects are only on display for 45-90 days and then swapped out – since some of the items are over 1,000 years old, they are very sensitive light and moisture.
When not on display, the artifacts are stored in the mountain vault. Even some employees who have worked for the museum for 30-40 years have never been allowed in the vault, it’s that closely guarded. Not only are they striving to be guardians or passive keepers of history, they are leading the innovation in finding ways to share the treasures with the world! The curators have been digitally photographing and documenting each piece meticulously. Someday you will be able to use 3-D modeling/computing to view objects from anywhere.
After visiting the artifacts we went for lunch at the Sanxitang Teahouse and were pleasantly surprised with a wonderful meal of Dim Sum and Jasmine Tea. There was a lady playing the Chinese Harp, the Guzheng; she was fantastic. I caught a video of her below.
Views from the Teahouse:
We couldn’t take photographs inside the museum but I did take this picture of a girl sketching the statue in front of her. Kelly and I were fascinated by her. I snuck a peek and she was quite good and using a red glitter pen! Too cute!
I did get a lot of pictures of the outside of the Palace Museum.
The day didn’t end with the visit to the Museum, Kelly and I steeled ourselves for a trip to the Shilin Night Market. Remember, this was on Saturday night! I think we might have been crazy to try this! There were people everywhere!!!!!
The Night Market comes alive with food and clothing vendors and some fly-by-night vendors that seem to mysteriously disappear - I wish I had gotten a video of it. Kelly and I are convinced that they were not supposed to sell there, so they would just wrap up the blankets filled with t-shirts or the carts of jewelry would roll off. One woman was in her sixties and we saw her quickly depart when some silent signal was given – it was a kick! She just shimmied right out of there!
Here are some sights and some things you can probably smell all the way from the U.S.
Now, this was good! The video below shows these guys baking bread in a Tandoor-type oven - very yummy!
Kelly told me I had to get a video of the crosswalk signs here – it’s funny. The little green man walks slowly at first and then when it gets to 10 seconds or less, the legs really start moving – take a look!
