Renaming Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

[koreth]

And your logic regarding shipping the NPM treasures back operates on the assumption that the NPM in Taipei is doing a poor job in preserving the treasures and that Beijing can do a far better job.

Actually it doesn't -- if you read my original message you'll see that my desire to see the treasures back in Beijing is based solely on uniqueness of presentation, which as you say is important. I completely agree that in terms of preservation, the NPM is doing a better job than the PRC would likely do. However, the NPM doesn't, and can't, display the items in the actual locations where they were used historically. Having imperial artifacts on display in the imperial palace is obviously desirable -- even the KMT had them on display in the original 故宫 before moving them to Taiwan, and they called the Taipei one "故宫" too.

But really my original point wasn't about where I want to see the artifacts. Obviously not my decision to make. It was more about the current Taiwanese government, which is taking all these steps to revise Taiwan's history such that it appears to have never had anything whatsoever to do with China (okay, an exaggeration, but not a huge one.) And yet the "National Museum" is still showing a bunch of Chinese artifacts as if they're part of a shared Taiwanese/Chinese national history. My point was about the inconsistency, not where the artifacts should be per se.

[Ian_Lee]

Purely from the viewpoint of a visitor, I wish the national artifacts can stay where they are now -- in Taipei.

Why? Very simple.

Nowadays if you are a visitor to Forbidden City, you can hardly find a spot where you can pose without somebody in background. If the national treasure are moved back to the Forbidden City, the queue must be six-hours long!

And given the astronomical rise in admission price to any scenic spot in Mainland, most likely you have to pay ten times as much as what you need to pay at Taipei now! Moreover, Mainland does not have a good track record in preserving national artifacts even after 1980s. Tens of thousands of national artifacts are being smuggled out of China including the National Palace Museum in Beijing. Here is the report from US embassy in China:

http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/sandt/navybk.htm

Cultural artifacts are often smuggled out of China. Some cultural treasures are looted from tombs. Many museums, including the National Palace Museum in Beijing, have been robbed of cultural treasures since the early 1990s. The Singapore magazine "Collector" wrote recently, "There has never been a time when such a rich variety of Chinese art objects has been available!"

Even Korea complained that its artifacts of Koguryo era in Liaoning province have been vandalized.

If ROC is changed to ROT, then those artifacts should be returned to China. But before that happens, they should be left in Taiwan.

Anyway, NPM seldom lends out any items for exhibits in foreign countries. When it does, the borrowing country has to make double guarantee that those items cannot be claimed by Beijing. So for the time being, if anyone really wants to look at the best of best of China's national treasure, he has to go to Taipei.

[xichg]

Also from a visitor's point of view, not many mainlanders have the luxury to go to Taipei to the see the collections. I think people know why. And even if you can go, it's expensive and you are required by Taiwan government to spend a certain amount of money while in Taiwan. If mainland visitors DO NOT count, then yes please by no means leave the treasures in taipei since it can save you (a more equal visitor) a few bucks on addmission and you can take your 'clean' pictures.

And it's outragious that Korea claims the artifacts as 'its'. It's even more unbelievable that you are accepting their claim.

[bhchao]

And even if you can go, it's expensive and you are required by Taiwan government to spend a certain amount of money while in Taiwan.

That may change depending on the result of next year's presidential election in Taiwan. The current administration imposed the restrictions. I doubt today's restrictions on cross strait tourism will remain considering the DPP candidate for 2008, Frank Hsieh, is a moderate who favors closer ties with mainland China. He won 41% of the vote in last year's Taipei mayoral race, which is quite an impressive percentage of the vote. Hardliners don't get very far with Taiwan voters today.

KMT winning next year's election is even better for cross strait tourism.

By the way, it is not unreasonable for Korea to view Koguryo as part of its history (culturally at least). Its Three Kingdoms period is quite well documented in world history books.

[Ian_Lee]

Xichg:

After the 3-direct links are established, it will be cheaper/shorter to fly to Taipei from Beijing and Shanghai than to Hong Kong. In the days when Mainland tourists are big spenders in SE Asia and even Europe, Taiwan is hardly any luxurious destination.

Of course, there will still be some Chinese citizens, i.e. rural farmers in Guangxi, who cannot afford to make the trip to Taiwan. But most likely they are also unable to make the trip to Beijing even if the national treasures are moved back to the Forbidden City.

[bhchao]

Actually the 3-direct links have a higher chance of materializing if the Greens win next year's presidency. Hsieh is a pragmatist in cross strait affairs who is better positioned to negotiate with Beijing.

If Ma wins the presidency and fulfills his agenda of liberalizing everything with the PRC, he would be accused of "selling out" Taiwan. People in Taiwan would call him a traitor and will despise the Blues.

The time has come for that one individual from the Green camp to take the Blue line in easing roadblocks with the mainland. Just like it took an anti-communist like Richard Nixon to open dialogue with the PRC, or a lifetime anti-communist like Reagan to reach an arms reduction agreement with the Soviet Union. Or an anti-US leader like Mao to open dialogue with the US.

Hsieh is in a more credible position to negotiate on matters of tourism and direct linkage. The rest of the island will follow his position once he sets new precedent on these issues. He pushed for exchanges with nearby Xiamen as mayor of Kaohsiung. He also advocates direct transport links with Mainland.

Idealistically speaking, the Blues could open wider the windows of opportunity for cross strait tourism. But practically speaking, the Greens have a greater chance of success in getting the job done.

So either outcome could be a boon for cross strait tourism, and foster a positive environment for mainland tourists to visit the NPM in Taipei.

[Ian_Lee]

Actually there are some interesting news about Taipei's NPM:

http://www.takungpao.com/news/07/05/31/TM-744267.htm

It was alleged to have the most expensive website in the world. Every year it takes NT$20 million (about US$6 million) to maintain NPM's website. A KMT legislator criticized that it may be the most expensive website in the world.

If you browse its webpage:

http://www.npm.gov.tw/

You will be surprised that it offers really exotic literature courses like Manchu and Tibetan Literatures which nowadays hardly any university in Mainland will provide.

Now it seems DPP is not that de-sinicized given its generous spending on upkeeping the NPM!

[Ian_Lee]

Actually not all the best are in Taipei.

The famous example is 清明上河圖.

The original print, drawn by 北宋張擇端, is with the NPM in Beijing. Puyi took it away when he left the Palace in 1924, and PLA got it back from him after he was detained in the Northeast in 1945.

On the other hand, the 清明上河圖 that is kept in Taipei's NPM is 清院本清明上河圖 that was co-drawn by five artists in the Qian Long reign (1736).

[skylee]

The original print, drawn by 北宋張擇端, is with the NPM in Beijing. Puyi took it away when he left the Palace in 1924, and PLA got it back from him after he was detained in the Northeast in 1945.

This one is to be shown in HK next month, along with other national treasures from the Palace Museum (no National in the name) in Beijing -> “The Pride of China” Exhibition

[Lu]

Frank Hsieh, (...) won 41% of the vote in last year's Taipei mayoral race, which is quite an impressive percentage of the vote.

For the record: perhaps it was impressive, but he lost that race to Hau Lung-bin.

Sure part of the population will despise Ma if he wins and improves relations with the mainland, just like part of the population despises Chen now. Politics are polarized here, no one is going to be loved by all the people.

[bhchao]

Taiwan has restored the name 國立中正紀念堂 to the Memorial Hall: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/07/21/217059/Chiang-Kai-sheks.htm

Visitors to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in downtown Taipei will see the name plaque of the landmark restored to its original official one this morning while the Liberty Square plaque was left unchanged.

The Ministry of Education (MOE), which has jurisdiction over the hall and the square, said the compromise should appease people on both sides of the controversial issue. "We believe that this compromise will contribute to social harmony," said Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin.

Lu was referring to controversy over the designation of the hall, dedicated in 1980 to commemorate the late President Chiang Kai-shek, who was regarded as a controversial figure for his totalitarian rule of Taiwan while fighting against attempted invasions by Chinese Communist troops.

Chiang was also seen by many as a hero who helped put a check on Communist expansion in the Asia-Pacific region while promoting education, democracy and free economic system which he had no chance to carry out in China during eight years of war resisting Japan's invasion and the ensuing civil war against the Communists who were aided by the Soviet Union.

[Lu]

So now we have the memorial hall for dictator CKS on Liberty Square. What a joke.