Why Were Three National Treasures at Taiwan's National Palace Museum Broken... KMT Raises Suspicions of Government Cover-Up

Ming Hongzhiji, Qing Kangxi and Qianlong Emperor Relics Damaged... Estimated Value 110 Billion Won
Zhu Lilun, Kuomintang Chairman, "If There Had Been No Exposure, DPP Government Would Have Concealed the Truth"

An incident occurred in which three national treasures at the National Palace Museum of Taiwan were damaged, raising suspicions that the Taiwanese government and the museum attempted to conceal the damage. Photo by Zhu Lilun, Chairman of the Kuomintang, Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] An incident involving the damage of three national treasures at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan has sparked allegations that the Taiwanese government and the museum attempted to conceal the damage. The National Palace Museum was established when most of the artifacts from the Forbidden City (Zijin Cheng) on mainland China were relocated to Taiwan in 1948 under the orders of Chiang Kai-shek during the Chinese Civil War.

According to reports from China Times and United Daily News on the 30th (local time), Chen Yi-xin, a Kuomintang legislator, revealed in a legislative session on the 28th that three pieces of porcelain from the Qing and Ming dynasties were damaged at the National Palace Museum. The estimated value of the three damaged artifacts is about 2.5 billion New Taiwan dollars (approximately 110 billion KRW).

As the controversy intensified, the National Palace Museum released photos of the damaged artifacts and issued an explanation. Wu Mi-cha, director of the National Palace Museum, denied the concealment allegations and emphasized that the artifacts were in an "unpublished state." He also explained, "Of the three damaged porcelain pieces, two are presumed to have suffered natural damage," adding, "The damage was discovered by museum staff while organizing artifacts on February 3 last year and April 7 this year."

One of the damaged artifacts was a bowl from the Hongzhi Emperor period of the Ming dynasty, and another was a bowl from the Kangxi Emperor period of the Qing dynasty. Director Wu explained that after staff first discovered the damage, an investigation was conducted to determine whether the damage was intentional. The Hongzhi period bowl is currently under restoration, and the Kangxi period bowl is also scheduled for restoration.

The other artifact was a plate from the Qianlong Emperor period of the Qing dynasty. This plate was found to have been damaged due to human error, and disciplinary procedures against the responsible staff member are reportedly underway. The staff member accidentally dropped the plate on the floor while organizing storage shelves on May 19. Director Wu stated that the artifact will be restored after the disciplinary process is completed.

The main opposition party, the Kuomintang, continues its offensive. Kuomintang Chairman Eric Chu said, "If it were not for legislator Chen Yi-xin's revelation, how long would the Democratic Progressive Party government have concealed the truth?" He criticized, "During the war, the Kuomintang safely transported and preserved hundreds of thousands of artifacts to the National Palace Museum. This is a serious mistake that has never occurred since the artifacts were moved from mainland China to Taiwan."

He also demanded that the Executive Yuan form a specialized investigation team to examine the preservation status of the palace artifacts and identify responsibility and causes. Kuomintang legislator Ma Wen-chin also raised the issue of concealment allegations against Premier Su Tseng-chang at the Legislative Yuan. In response, Premier Su said, "The National Palace Museum will not hide anything," adding, "If responsibility must be taken, we will take it, and if reform is necessary, we will implement reform."

Another issue raised was that the damaged artifacts were not insured. However, Director Wu Mi-cha explained, "An appraisal of the artifacts is necessary, but there are technical and practical difficulties," adding, "The insurance premiums are very high."

The National Palace Museum also announced that it will submit an investigation report on the two artifacts presumed to have suffered natural damage, along with CCTV footage captures, to the Legislative Yuan’s Culture and Education Committee on the 31st.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.