The Miraculous History of China’s Two Palace Museums
兩岸故宮的世紀傳奇
This book describes the remarkable story of China’s two Palace Museums, one in Beijing and one in Taipei. On October 10, 1925, the Palace Museum opened its doors in what had been the Forbidden City in the centre of Beijing. It exhibited the treasures and art works of the Imperial family; tens of thousands flocked to see them.Later, as if by a miracle, the Palace Museum lived through the most turbulent period of China’s modern history. During the war with Japan and the civil war the pieces were moved many times, over thousands of kilometres – but none was damaged or stolen. Nor were they destroyed by fire, damp or insects. Finally, a portion of them arrived safely in Taiwan. During the Cultural Revolution, Premier Zhou En-lai ordered the closure of the museum, to prevent the pieces’ destruction by Red Guards.
一九二五年十月十日，故宮博物院在紫禁城開幕，公開展出皇家藏品和珍貴文物，萬人空巷。這是中國歷史上的創舉，全賴當時的有識之士的倡議，令這些珍貴文物不致落入軍閥及新政權手中。其後，就像奇蹟一樣，故宮博物院安然度過了中國近代史上最為動盪不安的時代。在抗日戰爭、國共內戰期間，轉移避險的文物在艱險漫長的路上毫髮未損，也未受盜賊、火災、潮濕和蟲害所傷，以至部分文物順利遷移台灣；在「文化大革命」時，幸得周恩來總理下令閉館，使文物免遭紅衛兵摧毀。時至今日，兩岸故宮——北京故宮博物院和台北國立故宮博物院在不斷新增藏品的同時，也頻頻出訪外國公開展出，讓世人為中華文化藝術之美而驚嘆，聲譽日隆。《兩岸故宮的世紀傳奇》講述的正是二十世紀這段偉大而戲劇性的故事。作者根據兩岸當事人的一手資料，以及對其後人及兩岸故宮院長的專訪，完成了這個完整的陳述，文筆細膩，扣人心弦。