Celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of Prince Kung’s Palace Museum

Multiple ways to facilitate the reunion of the palace’s former collection

The Prince Kung’s Palace previously housed valuable and elegant furnishings as well as rare and exquisite collections, but they have been scattered throughout the past century, leaving behind an empty mansion. Since the establishment of Prince Kung’s Palace Museum, the search for the palace’s lost treasures has been the aspiration of successive staff of the museum. Accompanying the museum’s accelerated construction, many historical relics of the palace have been returned, such as a pair of white jade boxes with bird designs, an ink and color portrait of Prince Kung Yixin, and two volumes of the Imperially Commissioned Complete Collection of Illustrations and Works from Past and Present with Yixin’s seal.

In August 2023, a special exhibition featuring Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) ceramics unearthed from the Jingdezhen imperial kiln was unveiled at the museum. The floral and plant patterns on the ceramics alongside traditional Chinese household utensils capture an elegant lifestyle.

In September 2023, the museum collaborated with the Palace Museum to hold the exhibition “Joy at Royal Courtyard: Youth Lives in the Qing Dynasty Palace”. The connection between the two museums traces back to the princes and princesses that lived there more than a century ago, such as Princess Hexiao, Prince Qing Yonglin and Prince Kung Yixin. This exhibition showcased over 120 exquisite artifacts, revisiting the lives of royal youths in this over 200-year-old palace.

In December 2023, the exhibition “Let’s go to Prince Kung’s Palace Museum”, themed on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the museum officially kicked off. Utilizing historical materials and immersive presentations, the exhibition comprehensively displays the developmental trajectory of the museum, while showcasing its remarkable achievements in cultural heritage conservation and museum construction. Visitors from all walks of life, passionate about and interested in the museum, are welcome to partake in the celebrations.

As a highlight of the series of events launched this month, Prince Kung’s Palace Museum proudly introduces the “Exquisite Splendor - Research Exhibition of Silk Textile from the Former Collection of Prince Kung’s Palace”. It showcases splendid silk and embroidery artifacts from the palace, currently housed at the Liaoning Provincial Museum and the Palace Museum, allowing them to “return home” for a reunion.

Simultaneously, the “Digital Exhibition of Treasures from the Former Collection of Prince Kung’s Palace” is now online in an ink wash style. Three-dimensional rendering and virtual reality technologies are employed to facilitate the virtual reunion of the repatriated treasures and those still residing overseas, enabling remote appreciation of the classic collections of the palace.