Thursday, February 21, 2008

Happy Lantern Festival! 元宵節快樂!

Falling just on the heels of Chinese New Year is the Lantern Festival.
One Saturday afternoon in between going to the park for some exercise and going to the grocery store, Eddie and I stumbled up this local exhibit for 元宵節!


Because it's the year of the rat, Mickey Mouse & friends are extra popular!

No resemblance there!?!?!

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National Palace Museum...

First off, it's never a good idea to visit a museum on an empty stomach. You'll be too busy thinking about your next meal to enjoy the art!

Taiwanese sausages...


"Where are the buns?" you may ask...
The larger white "sausages" are actually made from rice (duh!),
when sliced in half they take the place of what we normally think of as a bun.

Visiting the National Palace Museum is always a pleasure. The collection contains so many fine artifacts that it can be overwhelming, but the newly renovated museum makes the collection much more accessible. Unfortunately, photography is prohibited inside the museum (understandably as many of the art is over 1,000 years old!). If you have time I suggest renting the digital headset with prerecorded guide and exploring the museum on your own. I was not impressed with the English-language tour. *TIP* Visiting the museum on a weekday morning is your best bet to avoid large crowds!

For more information about the museum click here!
This is one of the most famous artifacts in the NPM.It's so impressive because the artist used the natural color of the jade
to carve a very realistic looking Chinese cabbage.

(Photo courtesy of NPM http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_01.htm?pageno=3&catno=12)

In addition to many wonderful examples of Chinese art the museum also regularly hosts visiting exhibits of art from different parts of the world. You never quite know what you'll find!

Pictures in front of the National Palace Museum.
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