The press conference held on Sep. 17th, 2015 for domestic and oversea media at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum ended perfectly that evening with Director Fung endowing the Taiwanese people with a wonderful benefaction. We expect local residents in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan can now truly feel the kind regard of the National Palace Museum.

　　Our soft launch begins on Dec. 28th, 2015 with free admission limited to Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan residents from 2:00pm to 5:00pm that day. Throughout the rest of the first three months of our soft launch (Dec. 29th, 2015 - Mar. 31st, 2016) admission for all visitors will be free. To fulfill local residents’ needs, during the subsequent three months (Apr. 1st, 2016 - Jun. 30th, 2016) admission will be free for residents of Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan. Moreover, the National Palace Museum has arranged special exhibitions for the Northern and Southern Branch Zhibao Halls.

　　From Dec. 28th (Mon), 2015 to Oct. 2nd (Sun), 2015, there will be a special exhibition,“The Jadeite Cabbage,” at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum. Simultaneously the Northern Branch’s No.302 Gallery will present, from Dec. 25th (Fri), 2015 - May. 16th (Mon), 2016, a special exhibition of “Meat-shaped Stone” and the “Gold Chalice of Eternal Stability Cup, Jade Candlestick of Constant Harmony from Qianlong Emperor, Qing Dynasty” to accord with the inscription on the Southern Branch of the National Palace museum’s main beam and its landscape scenery.

　　From May. 17th (Tue) to Oct. 6th (Thu), 2016, the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum’s official mascot, the “Vietnamese Hanuman Figure in Underglaze Blue and Overglaze Colors” and other Asian artifacts will be exhibited in the Northern Branch’s Zhibao Hall. With regard to collections or other resources, the Southern Branch and the National Palace Museum operate as an integral whole and we anticipate establishing a dynamic connection for artifact exchanges between the Northern and Southern Branch Zhibao Halls.

　　We heartily welcome everyone to visit both our Northern and Southern Branches.

　　Though not an easy decision, it was in fact already under consideration nearly a year ago. The curation team put the clamor of the outside world behind them and returned to their professional responsibilities at the museum. After a series of detailed discussions concerning the complex requirements of both the Northern Branch and the Southern Branch, exhibition sites were chosen and the exhibition planning and design then commenced. Today, in accordance with the Tourism Bureau’s standard practice of releasing formal announcements for important exhibitions three months ahead of launch, we hereby announce the following: 

　　The Northern and Southern Branches are both National Palace Museum exhibition halls and it is a normal practice of these two branches to engage in intra-institutional artifact transfers and loans. Thus while it is customary for people visiting Taipei to admire the Jadeite Cabbage in the National Palace Museum, now there will be occasion to view it in the Southern Branch too. Naturally, it will rest in the museum storeroom some of the time as well.

　　The Southern Branch’s Zhibao Hall will now be able to frequently exhibit artifacts from the Northern Branch in Taipei as star attractions. Correspondingly, Taipei’s exhibition halls will frequently host Asian-themed exhibitions. 

　　Keen-eyed members of the public will notice that the first exhibition at the Southern Branch’s launch will display a variety of famous treasures from the National Palace Museum in its various exhibition halls. These will include the ‘Blue Sky After Rain’ glaze color of Ru porcelain from the Northern Song Dynasty, the azure and vivid Blue and White Celestial Globe Vase with Dragon Motif from the Ming Dynasty and the world famous Docai Chicken Cup, all of which will be presented to the public at the Southern Branch. Rest assured,these will transfix the eager gaze of visitors. Afterwards, the Jadeite Cabbage will be exhibited in Chiayi County from time to time as the Northern and Southern Branches intend to exhibit each other’s important artifacts.

　　But, please don’t let the Jadeite Cabbage preoccupy you to the point of overlooking the other meticulously arranged themes in the Southern Branch’s exhibition halls. The cornucopia of famous treasures in the National Palace Museum will inspire anybody to a deeper appreciation of Asia’s richly diverse art and culture. So let us boldly expand our horizons and ponder together the rich vitality catalyzed by the interactions of human civilizations.