the Palace Museum
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the increasingly close relationship between the court and the Tibetan region, Tibetan Buddhism – which was particularly important to imperial families during the Qing dynasty – gradually spread across the nation. Among the majestic structures of the Forbidden City stand dozens of Tibetan Buddhist chapels, including the Hall of Rectitude, the Pavilion of Raining Flowers, the Pavilion of Fragrant Clouds and the Buddhist Building. These sacred places house over 10,000 Buddhist relics in their collections, including Buddhist statues, thangkas and ritual implements. The Qing Imperial Workshops produced some of these exquisite cultural relics, while others were treasures presented to the imperial families by visitors from Tibet or Mongolia. Many of these artefacts have witnessed cultural exchanges between Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan ethnic groups.
The Palace Museum has a wealth of experience and academic achievements in Tibetan Buddhist cultural relics, particularly in the areas of research and conservation, as it houses its own vast collection. Over the past two decades, the museum has proactively supported and participated in the protection of the cultural heritage of the Tibet Autonomous Region, providing support for a wide range of projects and closely working with the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Heritage Bureau in preservation, research, investigation and exhibition related to cultural relics and ancient buildings.
Located on the Tibetan Plateau, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is a representative historical site of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as the traditional seat of successive Panchen Erdenis. The monastery is home to a substantial collection of ancient Buddhist treasures from Han and Tibetan ethnic groups and across the Himalayas. These treasures unveil the glorious past and brilliant achievements of Tibetan Buddhist culture and art. A Lhakhang, meaning a Buddhist chapel in Tibetan, in the monastery houses many cultural relics, ranging from gold seals and albums to royal decrees and gifts from imperial families. These artefacts were given to the Panchen Erdenis by successive Qing emperors.
Despite the thousands of miles that lie between them, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and the Palace Museum enjoy close ties thanks to their shared involvement in Tibetan Buddhist culture, which, in fact, connects the regional Tibetan culture with the Central Plains culture and the Chinese nation as a whole. On 8th December 2019, Sumeru Mountain: While Tashilhunpo Meets the Forbidden City opened at the Meridian Gate, which
is a part of the Palace Museum. This collaborative exhibition was organised by the museum alongside both the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Heritage Bureau and the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. It helped to bring the art and culture of the monastery to the public’s attention, achieving a tremendous response from visitors as a result.
Macao – which is on the other side of the motherland to Beijing – has maintained an amicable cooperative relationship with the Palace Museum for many years. Upon the invitation of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Administrative Special Region Government, the museum again joins forces with the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Heritage Bureau and the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery to organise Golden Eminence: Treasures from the Palace Museum and the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. The exhibition, also organised with and held at the Macao Museum of Art, allows the Macao audience to explore the sheer breadth and depth of Tibetan Buddhist art. The show features 137 Tibetan Buddhist cultural relics and treasures from Beijing and Tibet that were offered either to successive Panchen Erdenis or members of the Qing court over hundreds of years. By opening a door into the history behind each artefact, they allow us to better understand the importance of Tibetan Buddhism in aiding the integration of the nation, in uniting ethnic groups, and in exploring the Chinese nation’s overall unity, co-existence, exchange and inclusiveness over many centuries.
The history is learned and the future is anticipated. I believe that cultural relics hold the power to bring people together in strong and meaningful cultural exchanges. They provide spiritually enriching experiences and can offer wisdom. They also bring us together to inherit our long-standing and splendid Chinese culture so that we can all help to create a colourful modern civilisation in our Chinese nation!
Wang Xudong
Director of the Palace Museum