The National Palace Museum is everywhere in Europe this year! Following “100 Treasures, 100 Stories” in the Czech Republic in September, “Dragons,” the second overseas special exhibition of the National Palace Museum (NPM) in celebration of its centennial had its grand opening at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac on November 17! Through the “dragon” images constantly seen on the works of calligraphy, painting, and artifacts in the NPM collection, the exhibition presents the profound influences of the mythical creature in legends on the cultural sphere of East Asia for millennia.
 
Emmanuel Kasarhérou, President of the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, together with NPM Director Hsiao Tsung-huang and Deputy Director Yu Pei-chin, unveiled the exhibition. The event brought together numerous dignitaries, including Hao Pei-chih, Representative from the Taipei Representative Office in France; Marie-Noëlle Battistel, Chair of the French National Assembly’s Taiwan Friendship Group and Vice President of the Committee on Economic Affairs; Laetitia Saint-Paul, Vice Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Member of the Taiwan Friendship Group; Marie-José Allemand, Member of the Taiwan Friendship Group and Vice-President of the Socialist Group, along with renowned artist A-Sun Wu and fashion designer Sophie Hong. The opening night of “Dragons” drew an enthusiastic crowd. Long queues formed at the venue, as an estimated over 700 visitors flocked to the exhibition.
 
According to NPM Director Hsiao Tsung-huang, the NPM has been actively collaborating and exchanging with the French museum community since the 1990s. The NPM established a quality model of interaction with its French counterparts after “Tresors Du Musee National Du Palais, Taipei: Memoire d'Empire” (Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei: Memory of Empire) in the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais (Grand Palais National Galleries) in Paris, 1998. The NPM has reached an agreement with the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac as early as 2018, with the consensus to organize exchange exhibitions sometime between 2019 and 2021. In November 2019, “Mask─Beauty of the Spirits：Masterpieces from the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac” was on view at the NPM Southern Branch. Nevertheless, “Dragons” originally scheduled to debut at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac as a reciprocal exhibition in 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After numerous twists and turns in the preparation, it is a heartening moment to see the exhibition open today at last.
 
Dragon is an auspicious creature emblematic of the East Asian culture, with the belief spanning over five thousand years in history, NPM Director Hsiao Tsung-huang remarked, with profound and lasting influences on various facets in religion, politics, society, art, as well as imageries and values at all levels in everyday life. “Dragons” is on display in France till March 1, 2026. Director Hsiao expressed his especial appreciation to the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac for its effort in coordination, which successfully brought collaborative matters around the exhibition to fruition. His gratitude also went to the Musée départemental des Arts Asiatiques de Nice, Guimet - musée national des arts asiatiques, and the Cernuschi Museum for their contributions that immensely introduced a richer variety of imagination and amusement to “Dragons.”

From various angles, this exhibition features four sections themed with dragon, i.e., “Images of the Dragon,” “Stories of Dragons,” “Imperial Dragons,” and “Variations of Dragon,” noted the Chief Curator and NPM Deputy Director Yu Pei-chin. Through the curatorial approach to converse and exchange with audiences, the exhibition is envisaged to showcase the symbolic meanings of the dragon and its relevance to modern society, wherein the distinct visual impressions of dragons in the Eastern versus Western cultures are conveyed. Aside from Jade plate with dragon pattern, and Pan water vessel with coiling dragon pattern, the cherrypicked national treasures that depict the image of dragon from the NPM collection, the wild cursive script chef-d’oeuvre Seven-character Regulated Verse also exhibits the sweeping power of “galloping snakes and fleeing vipers.” The dragon’s human incarnations on earth, the emperors, are on display as well, through their calligraphy piece and seal royal like Ode to Peonies and Jade seal of “Treasure of his majesty at seventy.” With this special exhibition, the National Palace Museum grants European audiences a glimpse at the highlights of the dragon’s culture in the East.

Along with the marvelous national treasures, the gallery features a documentary of the Taoist “Dragon-Settling and Earth-Thanking” ritual performed upon the completion of the new NPM administrative building, manifesting how dragon roams deep into the folk lifestyle today. Visitors can also experience the popular NPM digital installation “Into the Painting” to teleport themselves into the large-scale landscape painting Early Spring to behold the “dragon veins” in the landscape. Furthermore, Pili Glove Puppetry featuring dragon elements and the collection of French-based Taiwanese fashion designer Sophie Hong shall enrich the exhibition in variety. Echoing the “Taiwan Culture in Europe 2025” jointly promoted by the National Palace Museum, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Culture this year, the exhibition showcases Taiwan’s spirit of innovation as an island of technology and culture.




Media Liaison of the National Palace Museum
Emily Wang   +886 2 2881 2021 #68991  Email: emily@npm.gov.tw
Wan-Yu Yang  +886 2 2881 2021 #68900  Email: yuyang@npm.gov.tw