Palace Museum Hundred Year Transformation Celebrated In Exclusive Exhibition At Durham Oriental Museum In Uk

Published on September 26, 2025

To people nan centenary of 1 of China’s astir prestigious taste institutions, Durham’s Oriental Museum is hosting an exclusive accumulation titled “Journey of a Century: From nan Forbidden City to nan Palace Museum”. This exhibition, moving until 31 May 2026, commemorates nan 100th day of nan Palace Museum, which was founded successful 1925 connected nan tract of nan Forbidden City successful Beijing, China.

Notably, this is nan only spot extracurricular China wherever this photography accumulation is being held, offering an unthinkable opportunity for group to acquisition nan improvement and translator of this iconic institution. The accumulation traces nan singular travel of nan Palace Museum, offering visitors an immersive look into its history and significance.

The Legacy of nan Forbidden City

The Palace Museum began arsenic nan imperial residence for 24 emperors of China. Its origins day backmost complete 500 years, erstwhile it served arsenic nan bosom of nan Ming and Qing Dynasties. The exhibition’s first conception focuses connected nan Forbidden City, which has agelong been a awesome of imperial China. Through a elaborate photographic collection, visitors are shown nan Forbidden City arsenic it erstwhile stood, revealing nan grandeur of its architecture and its taste value arsenic nan governmental centre of China for complete 5 centuries.

While nan Forbidden City has ever been a humanities marvel, nan accumulation highlights really it evolved into nan Palace Museum. The translator came during a turbulent play successful Chinese history erstwhile nan federation faced governmental upheaval. The accumulation captures these monumental changes, allowing visitors to admit really nan Palace Museum was established arsenic a nationalist wealth trove, preserving China’s imperial history and taste artifacts.

A Century of Preservation and Transformation

The travel of nan Palace Museum is not conscionable astir its beginnings. The accumulation provides penetration into nan awesome efforts made to protect and sphere nan museum’s invaluable treasures, peculiarly during nan play of Japanese invasion from 1931 to 1945. Visitors will study really nan museum’s artifacts were safeguarded successful nan look of war, and really these efforts played a captious domiciled successful nan endurance of China’s taste heritage.

After nan founding of nan People’s Republic of China successful 1949, nan Palace Museum underwent important changes. This portion of nan accumulation explores nan awesome preservation and world projects that followed, detailing really nan depository evolved into a world-renowned institution for research, taste exploration, and world collaboration.

Throughout nan exhibition, visitors will beryllium offered a deeper knowing of nan Palace Museum’s world significance, pinch a peculiar attraction connected its improvement into a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its value arsenic a taste destination that attracts millions of visitors each year.

Partnership and Academic Collaboration

The accumulation besides highlights nan long-standing narration betwixt nan Palace Museum and Durham University. Representatives from nan Palace Museum, including Deputy Director Zhu Hongwen, and Tang Rui, Consul-General of nan Chinese Embassy successful Manchester, visited Durham to preview nan exhibition. Their sojourn underscores nan world collaboration betwixt Durham University and nan Palace Museum, which includes student and unit exchanges, master development, and nationalist engagement efforts.

The business is further deepened by Durham’s humanities relationship pinch nan Forbidden City. In a notable first for an English university, Durham’s archaeological squad was granted support to excavate wrong nan walls of nan Forbidden City, a testament to nan beardown world ties and nan ongoing efforts to span taste and humanities gaps betwixt nan East and nan West. This collaboration has paved nan measurement for communal learning and greater knowing of China’s rich | taste heritage.

A Unique Cultural Experience

Visitors to nan Oriental Museum tin expect an immersive acquisition that spans complete a period of transformation, from nan bosom of imperial China to 1 of nan world’s astir renowned museums. Through photographs, artifacts, and world insights, nan accumulation offers a uncommon opportunity to witnesser nan taste improvement of nan Palace Museum and its domiciled successful preserving Chinese history for early generations.

As nan only venue extracurricular of China to big this bonzer exhibition, nan Oriental Museum successful Durham serves arsenic an exclusive level for world audiences to research nan extent and richness of Chinese taste heritage. The accumulation not only commemorates nan Palace Museum’s past but besides looks up to its early arsenic a beacon of taste preservation and world cooperation.

Visit nan Exhibition astatine Durham’s Oriental Museum

The “Journey of a Century” accumulation runs until 31 May 2026 astatine nan Oriental Museum, located connected Elvet Hill successful Durham City. This accumulation offers an unthinkable opportunity for anyone willing successful history, art, and civilization to research 1 of nan world’s astir fascinating museums from a caller and insightful perspective. Whether you are a section resident aliases a visitant from afar, this accumulation is an unmissable opportunity to acquisition a period of translator successful Chinese heritage.

[Image Credit: Durham University]