Scholars on the Chinese mainland have condemned a recent
resolution adopted by the Taiwanese authority that requires the
island's National Palace Museum to remove all the labels that
identify exhibits as from the Chinese mainland.
The resolution, adopted by Taiwan's Executive Yuan on Jan. 17,
bans the National Palace Museum from identifying its exhibits as
transported from the Imperial Palace in Beijing, the overseas
edition of the People's Daily newspaper reported on
Friday.
By the resolution, the task of the museum shall be "the
collection, study and expatiation of "domestic and foreign antiques
and art pieces", instead of "the collection, study and expatiation
of ancient Chinese art."
"The Taiwan authorities may next label the Chinese mainland a
'foreign country'," said Xu Bodong, dean of the school of Taiwan
studies at the Beijing Union University.
First opened in 1965, the National Palace Museum in Taipei
houses 654,500 art works and artifacts that were shipped from
Beijing (then called Beiping) to Taiwan in 1949 during nationalist
leader Chiang Kai-shek's retreat to the island.
Many scholars said the revised regulation ignored historic fact
and was just another attempt to cut Taiwan's links to the
mainland.
"I have visited the museum three times. Each time, I saw a lot
of Taiwanese young people there, most of them deeply impressed and
proud of being Chinese," Xu said.
"But the resolution is intended to force them to forget the fact
that they are Chinese," he said.
Professor Shao Zonghai, of the Chinese Cultural University of
Taiwan, pointed out that it would affect relations between the two
sides.
"The administrative measures cannot influence my generation, but
will affect the next generation, alienating them towards the
mainland," Shao said.
"To simply erase some terms cannot change the fact that the
exhibits were originally transported from Beijing," said Liang
Jinsheng, researcher with the Palace Museum in Beijing.
"It's an insult to those who put so much effort into preserving
the cultural relics on their way to the island during wartime,"
said Liang, whose grandfather oversaw the transport of imperial
collections in 1949.
"Regulations can be changed, but the history cannot," he
said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2007)