The National Palace Museum (NPM) will allow visitors to photograph certain artifacts — including the Jadeite Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone — from Sept. 1, reversing a long-standing police of prohibiting photography in the museum.
Photography has been banned to protect the artifacts, but during a three-month period from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, photography and filming of utensil and implement-type artifacts will be allowed.
“So far the items that can be photographed or filmed under the new policy include metal vessels, jade and porcelain objects and other types of implements,” said Huang Hsuan-cheng (黃宣政), who is in charge of security at the museum.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
“Aside from the popular Jadeite Cabbage and the Meat-shaped Stone, visitors will be able to have their pictures taken with the San Family Plate,” Huang said. “As for paintings and calligraphy works, we will have to wait for research to be completed to see which items the museum will allow visitors to photograph.”
Huang said the move is in line with a global trend of museums increasingly allowing photography of artifacts, citing the Louvre and the British Museum as examples.
Huang added that on Fridays and Saturdays when the museum is open until 9pm instead of the regular 6:30pm, photography will be prohibited from 6:30pm to 9pm to allow visitors to quietly enjoy the collections.
The museum said signs will be posted in areas where photography will remain prohibited. Tripods, flashes, external lights and selfie sticks will continue to be banned at all times.
The museum said it hopes those taking pictures will respect the flow of traffic around exhibits and will not affect other visitors’ enjoyment of the exhibits.
Group photography of more than nine people will not be allowed and people blocking pathways will be ushered on by museum staff, Huang said.
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