Show presents treasures from China's imperial era

Art objects of inestimable value from imperial China are on display for three and a half months at the National Museum in Prague. The exhibition entitled "100 Treasures, 100 Stories" brings together a selection of exhibits from the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, some of which are rarely shown abroad. The show will be on display until the end of the year.

One outstanding exhibit is the "jade cabbage" from the Qing dynasty, which ruled China from the first half of the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century. With the natural colors of the jade gemstone, the sculpture perfectly imitates the appearance of a Chinese cabbage. According to the curators, this is symbolic of fineness and purity of character.

From porcelain works to painted paper scrolls

Other objects include a small cabinet made of sandalwood with porcelain inlays and a meter-long painted scroll that tells of a journey along a river. Some sculptures depict ancient legends, such as the transformation of a carp into a dragon. Other objects served more mundane purposes, such as storing snuff.

The National Palace Museum in Taipei is home to one of the largest collections of Chinese art in the world. Many of the exhibits used to be part of the imperial art collection in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Chinese general Chiang Kai-shek brought them to Taiwan when he and his followers fled the communists from the mainland in 1949.

Relations between Taiwan and China have been tense for decades. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and is seeking reunification, using military force if necessary. Taiwan, on the other hand, sees itself as a democratic state with its own government.