A reign reassembled

China's last golden age came under the reign of three Manchu Dynasty emperors, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianglong, who oversaw a surge of progress in politics, culture and military exploits.

[Watch the video of Yongzheng Emperor Exhibition in Taipei]

But despite the cultural richness of the three reigns, there's been relatively little access to the Qing dynasty's magnificent bounty of art since "China: the Three Emperors, 1662-1795", a 2005 exhibition held

at London's Royal Academy of Arts.

 The reason for the lack of exposure is obvious: when it comes to Qing dynasty art, they say China has the hardware, but the software

is in Taiwan. The fact is that the National Palace Museum in Taipei boasts the world's largest collection of Chinese historical artefacts, totalling more than 700,000 pieces.

 Most of the items were removed from the Beijing Palace Museum in the 1930s to prevent the collection from falling into the hands

of the invading Japanese army. They were later shipped to Taiwan when the Kuomintang-led nationalist troops lost to the Communists in the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

  Now, after six decades of troubled relations, China and Taiwan are coming together for a groundbreaking exhibition entitled

"Harmony and Integrity: the Yongzheng Emperor and His Times", on view until January 10 at the National Palace Museum (NPM) in Taipei. The reunion of the collection from the two palace museums after 60

years of separation signifies a flourishing of cultural relations across the Taiwan Strait.

 The exhibition provides a dazzling, multifaceted narrative of the middle reign of the three great Manchu emperors. Divided into

two main sections, it begins with "The Yongzheng Emperor", which describes the various stages of the ruler's life, before moving onto the "Art and Culture in the Yongzheng Reign".

 Featured are 246 masterpieces, including 203 works from the NPM, 37 pieces loaned from the Beijing Palace Museum and six

from other museum and private collections.

 The 37 works from Beijing include a formal portrait of Yongzheng, paintings of him in life and various artefacts from his court. One highlight is the emperor's seal, which bears the Chinese inscription, "Being an emperor is difficult". Of special importance to historians,

though, is the Kangxi Emperor's last will and testament (1722), which helps

refute suspicions that his son Yongzheng usurped the throne.

 But other doubts concerning Yongzheng's rule (1722-1735) still

abound, making him the most controversial Manchu emperor in history. 

In popular stories, he is portrayed as a paranoid and ruthless ruler, given to drink and womanising, crafty in his political manoeuvring and extremely temperamental.

 In his teens Yongzheng was supposedly admonished by Kangxi for violent mood swings. However, official histories praise him as a

brilliant monarch who was diligent in administration, courageous in instituting reforms, fair in deciding rewards and punishment,

lofty in taste and faithful to past tradition in laying a solid foundation for the future.

 New evidence on view at the exhibition seems to support the latter view. Kangxi's will, for instance, shows that

he proclaimed his son Prince Yong (Yongzheng) heir to the

throne before he died, on December 20, 1722.

 Elsewhere, Yongzheng comes across as a patron of

China's art, culture and religion but also as a monarch

who worked tirelessly for his land and subjects. His diligence and mounting workload, many believe, explain his short-lived reign - only 13 years. He often burnt the midnight oil reviewing reports submitted by officials across

the land, and replied using a pen dipped in the vermilion

inkwell on show.

 The emperor is most famous for creating an efficient government by stamping out corruption, filling court coffers, exploring new frontiers and creating a firm foundation for the "Ten Great

Military Achievements" of his son, Qianglong.

 He also holds a special place in the hearts

of the Taiwanese. Yongzheng's personal concern for Formosa (Taiwan) is almost unparalleled in Chinese royal history: he exhorted his officials to make amicability and sincerity the central principles in governing the island.

This in turn resulted in the lifting of restrictions on Taiwan's Chinese settlement.

 Though embroiled in affairs of state, the emperor was a man of classical taste whose reign spawned artworks of unrivalled style

and skill, thanks to his court artists and kilns. Particularly eye-catching is a collection of painted scrolls entitled "Beauties" (from Beijing). These ladies of the court - the emperor's consorts - are depicted enjoying a

range of activities, from reciting scripture with rosary beads in hand to enjoying tea and admiring flower arrangements. They all look

polite, placid and thoughtful - the epitome of feminine beauty at the time. Fine lines and opulent colours trace their delicate features and give an authentic reflection of court paraphernalia such as ornaments and

porcelain.

 Not all the paintings were created by Chinese artists. The emperor employed a group of Western missionary painters, best

known among whom was an Italian, Giuseppe Castilgione (also known by his Chinese name - Lang Shining). He introduced the principles of Western perspective to the court, generating a vast collection of paintings that are on display in this exhibition.

 Not to be missed is the imperial porcelain section. The highlights is two hexagonal vases sharing exactly the same proportions and

decoration, suggestive of the uncanny skill in firing porcelain during Yongzheng's reign.

 This is by far the most comprehensive

exhibition ever mounted on the Yongzheng Emperor - an auspicious sign that we can expect more access to art treasures in the near

future courtesy of Taiwan and China.

"Harmony and Integrity: the Yongzheng Emperor and His

Times" runs until January 10 at the National Palace

Museum, in Taipei.

The writer travelled to Taiwan courtesy of the Taipei Economic &

Cultural Office.