Again Killing the Goose that Lays Golden Eggs: Sacrificing the National Palace Museum in Taipei to Boost its Southern Branch

 Again Killing the Goose that Lays Golden Eggs: Sacrificing the National Palace Museum in Taipei to Boost its Southern Branch

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

November 14, 2018

 Translation of an Excerpt

National Palace Museum (NPM) director Chen Chi-nan recently decided to close down the NPM for three years in order to conduct renovations, during which time the art treasures would be relocated to its southern branch for exhibit. When the news elicited uproars nationwide, he changed his tune, saying that the renovation project would be planned without "closing down the museum." Not only that, Chen Chi-nan also met with elected representatives in local deliberative councils of Green camp affiliation and Weng Chang-liang, the DPP candidate in the Chiayi County executive race, in the office of Chang Ching-sen, Minister of State without Portfolio, at the Cabinet, pledging that the art treasures would be moved to the southern branch for exhibit. The DPP, in stumping for its candidates, surprisingly thought of utilizing the art treasures in the National Palace Museum; does it truly believe that "L'État, c'est moi”?

There are three imponderables in this matter: First, as a general practice, in the renovation projects of state-level museums, rarely have there been precedents for the closure of the entire museum; Chen Chi-nan’s original decision was quite unreasonable. Second, the art treasures in the National Palace Museum are the gems of Chinese culture and civilization owned by humanity. The DPP considers it as its own and abuses it as a political tool, apparently harboring evil intent. Third, the DPP has always hated China and does not cherish the gems of the National Palace Museum. Some time ago, at the museum’s southern branch, pro-Taiwan independence elements vandalized the 12 replicas of the animal heads in the Chinese zodiac by splashing paint on them; the government did nothing to condemn the vandalism. With this kind of atmospherics and mentality, if the art treasures of the museum were moved to its southern branch, they would encounter formidable threats and risks. Considering the security of the art treasures, the move would be utterly impracticable.

Chen Chi-nan proclaimed that during the closure of the main museum in Taipei, the art treasures were to be moved to the southern branch for exhibit, which could create three million visits a year for its southern branch. Let us ask: Forsaking five million visits a year for the main museum in Taipei while claiming it could create three million visits for its southern branch, what arithmetic is this? Speaking plainly, this is the Tsai government’s tactic of "killing the goose that lays golden eggs": in order to create the deliberately-embellished phenomenon of prosperity for the museum’s southern branch in Chiayi, the government would not think twice even if it had to kill the goose of the main museum laying golden eggs. However, the public would question: Once the main museum in Taipei were closed down, would the visitors truly journey to its southern branch in Chiayi over 200 kilometers away? And after being closed down for three years, when the main museum in Taipei reopened, would it truly call back the original hordes of visitors?

In fact, Tsai Ing-wen is no different. Relying on a single electoral victory, she considers the entire assets of the country as her own, attempting to change the identity and values of the people, not minding at all that the people are mired in misery. This time, for political considerations, the DPP surprisingly wanted to use the gems of the National Palace Museum as dowry for its southern branch, disregarding professionalism. What can people expect from this kind of ruling party?

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