Day 54-58 Pt 2-Taiwan

DAY 55 & DAY 58

My main and almost singular purpose for coming to Taipei - Miniatures Museum of Taiwan ("MMOT"), a sneak peak of which was given in Day 37. I have already published my 1st post on the MMOT in my Projects Blog. I will continue to post pictures of the exhibits on that blog and I believe I have enough pictures to last a lifetime (in dollhouse years).The ones I post here are those relating to my Maharajah Palace. I must say there are not many.

ETHNIC PRINCESSES
Firstly, these Ethnic Princesses would have been invited to Raj and Tara's wedding if only they were of the right scale but alas, Barbie Dolls are not allowed at the palace for they make Prince look puny.

Museum Artifacts

These are artifacts crafted by artisans that are really beautiful and in my humble view, should belong to a palace instead of a museum.

Museum Furniture

Heirloom pieces collected from all over the world. The 1st set is from the Venetian Mansion and the other is a finely painted Chinese Chest. My Maharajah who loves all things gold will want to acquire these priceless treasures.

There are many more and I will undoubtedly find them when I finish sorting out the pictures but in the meantime, this page is about to explode with these wonders and high resolution pictures and there's still pictures of my purchases.

You know, as I was clicking away at the Museum, so many of you popped into my head. I realise how much I have come to identify you guys with the minis you create. I hope you will visit my project blog and let me know if I am right identifying you with that particular exhibit.

So to end my most memorable museum visits, here are some of the palace acquisitions (I have picked only the more note worthy pieces because you can find the rest quite easily except in Singapore)

PALACE TREASURES

The Golden Urns
(1 1/2" by 1/2" at widest)

In Tibet, children believed to be the reincarnations of the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama are identified by a lottery method, where names of competing candidates are written on folded slips of paper placed in a golden urn. This controversial method originated from a decree passed by Emperor Qianlong in 1792. There are two Golden Urns issued by the Emperor. One is enshrined in Jokhnag Temple in Lhasa for choosing Dalai and Panchen Lama reincarnations, the other is in Yonghe Palance, or Lama Temple, in Beijing for choosing Mongolian Khutughtu reincarnations

This method of selection is not always approved by the Government of Tibet in Exile. A picture of the real Golden Urn is below (standing at 34 cm high) :

Quite clearly, mine are imitations.

Qinghua Porcelain Series
(Vases-1 7/8" for tallest piece-1" (widest)

The evolution of Chinese Porcelain began during the Shang Dynasty, flourished during the Yuan and thereafter the Ming and Qing dynasties which were the golden age of "china" . During the thriving period, Jingdeshen, the Porcelain Capital extended for a number of kilometres with 100,000 ceramic workshops firing and kilning china. Yet Qinghua porcelain has outlasted all the works. Its production leverages on the art of Chinese Painting as well as sophisticated kilning techniques. Qinghua porcelain wares feature blue and white, creating the style of elegance and beauty.Hence Qinghua porcelain wares not only represent Chinese cultural and artistic treasures but also serves as a remarkable subject in the world cultural and art history-Written on card that came with these fridge magnets.

The Antique Notebook
(3" by 2" when closed and 67" long when open)

This book opens out to almost 60" of continuous Chinese landscape painting in traditional style with calligraphy. Some critics regard landscape painting as the highest form of Chinese painting. It is really quite amazing in real life. Mine is of course just a print reproduction.

Blue and White Porcelain Plates
(1 2/8" diameter)

Sporadic with the blue and white colour, blue and white porcelain had been exquisite in the Yuan Dynasty (around the 14th century) in China.Its perfectly glazed colour and rich arrangement of layers make it the representative work of China-More souvenir card literature

Imperial Dragon Gowns (Manchurian Dynasty)
(7/8" to 1 2/8" (extended sleeves)

The Manchurian (Ching) Dynasty represents an era in Chinese history when the Manchurian and the Han cultures were in close interchange. The Manchurian dresses and adornment stood for the most significant change in the Chinese history. The Dynasty also represented a non-Han ethnic era which maintained most of the Manchurian traditions. The Manchurian dresses and adornment were made largely to cater to the Manchurian horseback riders . Imperial Dragon Gowns made to be worn by Emperors often entail fine and exquisite workmanship, fastidiously selected materials and magnificent colors.

This is my 2nd favourite purchase.

PALACE CHAIR
(6" BY 4")

This is my favourite, favourite piece and the only one at the museum shop There is no history and the oldest staff at the shop told me it was there since her 1st day of work. If anyone of you know or have seen this piece of furniture, do let me know.

REAL LIFE BOOKS

I believe I bought all the titles available on MMOT's exhibits, in particular there are 5 books featuring the winning pieces of MMOT's annual miniature room box competiton.

Day 55 (Evening) Taipei 101

And so after a most satisfying day at the Miniature Heaven, we made our way to the tallest building in the world, Taipei 101. You need to pay S$19 to get to the 88th 89th and 91st floor but it was worth it. The stunning night lights from up there is both beyond my power to describe or the capability of my Cannon to capture so I won't even try. There is one thing though that I must record. As we walked out onto the verandah on the 91st floor, we witnessed the most fantastic phenomenon. Right above our heads, a billowy cluster of fog was twirling around with the hissing winds. It is a most amazing feeling because it felt like you were walking admist the clouds! Wow, 2 heavens in 1 day, what more can you ask? Below is a poor attempt to capture the feeling but maybe you will know what I mean.