A panoramic view of the history of the cultural relics of the Forbidden City moving south

Answer 1

The relocation of the cultural relics of the Palace Museum to the south was a great cultural relic protection operation organized by the Palace Museum during the Republic of China.

** 1. The virtual and real in the background of the southward migration **
1. ** Void: A potential threat under the dark clouds of war **
- In the early 1930s, the international situation was in turmoil, and Japan was eyeing China. After the "September 18th Incident" broke out in 1931, the cultural tragedy of the burning of the Yuanmingyuan and the bombing of the Commercial Press came first, and the cultural relics of the Forbidden City faced a huge potential threat. Although this threat had not directly descended on the cultural relics of the Forbidden City, the dark clouds of war had already shrouded the Forbidden City, making the people of the Forbidden City realize that they must take action to protect these treasures that carried thousands of years of Chinese civilization.
2. ** Reality: The direct driving force behind the fall of Shanhaiguan **
- On January 31, 1933, Shanhaiguan fell, which became the direct driving force for the cultural relics of the Forbidden City to move south. The board of directors of the Palace Museum decided to transport some of the cultural relics of the Palace Museum to Shanghai in batches, because once the Japanese army invaded further, the cultural relics of the Palace Museum were likely to be plundered or destroyed.

** 2. The virtual and real in the process of moving south **
1. ** Void: Spiritual legend of cultural relics **
- In the process of moving south, there was a saying that the cultural relics had spirits. Every time the cultural relics were transported away, the place would be bombed. Although this statement was somewhat mysterious and had no scientific basis, it also reflected people's feelings about the cultural relics being able to survive.
2. ** Reality: Carefully organized and difficult transportation **
- The packing work was meticulous and difficult. There was a special method to pack all kinds of cultural relics such as thin porcelain and heavy stone drums. Starting from the night of February 5th, 1933, the first batch of cultural relics from the Palace Museum, 2118 boxes, was shipped from Shenwumen Square. By May 15th, five batches of cultural relics were shipped away, totaling 13427 boxes and 64 bags. These cultural relics included more than 9000 paintings and calligraphy, more than 7000 pieces of porcelain, and more than 2600 pieces of bronze ware, bronze mirrors, and bronze seals.
- The transportation route was complicated. The cultural relics were first transported to Shanghai and stored in the Shanghai office of the Palace Museum on Alpei Road (now South Shaanxi Road) in the French concession in Shanghai. At the same time, a cultural relics warehouse was built in Chaotian Palace in Nanjing. The cultural relics stored in Shanghai in 1936 were moved to the new warehouse in Nanjing in five batches. After the July 7 Incident in 1937, the cultural relics of the Forbidden City moved south and the cultural relics of the National Central Museum were transported to Sichuan in three ways. Ba County stored 80 boxes, Emei County stored 7287 boxes, and Leshan County stored 9331 boxes. Transportation used trains, cars, ships and other means of transportation. In the turbulent war environment, the people of the Forbidden City overcame many difficulties to ensure the safety of cultural relics.
- During the process of moving south, the cultural relics were also exhibited abroad twice. They participated in the exhibition in Britain and the Soviet Union respectively. On the one hand, it showcased China's rich cultural heritage. On the other hand, it also reflected the diverse efforts of the Forbidden City people in the process of moving south, letting the world understand China's long-standing civilization.

** 3. The Reality and Illusion in the Results of Moving to the South **
1. ** Void: The symbol of national spirit contained in cultural relics **
- These cultural relics had now become the symbol of the Chinese national spirit. They were like solemn and quiet Buddhist statues, representing the power of the victims to transcend the suffering spirit of reality, casting people's beautiful wishes for the future, symbolizing the brilliance and sublimity of the rebirth of Chinese civilization. In this sense, the spiritual content carried by cultural relics was an invisible but incomparably powerful force.
2. ** Reality: Final destination and preservation status of cultural relics **
- In 1946, three cultural relics (Ba County, Emei County and Leshan County) were first concentrated in Chongqing and transported back to Nanjing in 1947. From the end of 1948 to the beginning of 1949, 2972 boxes of cultural relics were shipped to Taiwan and stored in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. More than 10,000 boxes of cultural relics left in Nanjing after 1951 were transported back to the Palace Museum. The remaining 2221 boxes were left in the Nanjing warehouse and belonged to the Nanjing Museum. Today, these cultural relics that were once displaced were quietly displayed in major museum, silently telling the extraordinary years of moving south.
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