Porto de Folie

 The Twelve Dynasties and The Three Kingdoms


The National Palace Museum, Taiwan





“Heaven and Earth possess beauty without words”, Chuang Tzu, The Zhuangzi.






The year was 1948, and the Communists were closing in on the Forbidden City of Beijing. The Kuomintang, surrounded within the imperial palace complex, were not alone. Trapped with them were the imperial vaults, full to the brim with jade carvings, bronze vessels, silk paintings, and ancient scrolls; artwork that has survived millennia of the rise and fall of mighty dynasties were to be destroyed under the new rule… unless.¹

Chiang Kai-Shek ordered 600,000 of the Chinese treasures, with them 8,000 years of Chinese history, to be transported out of The Palace Museum of Beijing into a railway warehouse in Yangmei, smuggled through the Taiwan strait into a sugar-cane mill in southern Taichung where they were stored before being relocated into their final resting place, in the mountains of northern Taipei².

There, they lay dormant for the next fifteen years… only to wake up in a new country, under a new government, in a new museum, The National Palace Museum of Taiwan³. Now they are caught in a new war between two nations, The Republic of China and The People’s Republic of China, where the former states the plan was a necessary act of cultural preservation, while the latter claims the plot to be one of the most elaborate art heists in history.⁴

Unlike the nations however, the arts themselves are far from new…



The Xia Dynasty


2070 – 1600 BCE

From the mists of legend and lore emerged The Xia Dynasty riding the reign of its first ruler, Yu the Great. Under his rule, the land transformed from people into a society, with a governance of meritocracy being born⁵. The Xia's innovated in molding pottery, which may seem rudimentary compared to later periods, but its significance lies in the stories engraved into each piece.

The pottery of this era was often adorned with simple yet evocative patterns, speaks to the daily lives and beliefs of the Xia people. To become so, the soft clay is gathered, shaped, glazed, and fired until it becomes solid and enduring and, through many hands and countless changes, it transforms, gaining strength and permanence, much like the civilization they molded to be.


The Shang Dynasty


1600 – 1046 BCE

Civilization blossomed and bloomed into the Shang Dynasty, enshrined in complexity and spirituality. Here, the first bronzes were cast by hands who believed the world was strung together by invisible forces.

The pieces were conduits for worship, believing metal carried the prayers echoed through, acting as a bridge between the heavens and the earth⁷. Among these artifacts of the Shang, The Bronze Ding stands as an exemplar example of a ceremonial vessel adorned with detailed patterning and intricate engravings that tells stories of mythical masks and beasts, dragons, and phoenixes.


The Zhou Dynasty


1046 – 256 BCE

With the rise of the Zhou Dynasty, governance encompassed the favor of the divine as well as the favor of the people. Heaven, or the Tian, selected a monarch Tianzi to rule the Tianxia, defined by the doctrine, The Mandate of Heaven⁸. The Zhou sought oneness with heaven that was deeply enrooted within their artistic expressions.

They built upon their ancestors' bronze by adding turquoise hues not only to preserve the bronze in immortality but give it an ethereal glow. Jade carvings represented purity, virtue, and connection to a higher being, with the The Jade Bi exemplifying their reverence for the cosmos. Each meticulously crafted piece is hued and imbued with meaning, serving as a decorative item and a spiritual talismans.


The Qin Dynasty


221 – 206 BCE

Under the ambitious leadership of Qin Shi Huang, China saw the consolidation of various states into a single empire, with significant developments in infrastructure and standardization, however, a ruthless approach to governance⁹. Art became a reflection of this new world order, serving to both inspire and intimidate.

A time of turmoil and troubles aplenty, the Terracotta Army, an empire of clay soldiers and stallions frozen in eternal vigilance, guarded the tomb of Qin Shi Huang on his quest for immortality¹⁰. Though their original colors have faded, their stoic faces remain, uniquely crafted, representing not just a soldier but the aspirations of a ruler who sought to extend his power beyond death.


The Han Dynasty


206 BCE – 220 CE

The Qin gave way to the Han who were notorious storytellers, and art was another medium for them to do so. They intertwined threads of history and mythology to create Silk Paintings, and with the recent establishment of the Silk Road, cultural exchanges enriched their repertoire by adding materials such as cotton, wool, ivory, metals… and silk.

Han silk paintings often depict intricate scenes of court life, material of which would shimmer with vibrancy as these stories told. The Eight Immortals tell the tale of Xian or immortals that are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea; the immortals are revered by the Taoists and are considered signs of prosperity and longevity by secular Chinese cultures¹².Tales like these transcend the silk and offer us a window into their world.


The Three Kingdoms


220 – 280 CE

In the rubble of the Han’s ruin, China splintered into the kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu, stuck in a perpetual state of war¹³. This period of warring kingdoms brought about an almost elegant and yet aggressive side to the artistic scene at the time, with the beauty being as much of a weapon as the sword itself.

One such piece that speaks to the elegance of this era is the Bronze Swords with Jade Scabbards. The detailed carvings on the jade, depicting dragons and mythical creatures, tell stories of protection and power, symbolizing both the violent ambition of the era and the resilience of Chinese craftsmanship. In these swords, the line between art and history blurs in an age where beauty persisted, even as war threatened to tear everything apart.


The Sui Dynasty


581 – 618 CE

However brief, the Sui reunified the fragmented China, fostering a sense of national identity by facilitating exuberant projects such as the Grand Canal¹⁴. It was said, “when the Grand Canal was navigable, the empires were prosperous,” with elements from Buddhism in India to Regality in Japan flooding into China, setting the stage for an early Eastern Renaissance.

Art during the Sui reflects this blend of influences, with a focus on sculpture and pottery that emphasizes both form and function. For example, The Sui Buddha statue radiates serenity and stands to showcase the cultural exchange between the Chinese and the Indians, inviting contemplation as in the artwork of the later Western Renaissance.**


The Tang Dynasty


618 – 907 CE

The Tang dynasty was a golden age for Chinese culture, emerging after the tumultuous Sui, marked by prosperity, cosmopolitanism, and advances in literature and art. China became an immense melting pot of influences, Persian, Indian, and Central Asian ideals blended with native traditions, which shaped a uniquely Tang identity¹⁵.

From the hands of artisans emerged the Tang Sancai, the Tri-Color Glazed Pottery, a vivid with greens, yellows, and blues swirling together in harmony. The colors mimic the soul of an empire that celebrated life's fleeting moments; horses, camels, and figurines adorned in brilliant shades capture the vibrancy of a dynasty ever in motion.


The Song Dynasty


960 – 1279 CE

In the quiet contemplation brought about by the Song Dynasty, art transformed into a mirror of the mind, where the external world of war and people gave way to an inner universe of thought and emotion, with Confucian ideals guiding governance as well as the painters and calligraphers alike¹⁶.

Calligraphy flourished, with each stroke of the brush becoming a meditation in motion. Masters like Su Dongpo let their thoughts bleed out from their minds unto the pages, their emotion scratching characters out of the ink. The brush, in Song hands, was not just an instrument but an extension of the heart, suspending a moment between the heavens and the earth.


The Yuan Dynasty


1271–1368 CE

The Mongol winds swept across China with the Yuan, and with it art became a bridge between worlds. The Mongol court welcomed Asian and European influences to create a remarkable artistic pluralism that would define the period, and the Yuan’s nomadic roots and the grand expanse of the Chinese landscape created an art of beauty that was both raw and refined in tandem¹⁷.

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by Huang Gongwang stands as a testament to this union between the nature and soul, where mountains roll endlessly, dissolving into mist and thought. In these strokes, the Yuan’s deep reverence for the land and its natural rhythms are laid bare; they are a journey through a tranquil mind, one that reflects the Yuan Dynasty’s delicate balance between their Mongol heritage and the Chinese traditions.


The Ming Dynasty


1368–1644 CE

The Ming Dynasty, built from the ruins of the Yuan, infused tradition with newfound vitality. The Ming sought to capture eternity in their creations, creating vases that were more than vessels—they were declarations of the Ming’s return to greatness¹⁸, each etch meticulously calculated, each curve making monumental waves.

Blue-and-White Porcelain became the Ming’s signature, its cobalt dragons swirling amongst the waning clouds telling tales of myth and majesty. The porcelain, smooth and flawless, reflected a civilization that sought to perfect not only their art but their world; every stroke and every detail was a reflection of the celestial and the terrestrial¹⁹.


The Qing Dynasty


1644–1912 CE

The final imperial chapter of the scroll of Chinese history, the Qing Dynasty, unfurls. Their empire was one of contrasts—traditional and foreign, ornate and simple, all together into a celebration of life’s most intricate details. The Manchu rulers of the Qing shared their practices of jade and with the porcelain of Chinese tradition, unify the land in a grand feat of artistic achievement²⁰.

The height of this artistic achievement lies in the Jadeite Cabbage, a symbol of Qing finesse. The cabbage, a humble vegetable, is transformed into a breathtaking display of precision and craftsmanship, its leaves unfurling with lifelike detail, crowned by a pair of locusts perched as though ready to spring to life. While its meaning remains enshrouded in mystery, it remains a testament to the Qing’s penchant for finding profundity in simplicity, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. The Jadeite Cabbage is one flawless piece that transcends time itself, and therefore it stands as a testament to the times that have passed, and the times yet to come.

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Written by Haya A. Elmizwghi
Edited by Thu Phan
Photographed by Julio Caggiano