This cluster map of the Forbidden City shows the density and information about the Hindustan jades according to the 1925, National Palace Museum, Beijing, inventory of classical objects. In that same year, The Palace Museum opened the doors to the Forbidden City’s rear palaces to the public for the first time. For centuries before, the Forbidden City was the regal and secluded home for Ming and Qing emperors.
However, 1925 marked an important year for what would become the National Palace Museum we know today. This inventory, and the gradual opening of the Forbidden City grounds, provide a look into how Republican leadership utilized the former seat of dynastic power and classical Chinese art to assert authority domestically to its visitors, as well as internationally through the inclusion of Hindustan objects from across Muslim regions.
A note about the inventory - The current inventory includes only jades that now are housed in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The National Palace Museum, Beijing, does not provide open access images of their collection. Additional jades stored in other museums or private collections will be added as they are made available.
The Map of the Forbidden City supports the following in English, Pinyin, and Simplified Chinese.