'Dream of the Red Chamber' Becomes Reality at Nat'l Palace Museum Costume Party

TaiwanPlus News

Around 2,000 people participated in the National Palace Museum's annual costume party on Saturday night, with many dressed in traditional Chinese outfits.

Transcript

00:00People from different Chinese dynasties from hundreds or even thousands of years ago

00:05gather at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

00:08Or at least, they're dressed like it.

00:30The National Palace Museum is home to hundreds of thousands of Chinese artifacts,

00:43most brought over from China by the Nationalists in 1948 and 1949

00:47as they were losing the Chinese Civil War to Communist Party forces.

00:51This year, around 2,000 people joined the museum's annual costume party.

00:55And while many were dressed in traditional Chinese outfits,

00:58others brought a more modern twist.

01:17This year's theme is based on Dream of the Red Chamber.

01:20It's an 18th century book that's considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.

01:25Inside here is a special exhibit that's supposed to take people through the fictional world of the book.

01:30The museum's Dream of the Red Chamber exhibit displays objects mentioned in the novel,

01:35a story about a prominent Qing dynasty family.

01:38Partygoers could visit the exhibit,

01:40and one of the museum's deputy directors said the hope is they'll gain a better understanding of the book.

01:55Many attendees said the exhibit made the story feel more real.

02:25But some of the party's younger attendees weren't as impressed.

02:28We didn't learn a thing because they're just boring rocks and plates.

02:35I don't know why they show up in the museum.

02:38In keeping with the theme, performers interpreted scenes from the book.

02:49And regardless of what attendees thought of the exhibition,

02:52for one night, they could experience some of the culture of a bygone age.

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