Torn Ancient China Painting to Be Joined in Taiwan

One of China's best-known ancient paintings, torn into two parts in the 17th century, will soon be exhibited in its entirety in Taiwan for the first time in more than 360 years, organisers said Monday.

The public will be able from next week to see "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" as it was originally created, after China sent its piece to Taiwan on loan, the National Palace Museum in Taipei said in a statement.

"For more than 360 years, these two sections of the original scroll have never been displayed together," the museum said.

The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) painting was partly destroyed in the middle of the 17th century, when its owner, a rich collector, ordered it burned shortly before his death, perhaps in hopes of taking it with him to the afterlife.

The collector's son managed to salvage most of the painting, but not before it was torn in two, and for the next three and a half centuries they were never reunited.

However, the new improved relationship between Taiwan and China means Zhejiang Provincial Museum in east China has agreed to lend the smaller section of the painting to join the bigger part at Taiwan's National Palace Museum.

"In recreating the original appearance of 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains,' audiences can glimpse a complete overview of this important masterpiece in Chinese art," the palace museum said.

The exhibition is slated for June 2 through September 5 in Taipei, but it is unlikely to be repeated on the mainland.

The Taipei museum has made it clear that so far it has no plan to loan the painting, fearing it would not be returned by Beijing, which still considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The National Palace Museum boasts more than 655,000 artefacts spanning 7,000 years from the Neolithic period to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

They were removed from a Beijing museum in the 1930s to prevent them falling into the hands of invading Japanese troops and were taken to Taiwan by the Nationalists as they fled communist forces on the mainland.