On the way to the National Palace Museum in Taipei, a glimpse of ornate Chinese-style roofs sparkling through shady trees marks the site of the Chinese Culture and Movie Center. Established by the Chinese Motion Picture Corp. at a cost of NT$10 million (US$280,000) and covering an area of 15,000 ping (1 ping = 36 sq. ft.), the center provides the opportunity to savor Chinese life as it was through the ages. To pass through the cultural center's massive gates is to turn back the clock and feel what it was like to live in the old days of China.

The Hall of Chinese Customs, for instance, has 47 different displays of traditions, made more authentic by exact replicas of bronze and lacquer ware containers used in the past for food, wine and water; and musical instruments. The decorative items, calligraphy and paintings depict the codes, systems, history, knowledge and versatility of the Chinese people of old. Customs displayed on the second floor include presentation of betrothal gifts, transporting the bride, bowing to heaven and earth at a wedding ceremony, conducting a funeral procession, tomb-sweeping, carrying lanterns during the Lantern Festival, visiting relatives during the New Year celebration, and family gatherings on New Year's Eve. Traditional activities illustrated include dragon and lion dancing, stilt and rope walking, story-telling with musical accompaniment, Chinese opera, and acrobatics display.

The most colorful and impressive exhibit is the traditional wedding ceremony. A smiling matchmaker is the constant figure in the various stages of the wedding from matchmaking, through the betrothal, to the wedding ceremony itself. The final tableau shows the bride being conveyed in a classical red sedan along a snow-covered path. Visitors can even smell the fragrance of plum blossoms and hear the traditional music.

Next to the hall is a model palace of the Ching Dynasty. Wax likenesses of the Kang Hsi Emperor, who reigned from 1662 to 1723 A.D. and Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, who presided over the decline of imperial China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are on view, wearing royal apparel and expressions so lifelike that they seem ready to rise from their thrones. Kang Hsi is depicted in a small chamber in the palace wearing robes and seated in a dragon throne, amid all the trappings of majesty. Tzu Hsi sits on her dragon throne as though she is conducting affairs of state. The bejewelled ornaments on her head and wrists, her long fingernails and the pearl-encrusted hem of her chi pao dress are all authentic. Even the soles of her palace slippers are embroidered. Because of this meticulous detail, the wax figure is estimated to be worth more than NT$100,000 (US$2,800).

In the historic buildings section of the Cultural City, which takes up a large portion of the site, the five stone-paved streets are lined with inns, stores, government yamens, private houses and other edifices. In this painstakingly reconstructed piece of ancient China, the visitor can visit a Han Dynasty drugstore, a Tang studio, a Sung inn, a Ming bridal chamber and a small Ching Palace. Perhaps the happiest place is a large inn with an old-fashioned sign hanging outside. Inside, waiters serve guests with peanuts, wine, stewed meats, and dried bean curd, In one corner, a bewhiskered old man savors his repast contentedly, while in another, some men of letters toast each other. The scene looks so real, the visitor can almost smell the aroma of the wine. Every tile, column and window pane is constructed in accordance with the methods and materials in use during the period.

The next stop will probably be the clothing hall, where displayed in brilliant detail are the clothing and accessories worn by the aristocracy and commoners during the Tang, Sung, Yuan, Ming and Ching dynasties. Fashions on display cover the Han Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, Muslim, Tibetan and Miao people, showing in rich splendor differences in time and cultural backgrounds.

Nearby is the wax museum containing figures from Chinese history. Included in this hall of fame are Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the nation; Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, looking awe-inspiring but serene; Kuo Chien and Wu Feng, heroes of the Warring States period and Taiwan legend respectively; and Yueh Fei, a patriot of the Sung Dynasty, shown with his mother inscribing a slogan on his back. The Chinese Cultural and Movie Center can therefore be said to truly represent the movie industry in the Republic of China, from its traditions rooted in the ancient past, to the latest benefits of modern technology.

The historic buildings section of the Cultural City provides a popular background for movies.

Chang Liang, the Han Dynasty tactician, retrieving the shoes of an old man from under a bridge

Wen Tien-hsiang, the last prime minister of the Sung Dynasty writing the Song of Righteousness during his imprisonment by the Mongols

Yueh Fei, a patriotic hero of the Sung Dynasty, shown with his mother inscribing a slogan on his back

the mother of Mencius breaking the shuttle of a loom to show her anger

Hsuan Tsang, a Tang Dynasty monk touring India in search of some 600 Buddhist scriptures.

Clothing and accessories worn by the aristocracy and commoners from various dynasties are displayed in brilliant detail in the clothing hall.