"The pattern on this fan is really special. Where did you get it?" That's something Miss Lin has heard countless times. When she saw it she was struck by it, and, not having seen it in any shop, she went to the counter and bought one at the National Palace Museum. Who'd have thought it would become so popular?

The National Palace Museum is huge, and a trip through can be tough on the legs. Unless you're a foreign tourist or "literatus," you'd be unlikely to head to the sales center to buy reproductions, special exhibit guides, or slides.

But now, the one plaee in the museum with a commercial atmosphere--the sales center--is drawing the locals as well. In the shop, printed material still takes up a lot of space, but a closer look reveals silk shawls, tablecloths, cushions, handkerchiefs, fans, and other objects for daily use.

Mrs. Wang was worried about what gift to send to her friends who had emigrated abroad. Little did she suspect that she would reap an unexpected harvest in accompanying a foreign friend to the museum. While her friend was buying a souvenir of the visit, Mrs. Wang casually looked around, and discovered some cushions printed with the Chinese characters for wealth, good fortune, longevity, and happiness in marriage set high up on the counter. After asking the price (NT$300 for one, 1,200 for the set--just right for her budget), she bought them up.

These cushions were made using the calligraphy of Ou-yang Hsun. It took a special effort to get the "happiness in marriage" one right--the Chinese character in question is a "double hsi." But Ou-yang's work only had samples of single hsi characters. So, tells Deputy Director Peter Chang, they searched until they found two well-matched single hsi characters, and combined them into a "double hsi."

Other items which have become something of a rage have been tablecloths and fans with the patterns taken from Ching dynasty porcelains. The designs are classic, the colors eye-catching. However, the habit of using tablecloths is not widespread among Chinese, and many buy the soft textured cotton material and use it for making clothing. The phenomenon was completely unanticipated by the museum, though credit for the idea must go to Miss Huang Pao-pi, a secretary to Mr. Chang, who conceived of making a skirt and blouse from the material. The result got rave reviews, and when the story was reported in the newspaper, others soon came in search of the cloth for clothing, pillowcases, sofa covering, and whatever.

The products sold by the museum are suspiciously weighted in favor of women. However, Associate Research Fellow Fung Ming-chu says that development of a men's line is already in the works.

In terms of decorative items, there are porcelain horses made in the style of the Warring States Period due in October. Cooperation is ongoing with a Japanese factory to bake famous Chinese paintings onto porcelain done in the style of the Tang dynasty. Pads for food platters and utensils are being made using autumn scenes done in the Yuan dynasty, which make a complete painting when combined but are for practical use as individual pieces. This making of art into something with a real connection to daily life is just what the National Palace Museum is after.

The idea has been brewing a long time. Four years ago, Museum Director Chin Hsiao-yi, believing that the patterns of Chinese cultural artifacts are beautiful, thought that if these could be brought into everyday life, they could be appreciated at any and all times. The dragon design tie clips and Han dynasty style brass mirrors distributed to guests at the 1985 60th anniversary party met with an excellent response, and spurred on this "revitalization" of art.

Another aspect is that, as living standards and tastes have risen in the ROC, sales of the museum's traditional mainstay--reproductions of paintings--fell by half. So finding other products to meet demand became a pressing task.

Naturally, the fundamental spirit of extolling Chinese culture was not to be changed.

The task fell to Deputy Director Peter Chang who is in charge of the Cooperative Association. Because the funds come from the Co-op, it would be responsible for any losses. Keeping his eyes and ears open, Chang struck upon an idea when a friend sent him a white handkerchief: wouldn't this look even better with a classic painting on it? From there came other ideas--wouldn't a matched set of bath cloths, pillow covers, and tea cloths be popular. . .? Chang also investigated market trends to find out which colors would be fashionable.

Of course, business is business. If one can tap the preferences of the client, then the success of the product is half achieved.

They discovered that of the visitors to the museum, the buying power of Japanese, who customarily send gifts, is strongest. Generally speaking, Japanese guests like the silk cloth done with calligraphy from the Western Chou dynasty, while Westerners tend to peony silk cloths. With higher sales and lower cost, scarves and handkerchiefs were first put forward, followed by tablecloths, napkins, fans, and so on.

Because the resources of the Co-op are limited, they must first recover costs on existing products before they can bring out new ones. Turnaround time to produce a new product is six months or more. That's one reason why this work has only recently begun to gain notice though it has been going on for two or three years.

Since that's the way it is, one can't go shopping in the National Palace Museum with a department store mindset. There is ordinarily only one version of each product, except for silk and yarn. But they do have an extra "value added": the breeze of culture. Most of the products come with explanations in Chinese, Japanese, and English.

Naturally, the main focus of the National Palace Museum is not profit. The main goal behind the design of these products is to replenish the sales center, and to bring art into day to day life. Nevertheless, Deputy Director Chang stresses that the development potential of these products is closely considered. He is also actively planning a mail order service to spread the "National Palace" label. He says, "The products all are stamped with the words 'National Palace Museum,' because that's the guarantee of quality!"

[Picture Caption]

A pillow made using the "double hsi" of the Sung dynasty calligrapher Ou-yang Hsun, suitable as a gift or for your own use.

A tablecloth which can add nobility to the atmosphere in the home. Some people have used the material for sofa covering or ch'i-p'ao.

Peony print silk has been popular among foreign visitors, and is a hot selling item for the museum.

The National Palace Museum put a lot of effort into designing even these little tea cup pads and napkins--this is really "putting art back into daily life."

(Left) Reproductions of paintings are inexpensive and attractive. Nevertheless, their sales have been adversely affected by the rising standard of living and tastes in Taiwan.

The ink blocks sold by the museum are exquisite. Those made by the ink master Hsiao Wen-chuan in accordance with the ancient methods are coveted by knowledgeable buyers. The hardest part of making ink blocks is the "dark drying." The timing must be just right.

A tablecloth which can add nobility to the atmosphere in the home. Some people have used the material for sofa covering or ch'i-p'ao.

Peony print silk has been popular among foreign visitors, and is a hot selling item for the museum.

（Left） Reproductions of paintings are inexpensive and attractive. Nevertheless, their sales have been adversely affected by the rising standard of living and tastes in Taiwan.

The National Palace Museum put a lot of effort into designing even these little tea cup pads and napkins--this is really "putting art back into daily life.".

The National Palace Museum put a lot of effort into designing even these little tea cup pads and napkins--this is really "putting art back into daily life.".

The ink blocks sold by the museum are exquisite. Those made by the ink master Hsiao Wen-chuan in accordance with the ancient methods are coveted by knowledgeable buyers. The hardest part of making ink blocks is the "dark drying." The timing must be just right.

The ink blocks sold by the museum are exquisite. Those made by the ink master Hsiao Wen-chuan in accordance with the ancient methods are coveted by knowledgeable buyers. The hardest part of making ink blocks is the "dark drying." The timing must be just right.

The ink blocks sold by the museum are exquisite. Those made by the ink master Hsiao Wen-chuan in accordance with the ancient methods are coveted by knowledgeable buyers. The hardest part of making ink blocks is the "dark drying." The timing must be just right.