I was happy and deeply moved by the recent "save the national treasures" movement started by the people. This incident is an excellent lesson for all the citizens of the ROC regarding their treatment of cultural artifacts. In our cultural awakening, it represents a great leap forward! This is something not easily accomplished by the limited education achieved by schools. But in fact it is the result of several decades of work done by the National Palace Museum and schools to cultivate consciousness about protecting these works. At the same time this is a great opportunity for discussion and review, from which we can establish a system by which the museum can administer, protect and repair cultural artifacts.

Below are the conclusions I have reached after 30 years of studying Chinese painting and calligraphy and appraising Chinese paintings and works of calligraphy for Chinese and foreign museums. Combining considerations about our people's wishes, protection of cultural artifacts, international cultural exchange, and the way American museums operate, I want to make some general suggestions. I do my best to understand the museums' standpoints as well and come to terms with the practical constraints of the real world. I hope that the public will maintain their reason so that we can create a "win-win" outcome.

(1) Remove from the exhibition these five Song and Yuan dynasty works: Fan Kaun's Travelers among Mountains and Streams, Guo Xi's Early Spring, Li Tang's Soughing Wind among Mountain Pines, Emperor Huizong's Chimonanthus and Birds, and Wu Zhen's Fisherman on Dongting Lake. The latter three's mountings are in poor condition, and the former three are the most widely known national treasures among the Chinese public. True, Fan Kuan's work was remounted in 1986, and the museum considered the condition of Gou Xi's work just good enough to be allowed abroad, but there is considerable force pulling on large scroll paintings, and thus it is best to reduce the number of days they are hung. Hence, at the public's request to protect these works, they should not be allowed to leave the country.

(2) To abide by the principles of inter-museum conduct, we ought to announce as soon as possible that Fan Kuan's Travelers among Mountains and Streams, Gou Xi's Early Spring, and Li Tang's Soughing Wind among Mountain Pines are special works, make legal provisions that these three works will never leave the country, and then give an official explanation to the American museums.

(3) So that the great expense already incurred in preparing for this exhibit (including printing catalogs and exhibition booklets, making special exhibition cases, installing glareless glass, and making extensive changes to the exhibition hall) will not all be for naught and result in problems for future cultural exchange (when I deeply believe that most ROC citizens still support sending this exhibition to America), and so that the more important objective of protecting the paintings and works of calligraphy is also attained, we should ask that the American museums abide by the following regulations:

(1) Divide the works of art into groups A and B, and only show one group in Chicago and one in San Francisco, while showing both groups back-to-back for one month each in New York and Washington. This request would reduce by half the number of days that they are exposed to light.

(2) Reduce the lighting by half from the international standard, and abide by international standards for temperature and humidity.

(3) When works are in between exhibitions make sure that they are opened as little as possible.

(4) For a fair exchange, and for the sake of our nation's cultural education, we should request that the Ministry of Education ask the Metropolitan Museum, which has one of the largest collections of Chinese paintings and calligraphy in the West, to provide more than 100 works from the Tang dynasty and later for an exhibition at the National Palace Museum!

Regarding the protection of national treasures, I call for the following:

(1) Quickly establish an ROC cultural artifacts grading system, and in particular clearly state which works cannot leave the country, so as to avoid creating future embarrassing situations of this type, because it cannot be denied that the suddenness of this incident has seriously hurt the prospects of cultural outflow and exhibits of ROC works abroad. But it is not too late for the damage to be repaired.

(2) Strictly require that contracts for foreign exhibitions are submitted promptly in accordance with the Cultural Assets Preservation Law.

(3) Improve the training of restorers of cultural artifacts. Raise their pay and level of expertise.

Perhaps the above suggestions will not completely accommodate all the requests the people are making, but there is always a large gap between the ideal and the feasible! With the current situation, to prevent both sides losing out, implementation of the above suggestions will help attain the principles of cultural exchange, cultural preservation, and mutually beneficial relations. You can say it's a plan for a win-win outcome.