Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum (NPMSB) launched its first special edition of the "War From Afar – The Copperplate Prints of Battle Scenes Commissioned by the Qing Court (遠方的戰爭－清宮銅版戰圖特展)" exhibition, which will be on view until Sep. 29.
Among which, "A Scene of the Taiwanese Campaign - Attack on the mountain Xiaobantian (平定台灣得勝圖－小半天之戰圖)" depicts a famous military commander Fu Kang-an (福康安) who led the Qing military to battle against Lin Shuang-wen (林爽文)’s troop, documenting Taiwan’s important history in the 18th century.
NPMSB stated that Lin Shuang-wen rebellion event (林爽文事件) was not only the largest civil commotion in Taiwan during the Qing period, but also one of the "Ten Complete Military Victories (十全武功)" that Qianlong Emperor was proud of.
To commemorate this battle, Qianlong Emperor specially commissioned western missionary artists who served at the Qing imperial court to produce a series of 12 prints from copper engravings named "A Scene of the Taiwanese Campaign" in accordance with the practices after the battles of Western Regions and Jinchuan.
The first 10 prints mainly delineate scenes of Fu Kang-an's victories in various battles in Taiwan. The remaining 2 prints are related to the imperial poems written by the Qianlong Emperor, praising the quelling of the Lin Shuang-wen event. "A Scene of the Taiwanese Campaign - Attack on the mountain Xiaobantian" is the only copperplate print on display at the exhibition.
Chiayi City Government said that in addition to seeing the exhibition in the NPMSB, visitors can also visit Chiayi Park and admire the "Fu Kang-an Monument (福康安紀功碑)" bestowed by the Qianlong Emperor to learn more about the history.