TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Palace Museum announced on Thursday (March 30) that it has repaired the three artifacts broken in 2022 and will present them in an exhibition highlighting the museum’s restoration work.

In October 2022, reports about artifacts being broken at the National Palace Museum snowballed into a scandal that raised questions about the museum’s authority and procedures. The museum’s director at the time, Wu Mi-cha (吳密察), was accused of attempting to cover up the incidents, though he denied such claims.

Wu admitted in a press conference on Oct. 29 that on Feb. 3, 2021 and April 7, 2022, while staff members were organizing artifacts, they discovered upon opening packages that a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) “yellow teacup with two green dragons” and a Qing dynasty (1636–1911) "yellow teacup with dragon pattern” were damaged. Additionally, on May 19, 2022, due to staff mishandling, a Qing dynasty “blue-and-white floral plate” fell and broke.

Wu said the three broken artifacts had never been put on display and were not insured. He estimated the value of the items did not exceed NT$2.5 billion (US$77.85 million).

UDN reported Incumbent General-affairs Deputy Director Yu Pei-chin as apologizing for the controversy the museum had caused last year as well as the museum’s lost credibility. She said procedures at the museum have been adjusted to prevent similar incidents from occurring again, and the museum now regularly trains its staff in handling artifacts.

From Friday (March 31) to June 10, the museum will hold the “Investigation and Restoration of Cultural Relics at the National Palace Museum” exhibition that demonstrates how artifacts ranging from calligraphy, painting, rare books, historical documents, objects, and textiles are conserved, maintained, and repaired.

“In this exhibition, visitors will learn about the Museum’s conservation science and conservation techniques, and glimpse this cross-disciplinary practice that encompasses the humanities, technology and conservation,” the introduction reads.

By organizing the exhibition, Yu said, the museum hopes to establish a new beginning.