Collection evacuation safeguards cultural heritage of the Palace Museum

The first large-scale evacuation of the Palace Museum's treasures

From February to May 1933, as war threatened Beijing (then called Beiping), the Palace Museum made a historic decision – to relocate part of its collection to the south for safekeeping. Within just a few months, 13,427 crates and 64 bundles of selected treasures were transported to Shanghai in five consignments. In 1936, upon the completion of the Chaotian Palace warehouse in Nanjing, these artifacts were moved there for secure storage.

In the summer of 1937, as the war escalated, the collections once again set out on a westward journey. Divided into three routes, they were transported to temporary repositories in Shaanxi, Sichuan and Guizhou.

This monumental effort preserved centuries of cultural heritage through turbulent times – ensuring these treasures could still be admired today.