The Golden Parade | Imperial relics from the Palace Museum on display at MAM

Unveiling of relics

The Golden Parade – Imperial Weaponry from the Palace Museum, the annual exhibition on cultural heritage opened its doors on Friday at the Macao Museum of Art (MAM).

The exhibition is the 19th large-scale exhibition on cultural heritage from the collaboration between MAM and the Palace Museum in Beijing.

The exhibition will be open, for a period of approximately three months. Over 100 pieces from the imperial weaponry collection of the Palace Museum will be displayed.

The displayed items will include weaponry, equipment and devices produced by the imperial workshops and tributes from different regions of China and cumulatively they will present a historical portrait of the Qing dynasty’s military power.

During the Qing dynasty, horse riding and archery were widely popular. Several measures were taken to maintain the Manchu tradition, such as forest hunting and troop patrols in the Nan Yuan region. Such aspects are well represented in this exhibition, which emphasize pieces such as horse saddles, archery equipment, armor and other more modern equipment such as firearms.
According to the organizers, “through the display of military armament and related paintings of the Qing court, people can learn about activities such as imperial hunting, military drills and the military system itself.” They continue by explaining how the exhibit will allow the public to “get to know the composition of the Eight Banners, types of military weaponry and the imperial court’s support to military power from different perspectives, as well as to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Qing dynasty’s policies, military system and military spirit of the Manchus.”

Gun powder bag

The exhibition is divided into three great sections, titled “Dignified Bearing”, “Military Prowess” and “Military System” respectively.

A central piece of “Dignified Bearing” will be the painting, “Emperor Qianlong’s Review of the Grand Parade of Troops” as well as several other paintings that portray the troops parade review by Emperor Qianlong, in Nanyuan, and also a detailed description of the military parade skills of the “Eight Banners” troops, that included archery on horseback, artillery and shooting.
In the same section, we can also find several military items used by the court, such as an “armor of gold brocade with iron plates and copper studs.”

The “Military Prowess” section includes paintings of Qianlong’s hunts as well as several of Emperor Kangxi’s hunting archery and firearms as well as other military equipment of the court.

In the last section, dedicated to the “Military System,” several relics, which belonged to the military leaders and court gatekeepers are featured. Among them are imperial seals and other smaller pieces that highlight the importance that was paid to the security of the court.

Archery equipment

Concurrently, and to enhance the experience of visitors, the exhibition is complemented with a series of activities, including seminars conducted by experts from the Palace Museum, workshops and guided tours.

A total of seven talks will be held starting from Saturday, December 16, when two researchers from the Palace Museum, Cao Lianming and Liu Guoliang will deliver talks on “Military Relics of the Qing Dynasty from the Palace Museum” and the “Background of hunts and respective feasts.”

As for the guided tours, these will be available between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on weekend and public holidays from December 23.

Running until March 11, 2018, the exhibition “The Golden Parade – Imperial Weaponry from the Palace Museum” is located on the fourth floor of MAM, located adjacent to the Macao Cultural Center (CCM). It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7p.m. daily, except Mondays. The admission is free of charge.