According to the definition of "artifact" provided by the ROC's Ministry of Culture in its Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, the works of painting and calligraphy in the collection of the National Palace Museum (NPM) belong to the category of "Historic Artifacts (Antiquities)." This signifies that they are art objects with cultural importance and represent the works of particular groups of people from certain periods of time over the course of history. These objects are further divided and classified into three groups, which are, listed by order of importance, "National Treasure," "Significant Historic Artifacts (Significant Antiquities)," and "General Historic Artifacts (General Antiquities)." By the end of 2005, the NPM had already completed the initial classification of artifacts in its large collection. Afterwards, starting in 2008, members of the Review Committee for Historic Artifacts at the Council for Cultural Affairs (the forerunner of the Ministry of Culture) worked in conjunction with painting and calligraphy exhibition personnel at the NPM to conduct inspections and written reviews confirming the works ranked as national treasure and significant historic artifacts, thereafter publicizing the results. As of August 2018, a total of 193 national treasure works/sets and 361 significant historic artifact works/sets in the category of painting and calligraphy have been approved and declared.
To share with Taiwanese citizens the NPM's achievement in classifying its artifacts, the NPM hosted special exhibition The Making of a National Treasure: Select Masterpieces of Painting and Calligraphy in the Museum Collection from Oct. to Dec. 2017, exhibiting 45 national treasure and significant historic artifacts. The exhibition was very well-received by both Taiwanese and foreign visitors. This year, the NPM introduces special exhibition Another Look at National Treasures: Select Masterpieces of Painting and Calligraphy in the Museum Collection, displaying 26 age-old national treasure. This special exhibition catalogue contains famous masterpieces including Three Passages: Ping'an, Heru, and Fengju (created by Wang Xizhi (303-361) of the Eastern Jin dynasty), Xiao Yi Acquiring the "Orchid Pavilion Preface" by Deception (created by Yan Liben (?-673) of the Tang dynasty), Monkey and Cats (created by Yi Yuanji (latter half of the 11th c.) of the Song dynasty), and Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains (created by Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322) of the Yuan dynasty), making it an exhibition catalogue that readers will not want to miss.