ECCT visit to Chiayi County
The ECCT arranged an exclusive visit to Chiayi County. The trip began with a guided tour of the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, which was followed by a casual dinner at the residence of Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang. The visit was part of the ECCT's ongoing efforts to build relations with municipal governments across Taiwan since the chamber became a nation-wide association in 2013.
At the dinner, ECCT chairman Giuseppe Izzo thanked Magistrate Weng and his team for their hospitality in arranging the tour of the museum and the dinner and gave an introduction to the ECCT. Magistrate Weng also gave guests a briefing on Chiayi County's municipal policies and investment promotion plans, as well as an overview of tourism in Chiayi.
The guided tour introduced the architecture of the museum and three of the museum's current exhibitions. The "Refined Radiance Treasures of Qing Dynasty Jewelry" exhibition explores the lustre and symbolic meanings of Qing Dynasty ornaments, contextualizing them within their material and social frameworks to reveal their deeper significance. The "Treasures in the Palace of Heavenly Purity - Rediscovering Jades from the Inner Court of the Forbidden City" exhibition displays treasures from Qianqing Gong, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, which, for 600 years served as the sleeping quarters for Ming and Qing emperors, deep within the inner court of the Forbidden City. From the Yongzheng Emperor onwards, it also housed the imperial succession edicts, making it the heart of imperial power and a witness to significant historical events. In addition, the group visited the special exhibition, Heritage of Ryukyu: The Bridge of the East Asian Maritime.