An exhibition at the Palace Museum commemorating the 120th anniversary of antique collector Zhang Boju's birth features ancient poet Li Bai's calligraphy piece Ascending Mount Yangtai and Ming Dynasty painter Tang Yin's Palace Entertainers in the Kingdom of Shu, among other ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy works. [Photo by Jiang Dong and Yao Ying/China Daily]

Personally Written Poetry is an album by Cai Xiang, one of four most celebrated Northern Song calligraphers. The work, which records his monthslong journey from Fuzhou in today's Fujian province to the national capital city of Bianliang (today's Kaifeng, Henan) reflects his career peak.

"It was hailed as Cai's finest work by Zhang," Hao says. "It greatly influenced Zhang's own calligraphy as well."

Also on show is the scroll, One Hundred Flowers, which is believed to have been painted by a female artist named Yang Jieyu from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and portrays blooms, including those of lotuses, orchids and sun-flowers in 17 scenes. It is the only known painting by Yang.

Nevertheless, rules of the Palace Museum demand that a paperwork collection should stay in its warehouse for at least three years before every public exhibition. Consequently, some listed works in the catalog are replaced by replicas if they have been displayed once in recent years.

Visitors are also able to view A Consoling Letter (Pingfu Tie) by Lu Ji of the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316), the oldest extant work of model calligraphy, and Spring Excursion, an early example of Chinese landscape painting attributed to Zhan Ziqian of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), through their replicas.

"This exhibition will remind today's private collectors of their social duty," says Lou Kaizhao, Zhang's grandson, who's co-curator of the exhibition. "If my grandfather had kept his collection in an attic, the general public would have little idea about such masterpieces."

Sharing such collections with more people will help Chinese society to build up its cultural confidence, he adds.

"What Zhang Boju represented is also the great characteristics of Chinese scholars," Shan, the museum director, says. "Keeping the antiques is the way to prolong the life of our literary history."

Shan says 22 calligraphy works and paintings in the Palace Museum today were once collected by Zhang, which enriched the public institution's collection.

The ongoing Exhibition Commemorating the 120th Anniversary of Zhang Boju's Birth also marks the end of 13 years when the Hall of Martial Valor (Wuying Dian) in the western wing of the Forbidden City was used to display calligraphy pieces and paintings. The new venue will be the Hall of Literary Glory (Wenhua Dian) in the museum's eastern wing.