An opera feast under the stars at the Forbidden City is happening this weekend!

Written/Compiled and Reported by Wei Ruyu

The National Palace Museum’s centennial celebration production, the original opera “Emperor Kangxi and the Sun King Louis XIV,” will grandly premiere at 7:30 p.m. on October 15 and 16 on the outdoor platform of the museum’s main building. The public can exchange two ibon pre-sale double tickets for the “Emperor Kangxi and the Sun King Louis XIV Special Exhibition” for one opera ticket for October 16 at the special exhibition ticket booth, on a first-come, first-served basis until supplies last. Visitors who do not secure an opera ticket may watch the live broadcast of the performance at the outdoor screening area in front of the museum’s main entrance from October 15 to 16. Admission to the screening area is free and seating is not provided.

To transport audiences back to the splendid and glorious 17th and 18th centuries and to help them better understand and appreciate precious cultural relics, the Palace Museum has specially curated this combination of a static exhibition and a dynamic opera performance. Visitors can not only view a variety of 17th-century artifacts brought by French missionaries in the museum—such as an astrolabe and proportional dividers—but also explore the impact and influence of the Age of Exploration on the two monarchs through the music and unfolding drama of the opera. This multi-perspective presentation delves into the mutual exchange and influence between the two great civilizations of the East and the West.

The special exhibition "Emperor Kangxi and the Sun King Louis XIV," which took three years to plan and is currently on display at the National Palace Museum Library and Archives Building, brings together cultural relics from 18 institutions, including the National Palace Museum, three mainland Chinese museums, 13 French institutions, and private collector Li Jingxun from Hong Kong. It is the largest international special exhibition in Taiwan in recent years, and will run until January 3, 2012. Meanwhile, the opera "Emperor Kangxi and the Sun King Louis XIV," which cost tens of millions and involved over a hundred personnel, features a top-tier creative team across various fields — including director Wu Hsing-kuo, playwright Zhang Dachun, composer Xu Shuya, stage designer Lin Kehua, costume designers Ye Jintian and Lai Xuanwu, and conductor Chiang Ching-po leading the "Moment Musical" Orchestra. Visitors should take advantage of this weekend to enjoy this timeless artistic and cultural feast.