By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, reported by Li Xinyi
The Tong’an ship was the largest and most advanced new type of oceangoing warship in mid-19th century Qing China. Leveraging its collection of precious historical documents and combining modern technology with creative aesthetics, the National Palace Museum has created a 1:20 scale model, offering the public the opportunity to see the most representative ancient Chinese sailing vessel. The museum’s documentary “Recreating the Tong’an Ship” uses only two extremely rare, richly colored ancient ship paintings—“Jihao Datong’an Suochuan Tu” (Picture of the Jihao Large Tong’an Sailing Ship) and “Yihao Tong’an Suochuan Tu” (Picture of the Yihao Tong’an Sailing Ship)—deeply stored in the Qing archives of the museum as historical references. These recreate the thriving maritime civilization of East Asia in the 19th century and the historical splendor of the Tong’an ships, crafting an epic and moving film.
The documentary recreates the naval battle between Fujian-Zhejiang Governor Li Changgeng and pirates at sea. (Image provided by the National Palace Museum)
The “Recreating the Tong’an Ship” documentary is 50 minutes long and divided into three parts: The first part analyzes the background of the rise of the Tong’an ships, including a reenactment of the historic naval battle between Fujian-Zhejiang Governor Li Changgeng and pirate Cai Qian, the establishment of the Tong’an fleet, and the decline of the Qing navy and its Tong’an ships; the second part describes the restoration process of the Tong’an ships, covering how the Palace Museum project team delved into historical documents to reconstruct a 200-year-old ancient Chinese sailing vessel, and the process of building the 1:20 Tong’an ship model; the third part uses 3D digital technology to deeply analyze the main structures and designs of the Tong’an ship.
Model of the Tong’an ship. (Image provided by the National Palace Museum)
In the early 19th century, due to increasingly frequent pirate activity, the Qing court established naval forces along the coasts of southern Jiangnan provinces, Taiwan, and the Penghu Islands, continually increasing troops and forming the Tong’an ship fleet. This fleet became the mainstay of China’s offshore navy, helping control maritime order and stabilize coastal regions, while also symbolizing an invisible bridge in politics, military affairs, economy, and culture. However, the Tong’an ships were also widely used by civilians and pirates. Today, the Palace Museum project team, based on the only two surviving images and related documents, has conducted in-depth research to build a 1:20 scale model ship. They have also invited experts, scholars, and rising directors Ke Zijian and Liao Jingyao, along with 3D animation director Zhang Liren, to collaborate using high-spec cinematic filming techniques combined with 3D technology and other post-production methods to produce the “Recreating the Tong’an Ship” documentary. The Palace Museum stated that the “Recreating the Tong’an Ship” series, starting with the documentary premiere, is expected to host “campus lecture tours” between March and May this year, sharing the historical significance of the documentary and behind-the-scenes production secrets with students. Additionally, a digital exhibition themed around the project will grandly open at Huashan 1914 Creative Park from July 20 to September 22 this year.
● Extended Reading: All-day At-Home Service – Beitou’s Full-Service Delivery Is More Convenient Than a Convenience Store
http://goo.gl/GyDW3