The regulations are stipulated by the National Palace Museum (hereinafter the “Museum”) to govern the acquisition of antiquities and works of art.

The acquisition is aimed at the antiquities and works of art (hereinafter “cultural relics”) required by the Museum.

The cultural relics acquired by the Museum are categorized as either permanent or temporary collections. The former consists of cultural relics purchased by and donated to the Museum, whereas the latter those placed under the custody of the Museum.

The acquisition of cultural relics must be approved by committees formed for their preliminary, intermediate, and final appraisals. Cultural relics already designated as “national treasures” or “important cultural relics” (including those identified overseas) may be forwarded to the final appraisal directly. Members of the committees shall not appear in more than one appraisal. Expenses incurred by committee members not serving on the Museum staff shall be reimbursed in accordance with relevant regulations.

The preliminary appraisal shall proceed in accordance with the following regulations:
1. Cultural relics, including their photographic images or the relics per se, must first be evaluated by the preliminary appraisal committee. Only those in line with the Museum’s requirements will be submitted for approval by the intermediate appraisal committee.
2. The organization and responsibilities of the preliminary appraisal committee are as follows:
Organization: members of the committee shall be selected from the Museum’s collection departments and approved by the Director of the Museum. Domestic or overseas experts and scholars may be brought in if necessary.
Responsibilities: members of the committee are expected to evaluate the condition of cultural relics (including inspecting the relics in person), examine proof of provenance, produce reports of research on the cultural relics, collect pricing information, and submit the above materials for approval by the Director of the Museum.

The intermediate appraisal shall proceed in accordance with the following regulations:
1. All supporting materials for the cultural relics approved in the preliminary appraisal shall be assembled by the Department of Registration and Conservation, and meetings for the intermediate appraisal shall be arranged.
2. The intermediate appraisal meeting shall in principle be held once every three months. Exceptions may be arranged on a case-by-case basis.
3. Cultural relics that pass the intermediate appraisal shall be forwarded to the final appraisal committee upon the approval by the Director of the Museum.
4. The organization and the principle of evaluation for the intermediate appraisal meeting are as follows:
Organization: the Director of the Museum shall appoint one of the Deputy Directors as the chairperson, and both the Director and the Deputy Director may act as advisors in the meeting. The Director shall appoint at least five Museum professionals to be the members of the intermediate appraisal committee, and three to five experts and scholars not serving on the Museum staff may be employed if necessary.
Principle of evaluation: the evaluation shall focus on the review of the cultural relics and supporting documentation. Exceptions such as participating in auctions are possible, provided that they have been approved in advance. Members of the intermediate appraisal committee shall state the results of their evaluation and put their signatures in the “Findings of the Intermediate Appraisal” and “Proceedings of the Intermediate Appraisal” forms. The appraisal must be approved by all members participating in the meeting. Appraisals not unanimously approved shall be suspended.

The final appraisal shall proceed in accordance with the following regulations:
1. All supporting materials for the cultural relics approved in the intermediate appraisal shall be assembled by the Department of Registration and Conservation, and a committee will be formed to conduct the final appraisal.
2. Cultural relics that passed the final appraisal shall, upon the approval of the Director of the Museum, enter into the next phase of procurement.
3. The organization and the principle of evaluation for the final appraisal are as follows:
Organization: (1) The Museum may employ more than 30 individual members to serve on the appraisal committee. The term of employment shall be three years, and the employment for a second term is permitted. (2) A committee member must be either (a) a present or former professor or associate professor in a domestic or overseas institution of higher learning specializing in art, archaeology, history, sinology, bibliography, rare books, antiquities, works of art, and relevant disciplines, or a researcher at a domestic or overseas academic institution or museum, who is capable of evaluating the cultural relics required by the Museum, or (b) a reputable researcher or connoisseur of antiquities, who is capable of evaluating the cultural relics required by the Museum. (3) The Director of the Museum shall select four to seven individual members to serve on the final appraisal committee, and the chairperson shall be elected by the members.
Principle of evaluation: the evaluation shall focus on the review of the cultural relics and supporting documentation. Members of the final appraisal committee shall state the results of their evaluation and put their signatures in the “Proceedings of the Final Appraisal” form, which shall include images and text provided by the Museum’s collection department. The final appraisal shall be approved by two thirds of the members participating in the meeting.