
Jadeite Cabbage-shaped umbrella a social-media hit in Japan
Taipei’s National Palace Museum has a famous collection of over 690,000 priceless cultural artifacts from China. However, right now, it’s a museum souvenir that’s taken the internet by storm. A Japanese tourist purchased a Jadeite Cabbage-shaped umbrella with lace trim, then posted a picture on social media and it’s gone viral in Japan. Now, even though each umbrella costs over NT$1,000, they are best sellers. Let’s find out more.
With layers of emerald green leaves adorned with lace trim, this is an elegant Jadeite Cabbage-shaped umbrella that visitors adore. A Japanese visitor to the National Palace Museum, finding the Jadeite Cabbage not on display, felt it was a pity and bought the cabbage-shaped umbrella as a souvenir instead. Unexpectedly, his social media post about it went viral in Japan. Now, even though each umbrella costs over NT$1,000, they are now selling like hotcakes.
-So cute.
- Just like the Jadeite Cabbage.
- Yes, it’s very beautiful.
The Jadeite Cabbage-shaped umbrella generated NT$80,000 in sales last year, and if you want to wear a yellow robe, that’s fine too—emperor and empress raincoats are both available. To revitalize tourism in Hualien, the National Palace Museum has partnered with local businesses to launch Sachima, golden flaky pastries, and even emperor-endorsed sauces and healthful soups. From January to April this year, revenue from cultural and creative products exceeded NT$100 million, a 5% increase compared to the same period last year. Not only are cultural and creative products doing well, but the museum’s space is also being renovated.
Huang Yung-tai
National Palace Museum Deputy Director
The main red gate and the front plaza have been largely disused since 2007. Our primary goal is to restore the red gate as the main entrance, leading into a soaring central atrium. This is exactly the vision we want for the National Palace Museum.
The National Palace Museum is set to launch 18 upcoming special exhibitions. Highlights include “Qianlong & His Imposters,” which is an exploration of authenticity in Emperor Qianlong’s calligraphy; and another exhibition titled “Tibetan Dragon Canon.” For those curious about ancient typos, the Southern Branch will host a unique exhibition on the history of miswritten characters in calligraphy.
Yu Pei-chin
National Palace Museum Deputy Director
This official was writing to thank Emperor Yongzheng for a gift of feathers, but he accidentally wrote the character for “feather” incorrectly. The Emperor spotted the typo and wrote “wrong character” right next to it in red ink. It’s incredibly awkward that this document has survived all the way to the present day—it is really embarrassing.
An exhibition featuring the Jadeite Cabbage at the museum’s southern branch will end on June 7. It will return to Taipei on June 18. Then, the Meat-Shaped stone will take over and be on display at the museum’s southern branch from June 9 to Sept. 6.
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2026-05-19