Donor Mr. Tashao Shih delivering remarks at the opening of the Han Dynasty Pottery Exhibition.
The NTU Museum of the Graduate Institute of Art History received a landmark gift of 149 Han Dynasty pottery objects from alumni Mr. and Mrs. Tashao Shih, formally bequeathed to the Museum's collection on December 19, 2025. The donation represents the largest single gift received since the Museum's establishment in 2023.
To celebrate the bequest, the Museum held the Han Dynasty Pottery Exhibition from March 11 to June 20, 2026 and published a scholarly exhibition catalogue documenting the collection. The exhibition formally opened on March 11, with NTU President Wen-Chang Chen, former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Yu-Yu Cheng, Distinguished Chair Professor Ming-Liang Hsieh of the Graduate Institute of Art History, and dozens of distinguished guests in attendance. On May 19, President Chen presented NTU's Centennial Commemorative Medal to Mr. and Mrs. Shih in recognition of their extraordinary generosity and enduring contribution to the University.
The donated collection is remarkable for both its quality and diversity, encompassing the principal categories of Han Dynasty ceramics: unglazed pottery, lead-glazed pottery, high-fired ash-glazed stoneware, and pottery figurines. Many of these miniature ceramic mingqi (burial objects) offer valuable insights into Han Dynasty wooden architecture, daily life, regional customs, and funerary practices. Some vessel forms and decorative motifs also reveal the influence of artistic traditions from the West, making the collection an important resource for research into cultural exchange, material culture, and early Chinese art.
Throughout the exhibition, curator Professor Ming-Liang Hsieh trained graduate students to lead regular gallery tours, which received an enthusiastic response from visitors. During the exhibition's opening weekend, which coincided with NTU's Azalea Festival, the Museum partnered with NTU BOKUN to offer guided tours. More than 500 visitors attended in a single day, setting a new attendance record for the Museum.
The Shih family's generous donation and the subsequent exhibition exemplify the Museum's integrated mission of collection, exhibition, research, teaching, and public engagement, demonstrating the Graduate Institute of Art History's commitment to advancing scholarship while making cultural heritage accessible to the wider community.
Poster for the Exhibition of the Han Dynasty Pottery bequest from Mr. and Mrs. Tashao Shih at the NTU Museum of the Graduate Institute of Art History.
Group photo of distinguished guests at the exhibition opening. (Front row, from right: Mrs. Ai-Chueh Sun; Mr. Tashao Shih; NTU President Wen-Chang Chen; and former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Yu-Yu Cheng.)
Mr. Tashao Shih, NTU President Wen-Chang Chen, and Distinguished Chair Professor Ming-Liang Hsieh(left to right) holding the collection catalogue at the Han Dynasty Pottery Exhibition.
Graduate student Fang-Ning Luo of the Graduate Institute of Art History leading a guided tour of the exhibition.
Participants in the inaugural East Asian Four-University Teaching and Innovation Program, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts, visiting the Han Dynasty Pottery Exhibition, on June 2.
