As Chiang Kai-shek left the war-torn mainland of China in 1949, two LSTs and a freighter bore an incredible booty of beauty377,375 art workssafely to Formosa. Since then, these delicate scrolls, jades, porcelains and lacquerware have been mostly hidden in a bombproof hideaway in the hills, some 85 miles from the capital city, Taipei.
These art works are the cream of Chinese antiquity. The Reds, of course, screamed "Criminal!" But for 16 years the only crime has been their relative invisibility to the public. Last week, on the centennial of the birth...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
