"A generally agreeable environment across the Straits enabled a swift signing of the agreement."
The mainland and Taiwan inked a nine-point agreement for cross-Straits cooperation in March. It included the exchange of publications, copyrighted videos, Web links and personnel visits. In addition, it called for a joint exhibition and an academic seminar about Yongzheng. The seminar was held in Taipei from Oct 4 to Oct 6.
The exhibition "can be seen as a new beginning for further exchanges between the two museums", Beijing's Palace Museum director Zheng says.
"The two establishments share the same origin for the collections, which are highly complementary to each other. We will surely seek more cooperative opportunities in the future."
Chou says the Palace Museum in Taipei hopes to borrow more items from its Beijing counterpart, and an exhibition, to open next year, is being discussed.
But the Taipei museum has long been reluctant to lend its Beijing counterpart artifacts for fear they wouldn't be returned.
"They've requested we loan them some items but we need legal protection," Chou says.
The two sides have yet to ink a deal in which Beijing's museum recognizes the Taipei museum's ownership of its collection and promises to return borrowed items, some experts from Taiwan say.
Currently, people must travel across the Straits to see the collections - making Taipei's museum a must-see attraction for mainland tourists and its Beijing counterpart a key destination for visitors from Taiwan.
"It would be a dream for many Chinese to see the items stored in Taiwan exhibited on the mainland," BBC quoted Li Peisong, deputy director of the Beijing museum's cultural relic protection department, as saying.
"It's not just the dream of Beijing's Palace Museum curators but of all mainlanders. After all, only a small number of people can afford to travel to Taiwan to see them.
"Only then can both sides enjoy China's valuable cultural treasures and understand Chinese culture."
Editor: Feng Hui
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