Jointly organized by the Palace Museum and the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Xizang Autonomous Region, together with several other cultural institutions, the exhibition “Beyond Time: The History, Culture and Art of Sakya Monastery” officially opened to the public on Tuesday at the Main Hall and the East Wing Gallery of the Meridian Gate (Wu men) in the Palace Museum. Grounded in achievements of relevant academic research, the exhibition brings together more than 200 rare and valuable artifacts across four sections: “The History of Sakya Monastery,” “Grand Unity,” “The Culture and Art of Sakya Monastery,” and “Treasures of Sakya Monastery.” Through tracing the history of the millennium-old Sakya Monastery, the exhibition showcases its distinctive artistic traditions, and explores its significant role in the development of China as a unified multi-ethnic country. It will run through May 10, 2026

Founded in 1073, Sakya Monastery stands majestically on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, between the Himalayas and the Yarlung Zangbo River. It is the birthplace of the Sakya Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Drawing on cultural traditions from multiple ethnic groups and artistic influences from neighboring countries and regions, the Sakya Sect developed a distinctive legacy, leaving a remarkable imprint on the history of Chinese art and culture as well as on the development of China as a unified multi-ethnic country. In the 13th century, Sakya Pandita and his nephew Phagpa led a delegation to meet the Mongol prince Godan at the historic Liangzhou Talks. This meeting made a significant contribution to Xizang’s formal incorporation into the centralized administration of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) and helped lay the foundations for a unified multi-ethnic nation.