TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese TV series "Palace of Serendipity" features award-winning actors and national treasures from the National Palace Museum.

The 10 episodes were directed by Robin Lee (李芸嬋) and creatively personify selected treasures with historical background and some imagination.

"Each of the 10 well-known actors and actresses will perform as a treasure," said Lee.

The story begins in a building where each treasure lives isolated in a separate apartment, said Lee. He added that this mirrors the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lego Lee (National Palace Museum photo)

One of the renowned treasures in the museum, "Jadeite Cabbage" from the Qing dynasty, is performed by Lego Lee (李國毅), who portrays it as a fast-talking, paranoid cook. The pressure to quickly cook a lot of cabbage apparently drove the character crazy.

Taiwanese actress Vivian Hsu (徐若瑄) plays the role of a painting titled "Lofty Mount Lu" by Ming Dynasty artist Shen Chou (沈周), according to the museum. Hsu said it was her first time performing as a mountain climber, as she does in the painting of Mountain Lu.

"The performance reminded me of those days when I had to stay in a hospital bed just to keep my baby," Hsu said. "I could not go anywhere but really want to go on vacations, so I put on a dress and slippers just to pretend I was in Hawaii.”

"It is all about how you think really. No matter how much pressure we have, we all need to think positively and always come up with a way to entertain ourselves," she said.

Vivian Hsu (National Palace Museum photo)

Taiwanese actress Sandrine Pinna (張榕容) portrays a piece of pottery from the Tang Dynasty. Pinna, who is French-Taiwanese, performed as Imperial Consort Yang in the drama "Legend of the Demon Cat" in 2017.

Pinna joked that this time her role made her feel like she was a grave offering for the king's wife. At one point in the show, the pottery figure becomes a woman who is expecting someone and only speaks briefly.

"She is a sad but strong girl," said Pinna, referring to the character.

Liu Kuan-ting won best supporting actor at the 2019 Golden Horse Awards. (National Palace Museum photo)

Liu Kuan-ting (劉冠廷) plays a psychic with a tinfoil hat on his head, representing an artwork called "Jade Ornament in the Shape of Phoenix Crowned with Dragon" from the Late Shang dynasty. The jade object was used to worship gods, so if it were a person, it might be a psychic, according to the director.

Other actors in the show include Rima Zeidan, who played an athlete experiencing mental issues due to isolation; Kaiser Chuang (莊凱勛); and Janine Chang (張鈞甯). Wu Nien-Hsuan's (吳念軒) performance as a postman is related to the "Palace Memorials with Imperial Rescripts."

The series will launch on Dec. 20 and stream on myVideo, LINE TV, and Gala Television.

(YouTube, National Palace Museum video)