In2004theNationalPalaceMuseumreceivedtheapprovalfromtheExecutiveYuantoestablishasouthernbranchinTaibaoCityofChiayiCounty,inordertopromotecultural,socialandeconomicdevelopmentinmiddleandsouthernTaiwan.TheSouthernBranchistobecharacterizedasa"museumofAsianartandculture"thatwillprimarilycollectartefactsandrelicsfromallpartsofAsia,andwillpossessthefunctionsofarchiving,research,preservation,educationanddisplayofartefactsandrelicsfromAsia.TotalbudgetfortheProjectexceedsNT$7,933million,includingNT$6,000millionforconstructionofhardware,NT$833forinstallationofsoftware,andNT$1,100millionfor(nowcompleted)installationoftheperipheralundergroundcablenetworkandexpansionofexternalroads.TheConstructionandPlanningAgencyoftheMinistryoftheInterioriscurrentlybeingcommissionedtoexecutetheconstructionofthemainmuseumbuildingandotherrelatedstructures.Itisexpectedthattest-operationoftheMuseumcancommenceattheendof2015.