Emperor in disguise

Zhang says under the reign of Yongzheng, many foreigners served the emperor as painters, pharmacists, astronomers and cartographers. That is why there are paintings in which Yongzheng is seen wearing European clothing, either fighting a tiger or riding a horse like a medieval knight.

"It is hard to say whether the emperor really did all the things that his paintings portray. Emperor Yongzheng was complicated and hard to understand," Zhang says.

He adds that both Yongzheng's father Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) and son Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) liked being painted, but not as much as Yongzheng.

Through the flash animations, the Palace Museum is trying to promote the culture of the traditional museum and make their collections come alive to attract younger people, according to a statement issued by the Palace Museum after the animations went viral.

The museum has reached out to more people by opening its online store and Wechat account, as well as launching apps to introduce its other collections. Its first app, Twelve Beauties of Prince Yong, won wide acclaim among netizens.

The statement said that the museum's app team is now working on two apps about Qing emperors and their families, A Day of An Emperor and Clothes of Emperors, which will be posted online soon.