Go to content

EVENTS

Event Highlights

"Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ & Lunch Gathering"

2022-10-29

In order to tie-in with the opening of the Hong Kong Palace Museum in July and M+ almost a year ago, the Maritime Silk Road Society organized the "Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ & Lunch Gathering" on October 29. Before the tour, Dr Jiao Tianlong, Head Curator of Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Vice-Chairperson of Hong Kong Public Archaeological Society, and Dr Ji Wei Wei, Founding Chairperson of Hong Kong Public Archaeology Society, gave a brief introduction. They expressed that the opening of Hong Kong Palace Museum allowed more people to know the cultural relics of the Palace Museum in China, and brought the story of the Palace Museum to the public. Dr Jiao and Dr Peter Wong, PhD in Archaeology, Fudan University and Cultural Heritage Consultant, took up the role as docent to introduce various galleries and precious collections in the museum.

The Hong Kong Palace Museum is the fourth museum in China named the Palace Museum. It provides Hong Kong people with a broad and profound understanding of Chinese culture, as well as cultural relics from the Palace Museum in Beijing. Dr Jiao introduced the following galleries: Gallery 1 “Entering the Forbidden City: Architecture, Collection, and Heritage”, Gallery 2 “From Dawn to Dusk: Life in the Forbidden City”, Gallery 4 “Encountering the Majestic: Portraits of Qing Emperors and Empresses”, Gallery 5 “The Quest for Originality: Contemporary Design and Traditional Craft in Dialogue” and Gallery 9 “Grand Gallop: Art and Culture of the Horse”. Among them, the profound portraits of The Xiaosheng Xian Empress in Court Attire and The Shizong Xian (Yongzheng) Emperor in Court Attire were used in ancient times as ancestral rituals, also called ancestral images. Capturing their last appearance and age, these portraits were hung in ancestral temple for later generations to worship. In addition, Gallery 2 displays the daily necessities of the court (Forbidden) of the Qing Dynasty, such as the surface of Shanzizuo, the bowl with poem by the Qianlong Emperor etc. Visitors can experience the emperor's one-day itinerary through the cultural relics. The museum uses a combination of digital technology to display history, reproduces the rituals of ancestor portrait worship of the royal family in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It also presents the grand sacrificial scene in the temple of Shouhuang.

Gallery 3 is themed “Clay to Treasure: Ceramics from the Palace Museum Collection” featuring traditional Chinese ceramic handicrafts. Dr Wong introduced the changing history and characteristics of Chinese ceramics, such as twelve chrysanthemum-shaped dishes in the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. This set of chrysanthemum- shaped dishes has a total of 12 pieces. The purity is very high, with a collection of various glaze colors. Most of which have been lost at present, so this group of chrysanthemum- shaped dishes is even more precious. In addition, Dr Wong explained the firing process of porcelain. In this Gallery, visitors were allowed to touch several porcelain exhibits made of different raw materials to have a feel of the texture.

At noon, the tour enjoyed a meal at Jin Ya Ju in the West Kowloon Cultural District. After lunch, participants enjoyed the view of Victoria Harbour and took a walk in West Kowloon Art Park to M+.

Finally, participants visited the M+ Museum of Visual Culture at their own pace. One of the many exhibitions entitled the “Hong Kong: Here and Beyond” describes and explores Hong Kong through works of visual art and graphic design. It outlines the historical context of Hong Kong, such as Paddling Home. A micro-home is built with building materials and sailed out of Victoria Harbour, reflecting the high property prices and compact living environment in Hong Kong.

< Back