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Double Bill of Exhibitions with Guided Tour at Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre And Breakfast Gathering

2024-09-16

On 16 September, the Maritime Silk Road Society organized the “Double Bill of Exhibitions with Guided Tour at Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre And Breakfast Gathering” at Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, with Hok Hoi Library as the supporting organization. Dr Ji Weiwei, Founding Chairperson of Hong Kong Public Archaeological Society and Dr Peter Wong, an archaeologist were the docents of the guided tour.

The visit to the exhibition was preceded by a dim sum breakfast gathering at the Harbour Inn Cuisine, where participants could interact with the experts and gain an initial understanding of the exhibition. The Chairman of Hok Hoi Library, Professor KP Fung, also attended the tea gathering.

Dr Ji Weiwei gave a guided tour of “Launch from Greater Bay Area: Nanhai I Shipwreck and the Maritime Silk Road” Exhibition, introducing some of the brown glazed jars unearthed from “Nanhai I” which are similar to the brown glazed jars excavated at the site of the Palace of Nanyue Kingdom. From the similar patterns, styles and uses of the jars, Dr Ji pointed out that there is a high degree of correlation between the two.

Dr Ji led the audience to appreciate the cargoes carried by “Nanhai I” to deduce the approximate shipping routes of the time, and to explore the porcelain making technology, economic trade, population development and ritual culture of the Southern Song Dynasty from the cargoes. She talked about the excavated ceramics from Hong Kong and Macao that were used for foreign trade during the Tang and Song dynasties, highlighting the fact that more ceramics were excavated in Hong Kong at an earlier date, which demonstrated Hong Kong's important role in cultural and economic exchanges along the maritime silk road.

Dr Peter Wong led a guided tour of “Harmony of Rites and Music: Exploring the Qilu Culture through Shandong Relics” Exhibition, introducing ancient ritual and ceremonial artefacts. The high degree of similarity between the string ornaments, Yazhang-tablets and other jade artefacts excavated in Hong Kong and those excavated in Shandong illustrated the exchange and spread of cultures between the two areas.

Dr Wong gave a detailed introduction to pottery implements from the Dawenkou to the Longshan culture periods, their uses, manufacturing characteristics, refinements and developmental changes. He said that in the early dynastic ritual civilization, different utensils and systems came from several prehistoric cultural sources, proving the pluralistic integration of Chinese civilization. He also reiterated the importance of ancient burial chambers in archaeological excavations.

Finally, Dr Wong took the participants to the "Master of All Crafts: ‘Investiture of the Gods’ on the Ridge of Lo Pan Temple" Exhibition, where participants were able to appreciate the two-sided pottery ridge based on the theme of “Investiture of the Gods”.

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