Guided Viewing: "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum" with Rose Lee

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series – A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Trustees of the British Museum, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the British Museum and solely sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

The exhibition originated from a popular radio programme of the BBC with the British Museum, telling the story of human civilization using 100 objects selected from the encyclopedic collections of the British Museum. Unlike traditional narratives that focus on selected periods or cultural zones, this exhibition reviews the common stories of human development in a new perspective. Tracing human activity from 2 million years ago to the present, the stories behind the objects reveal how mankind in various areas and cultures shared similar aspirations and development in aspects of power, belief, art, trading and technology. Through this broadened vision, visitors may gain new inspiration about the world we live.

Exhibits are selected from various geographical areas, showing man-made objects, not only exquisite art pieces, but a larger proportion being daily utensils and implements, currency, scientific instruments and ritual items that have been used. Highlights include the first human stone tool from Africa, the evidence of first city from Iraq’s The Standard of Ur, Fifty Manillas involved in the slave trade, Ship’s chronometer from HMS Beagle of Darwin’s world voyage, Japanese artist Hokusai’s famous woodblock print Under the Wave off Kanagawa from the series “36 Views of Mt Fuji”, and the issue of LGBT rights conveyed in the work of David Hockey, a contemporary artist. Each object tells a story that invites you to travel in time and to a curious corner of the world.

Resource Person

Lee Wing Chong Rose

Our tour will be led by Ms. Rose Lee, Assistant Curator at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Ms. Lee graduated from the Fine Arts Department, University of Hong Kong. In her role as Assistant Curator (Art) at the Leisure and Cultural Service Department, Ms. Lee has worked at the Hong Kong Museum of Art looking after collections of Chinese Antiquities, Tea Ware, and Historical Pictures and is currently in charge of the Chao Shao-an Gallery and T. T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Ms. Lee has handled major exhibitions including “Studio Ghibli Layout Designs: Understanding the Secrets of Takahata and Miyazaki Animation” and “The Pride of Lingnan: In Commemoration of the 110th Birthday of Chao Shao-an”.