Category: Local

HKUMS is delighted to present a guided viewing of Ravishing Blue: Imperial Porcelains and other extraordinary Chinese works of art at Christie’s Asia Pacific headquarters at The Henderson. These exquisite and extremely rare masterpieces spanning close to four centuries feature three of the finest examples of blue-and-white porcelain from three remarkable eras for the category: Yongle (1403-1425), Yongzheng (1723-1735), and Qianlong (1736-1795).

Join us as we immerse in the unparalleled beauty and learn of the historical significance of these masterpieces that epitomise the technical mastery, artistic innovation and imperial patronage that extend over three remarkable eras. 

Speaker

Pola Antebi is Deputy Chairman and International Director of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art at Christie’s Hong Kong. Her areas of expertise include imperial ceramics, jades and works of art from the Yuan to the Qing dynasties. 

Photo courtesy of Christie’s Hong Kong

The HKU Museum Society is delighted to present a guided viewing of 2 Exhibitions at UMAG: “Wondrous River”: Exploring Chinese Landscape Paintings with Dr. Shuo Hua and “8 Times 8”: Stories Series Systems in Mythology & Art with Dr. Harold Kraemer at UMAG

The first exhibition – Wondrous Rivers: Exploring Chinese Landscape Paintings invites visitors to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Chinese landscape paintings from the collection of the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), The University of Hong Kong. As a sequel to the 2024 exhibition Momentous Mountains: The Artistic, Philosophical and Cultural Engagement with Chinese Landscape Painting, this showcase presents a diverse series of paintings spanning from the early Qing dynasty (17th century) to contemporary times. The artists, hailing from different time periods and various regional cultures and training backgrounds, collectively exemplify the multi-faceted evolution of this painting genre.

The collection of Chinese landscape paintings constitutes the foundation of UMAG’s educational and research efforts. Since establishing the collection and making it publicly accessible in the 1950s, UMAG has been closely connected to the development of twentieth-century Chinese painters, actively documenting and studying the evolution of local artistic talents and the Hong Kong art scene. We would like to thank our community of donors—both artists and collectors—for their generosity and for being part of this fascinating journey. Finally, this exhibition would not have been possible without the financial support of the University of Hong Kong Museum Society and HKU’s Endowment for Music and Fine Arts Fund.

Speaker
Dr. Shou Hua received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD from the University of Hong Kong. She was a visiting PhD fellow at the Cluster of Global Art History, University of Heidelberg. Her research centres on modern East Asian paintings, art market studies and exhibition history in a cross-cultural context.

The second exhibition – “8 Times 8”: Stories Series Systems in Mythology & Art.

Bats represent good luck, while pine trees symbolise longevity due to their resilience. Many of us can quickly identify the 8 Immortals, yet remembering their individual names and attributes is more challenging. When faced with artworks from ancient times, we often find ourselves astonished by the intricate ornaments, marvellous signs and rich symbolic language. We can sense the deep meaning behind them, yet the stories they tell and the secrets they hold are no longer widely known or taught. 

In both mythology and this exhibition, the number 8 plays a crucial role. The symmetrical shape of the number 8 symbolises an endless cycle, a constant flow of energy, balance, harmony and infinity. While in Cantonese-speaking communities the number 8 stands for wealth, in Christian numerical symbolism it signifies new beginnings and resurrection. And since 8 is a Fibonacci number, it can be found in nature all over the world. In Asian art this can be seen, for example, in the 8 trigrams of the I Ching, the 8 Immortals, the 8 Buddhist symbols or Auspicious objects. These interrelated elements are often depicted as a group of 8 in the form of a serial narrative, which are supplemented by motifs of pairs, figures or scenes from stories, landscapes, plants, flowers, animals, ornaments and symbols. 

Speaker
Dr Harald P. Kraemer taught Art Market courses and wrote for many years about Art Basel and other art fairs for the Vienna-based online magazine Art magazine. As a student, he had his first (painful) experiences as a gallery owner in his hometown and later developed survival strategies for some artists in the art market. He currently teaches Museum Studies at HKU and works as an exhibition curator for UMAG.

Image Credit: Courtesy of UMAG

The HKU Museum Society is delighted to present a private viewing of Cézanne and Renoir Looking at the World – Masterpieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay with Professor Greg Thomas at HK Museum of Art.

Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919) asserted themselves as two of the greatest masters of French painting. As icons of the Impressionist art movement in France, the two artists sought to reinvent the art of their time with their innovative depiction of the rapidly changing modern world. Along their artistic journey, they forged a lasting friendship and became influential figures for the new generations of painters, including Spanish master Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973).

This is the first large-scale exhibition of the two Impressionist masters Cézanne and Renoir in Hong Kong, showcasing 52 masterpieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay in France.

Speaker

Professor Greg Thomas earned his Ph.D. in art history from Harvard University in 1995 and has taught at HKU since 1999. A specialist in 19th-century French painting, he has published Art and Ecology in Nineteenth-Century France: The Landscapes of Théodore Rousseau (Princeton UP, 2000) and Impressionist Children: Childhood, Family, and Modern Identity in French Art (Yale UP, 2010). Subsequent research has focused primarily on artistic interactions between Europe and China in the 18th and 19th centuries, including a current book project focused on the palace of Yuanmingyuan. At HKU, he teaches an introductory survey of western art history and advanced courses on 18th- and 19th-century art and architecture.

Photo credit to HKMOA

The Executive Committee is pleased to organise a heritage outing and dinner at Kuk Po with Professor Wang Weijen, Director of Center for Chinese Architecture and Urbanism at University of Hong Kong.  Situated amidst the rural landscapes of Hong Kong’s Sha Tau Kok, Kuk Po preserves large area of mangrove wetlands and traditional Hakka settlements, juxtaposed against the backdrop of Shenzhen’s urban skyline across the sea. Supported by the Countryside Conservation Office, the design team from the University of Hong Kong has embarked on an initiative encompassing design research, conservation, and revitalization efforts in Kuk Po.

The design explores alternative urban and rural spaces in Hong Kong, promotes sustainable urban and rural environments, and raises public awareness of traditional architecture and community culture, as well as conservation of the ecological and landscape environments. The project covers: 

Kuk Po Common – Adaptive Reuse of a School Building for Community Spaces.
Kai Choi Plaza – Place Making with Collective Memories.
Art Kuk Po – Space Catalyst and Culture Participation with Creative Intervention using Kai Choi School, Kuk Po Common, and the plaza as venues.
Eco-Toilet – Green Infrastructure with Organic Recycling.
Ruin Garden – Heritage Conservation of the Sung family mansion built during the Qing dynasty with Innovative Method.

Resource Person

Professor Wang Weijen is the Director of Wang Weijen Architecture, Andrew KF Lee Professor of Architecture Design and Director of Center for Chinese Architecture and Urbanism at University of Hong Kong.  Integrating architecture with landscape and urban-rural conditions, his design projects, covering schools, campuses, and community buildings, received design awards including HKIA 2022 Project of the Year, AIA Awards, HKIUD Awards and others.  With research focuses on typology of Chinese Architecture and Cities, his writings and designs have been published in numerous international and regional architectural journals.  He is also the Editorial Director of HKIA Journal, Curator for Hong Kong on 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, Curator of 2007 Hong Kong Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.

Photo Credit: Kuk Po Vision

The HKU Museum Society is delighted to invite Ms. Lee Mei Yin to conduct a lecture to highlight the artistic motifs of folk embroideries and their auspicious expressions.

Interpreting Auspiciousness Through Motifs

Everyone hopes to have a healthy body and mind, as well as a fulfilling life. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, people have enjoyed using the meanings and homophonic sounds of objects to convey good wishes, filling life with positivity and hope. In this lecture, Lee Mei Yin will select folk embroideries from the Qing dynasty to share with everyone the auspicious meanings behind them, offering heartfelt blessings!

看圖說吉祥

每個人都希望有健康的身心和美滿的生活。明清以來，人們喜歡用事物的意思和諧音來送上美好的祝願，讓人們對生活充滿正向和希望。這次講座，將挑選清代的民間刺繡，與大家分享其中的吉祥喻意，送上衷心的祝福！

Speaker

Lee Mei Yin’s areas of research include the history, art and costumes of the ethnic minorities of China, Buddhist art, Dunhuang art, silk and embroideries. She previously served as HKUSPACE guest lecturer (2000-2010), as well as a member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee. She is currently a specially appointed research fellow of Dunhuang Academy, and Vice President of the Friends of Dunhuang (Hong Kong). She also serves on the Board of Dunhuang Grottoes Preservation and Research Foundation of China, and as an expert advisor to the public museums of Hong Kong

講者簡介

李美賢女士的研究範圍包括中國少數民族（民族史與服飾）、佛像藝術、敦煌藝術、絲綢與刺繡（歷史與賞析）。曾任香港大學專業進修學院導師（2000-2010），香港非物質文化遺產諮詢委員會委員。現任敦煌研究院特聘研究員、香港敦煌之友副主席，也是中國敦煌石窟保護研究基金會理事、香港博物館之專家顧問。

The HKU Museum Society is pleased to organise a visit to the Nan Lian Garden, a classical garden designed in Tang dynasty style incorporating elements of artificial hillocks, ornamental rocks, water features, timber structures and meticulously maintained bonsai (penjing) and mature trees. Mr. Taylor Yau, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Penjing and Artstone Society will guide us on a tour of the garden highlighting the designs of bonsai that convey harmony with nature.

南蓮園池為仿唐風格的中式園林，園內除了亭台樓閣等建築外，並有各類樹木、山石、池水及盆景等園藝佈置。沿園內路徑漫步，步移景換，使人彷如置身山水畫之中，淨化心靈。

嶺南園藝盆景講求自然美，雖然以人工修飾，但構思精巧，不露痕跡。香港盆景雅石學會副主席邱泰來先生指出每盆盆景皆有含意及意境，而園林也剛好將這件事情放大了。邱先生將深入淺出地引領本次「逍遙遊」。

 

Photo Credit: wikipedia

Please join us for a New Year of celebrating art & friendship! Our Patron Mrs. Jane Zhang will open her home for a Members’ Garden Party at the University Lodge. You are cordially invited to join and bring along friends for a fun-filled afternoon with tea buffet, festive activities, music, singing, calligraphy and photography with award-winning images on flora & fauna.

Kindly RSVP by 10 January 2025

The HKU Museum Society is delighted to present a guided viewing “Might and Magnificence: Ceremonial Arms and Armour across Cultures”. As part of the CityUHK’s 30th anniversary celebrations, the exhibition is co-curated by Dr Rachel Parikh, Deputy Director of the Dunhuang Foundation, and Dr Libby Chan, Director of the Indra and Harry Banga Gallery. It features nearly 200 ceremonial weapons and armours that span various cultures, countries, religions, and histories, revealing the true essence of ceremonial arms and armour—not merely as functional weapons, but also as profound symbols of cultural and social identity. 
 
The new exhibits come from esteemed private and local public collections, including rare and significant loans from the renowned Mengdiexuan Collection and R&J Collection. Mengdiexuan is a private collection in Hong Kong, founded by Ms. Betty Lo and her husband Mr. Kenneth Chu, renowned for its collections of ancient Chinese gold ornaments, nomadic art, scholars’ objects, Himalayan & Mongolian art and Oriental jeweled weapon. Over the 30-plus years, Mengdiexuan has shown its collections in a number of solo exhibitions in the US, the UK, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the China Mainland.
 
In 2022, Mengdiexuan donated a total of 946 pieces of ancient Chinese gold ornaments, the whole collection of the Radiant Legacy exhibition, to the newly opened Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), the first donation for HKPM and its founding collection. Earlier in 2010, Mengdiexuan had donated their whole collection of Liao Dynasty textiles, totalling 70 pieces/sets to the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou.

Mr. Cheng Po Hung is a renowned Hong Kong historian.  He will guide us in retracing the history of the southern part of Kowloon. We will walk through from Tsim Sha Tsui to Yau Ma Tei.  The route covers the Marine Regional Headquarters（水警總部）, Peninsula Hotel（半島酒店）, Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company Limited（九龍倉）, Chungking Market（重慶市場）, Whitfield Barracks -Kowloon Park（威菲路軍營）, King George V Memorial Park（佐治五世公園）, Jordan Road Ferry Pier（佐敦道碼頭）, Man Wah Sun Chuen（文華新村 – 八文樓）, Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market（油麻地果欄）, Tin Hau Temple（油麻地天后廟）, etc.

鄭寶鴻先生是著名香港歷史及掌故專家，一直以來對推廣香港歷史的普及教育不遺餘力，他將與我們一起遊走九龍半島的最南端，由尖沙咀至油麻地—水警總部、半島酒店、九龍倉、重慶市場、威菲路軍營、佐治五世公園、佐敦道碼頭、八文樓、油麻地果欄及天后廟等等。

Photo Credit: Mr. Cheng Po Hung

This lecture is presented in conjunction with the Museum Society’s upcoming trip, “A Tour to Western Yunnan – Mangshi, Ruili, Tengchong & Kunming” with Professor Joseph TING Sun Pao. Members and guests are welcome to attend.

In this lecture, Professor Ting will begin with an introduction of the natural environment of western Yunnan, its historical development throughout the ages, major ethnic minority tribes in the region and their unique cultures. He will talk about the ancient Southern Silk Road as well as Tengchong’s role in the trade with Myanmar after it was opened as a treaty port in the early part of the 20th century. The main focus of the talk will be on the fierce battles conducted in western Yunnan during the War of Resistance against the Japanese.

Speaker
Professor Ting graduated with a B.A. degree in 1974, MPhil in 1979 and PhD in 1989, all from The University of Hong Kong. He joined HK Museum of Art in 1979 as an Assistant Curator II, and retired in 2007 as the Chief Curator of the HK Museum of History. He is currently an Honorary Professor of the School of Chinese, HKU and an Adjunct Professor of the History Department of the Chinese University of HK. He is an Honorary Adviser of the HK Museum of Art and Museum of History; and also a Senior Adviser of the Art Museum of CUHK. Professor Ting is an Honorary Fellow of The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Education University of Hong Kong, and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the Hong Kong Metropolitan University.