On Monday, the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) marked a significant milestone, celebrating its first anniversary. The renowned cultural establishment, mirroring the Palace Museum in Beijing, has become a beacon of historical richness and artistic mastery in Hong Kong.
Over the past year, the HKPM has showcased over 900 precious artifacts loaned from the Beijing Palace Museum. These cultural gems have successfully attracted more than 1.2 million visitors, comprising local Hong Kong citizens, individuals from the Chinese mainland, and international guests. Interestingly, more than half of the total visitors were Hong Kong residents.
One such resident, Sabrina Yip, highlighted her pride in being a citizen of a nation with such an “incredible” history. Sabrina was among the first visitors to the museum, and she spoke of how the Beijing artifacts provided her with a unique opportunity to connect with the culture of the Chinese mainland.
Louis Ng, the director of HKPM, acknowledged the deep-seated admiration for traditional Chinese culture among Hong Kong residents. He mentioned that the locals’ fervor had led many of them to visit the museum multiple times. Ng emphasized that such strong support and enthusiasm only motivate the HKPM to continue bolstering local cultural confidence and further integrating into China’s overarching cultural development.
Throughout the first year of its operation, the HKPM has unveiled 12 different exhibitions, thanks to close collaboration with cultural institutions from the Chinese mainland. Currently, the museum is displaying 51 artifacts as part of a fifth rotating loan from the Beijing Palace Museum. Many of these relics, like a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) bamboo carved pen holder shaped like a cabbage, are making their Hong Kong debut.
The spirit of collaboration continues to flourish with an upcoming exhibition centered around Sichuan Province’s Sanxingdui Culture. This exhibit, slated to launch in late September, will showcase over 120 Sanxingdui treasures to Hong Kong audiences, as revealed by Ng.
Winnie Tam, the HKPM chairman of the board, expressed her gratitude for the “full support” from the Beijing branch. She underscored the museum’s commitment to share “good Chinese stories” and foster China-West cultural exchanges.
As per China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Hong Kong is tasked with evolving into a hub for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the rest of the world. As the head of one of Hong Kong’s most iconic cultural sites, Ng feels a profound responsibility to project China’s cultural legacies to the world through this platform.
Reflecting on their international collaborations, Ng noted, “We have worked with many countries in Europe and North America, and will continue to work with other countries in the Middle East and Central Asia in the future.”
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