Hong Kong Palace Museum | Hong Kong Palace Museum Unveils Exciting 2026 Exhibition Lineup, with Nine New Exhibitions Showcasing Chinese Treasures and World Art Masterpieces

Spectacular treasures from the Palace Museum will be in dialogue with masterpieces from world-renowned museums, including jewellery, sacred art from Eastern Orthodox and Buddhist traditions, and ancient Egyptian treasures, inviting visitors to experience the richness and splendour of arts and cultures from around the world

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM or the Museum) is delighted to unveil an exciting lineup for 2026 comprising nine new and innovative exhibitions. Among them, four thematic exhibitions are jointly organised by the HKPM and the Palace Museum, and three special exhibitions are co-organised by the HKPM with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York, the Guimet-National Museum of Asian Arts, and the State Tretyakov Gallery, respectively. Multimedia installations by Hong Kong artists inspired by Chinese mythical animals and Chinese paintings and calligraphic works donated by the distinguished Hong Kong artist and connoisseur Mr Wong Kwan Shut are featured in another two new thematic exhibitions. Additionally, the Museum’s blockbuster special exhibition “Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums” (“Ancient Egypt Unveiled”) will run until 31 August 2026.

In the four new thematic exhibitions, national treasures from the Forbidden City are presented with innovative approaches to curation and design

Building on the success of the five opening thematic exhibitions jointly organised by the HKPM and the Palace Museum in 2022, the HKPM and the Palace Museum will continue their fruitful strategic partnership in 2026 in presenting a new suite of exhibitions with compelling themes, fresh contents, innovative design, and rich learning offerings. These exhibitions will showcase grade-one national treasures, and many of the treasures will travel to Hong Kong for the first time.

• “The Forbidden City and the World: Cultural Encounters” (working title), on view from 3 June 2026 in Gallery 1, situates the Forbidden City and Chinese history in a global context and weaves a rich tapestry of China’s interactions—in diplomacy, trade, science, philosophy, and craftwork—with world civilisations. Featuring over 150 exceptional objects from the Palace Museum that were produced in China, Asia, and Europe, the exhibition celebrates China’s artistic achievements. Through exploring the cosmopolitanism of the Forbidden City, the modes of cultural exchange during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and China’s contribution to world civilisations, the exhibition exemplifies the HKPM’s mission to advance the inheritance and innovation of excellent traditional Chinese culture while fostering dialogue between China and the rest of the world. The exhibition is jointly organised by the HKPM and the Palace Museum.
• “Contemporary Design in Dialogue with Palace Display” (working title), jointly organised by the HKPM and the Palace Museum, will open on 30 September 2026 in Gallery 5. Centring on the imperial workshops of the Qing dynasty that specialised in the production and repair of objects and furnishings for the court, the exhibition features approximately 200 treasures, revealing the essential functions of the imperial workshops: the design, production, management, and display of court art. Hong Kong designers and artists will participate in the design and curation of the exhibition, connecting traditional and contemporary design with a new approach.
• “Qing Court in Four Seasons: Life and Culture of the Imperial Household” (working title), jointly organised by the HKPM and the Palace Museum, will run from 4 November 2026 in Gallery 2. Building on the popularity of the highly acclaimed exhibition “From Dawn to Dusk: Life and Art in the Forbidden City”, which is currently on view, the Museum extends its curatorial vision through the lens of the four seasons, showcasing the vibrant tapestry of Qing court life. Featuring nearly 200 exquisite objects, the exhibition illustrates how the Qing emperors synchronised their lifestyles and planned activities with the cycles of nature. This engaging presentation of Qing imperial court culture invites visitors to explore the rhythms of court life across spring, summer, autumn, and winter, encompassing themes such as agriculture, diplomacy, religion, hunting, and seasonal rituals and celebrations.
• “Heavenly Horses: Masterpieces from the Palace Museum” (working title), on view from 20 March 2026 through 17 March 2027 (tentative) in Gallery 4, celebrates the arrival of the Year of the Horse in 2026. Jointly organised by the HKPM and the Palace Museum and exclusively sponsored by the Institute of Philanthropy, this exhibition explores horse-themed paintings in Chinese art by considering imperial and literati practices, the relationship between tradition and modernity, and the dialogue between Chinese and Western painting styles. The exhibition, drawing mainly on the Palace Museum collection and enriched by loans from the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, will display nearly 100 horse-themed paintings by more than 60 renowned artists from the Yuan dynasty up to the 20th century.

Three new special exhibitions celebrate diverse world cultures, featuring stunning global jewellery, rare Eastern Orthodox painted icons, and the finest Buddhist art treasures from along the Silk Roads

“Treasures of Global Jewellery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Body Transformed” (working title), a dazzling special exhibition and one of the major highlights of the HKPM’s 2026 exhibition programme, will run from 15 April through 19 October 2026 (tentative) in Gallery 8. Jointly organised by The Met and the HKPM, it is the first major showcase in Hong Kong of global jewellery from six continents made over the course of nearly 4,000 years between the second millennium BCE and the 21st century. The exhibition marks The Met’s debut in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. With approximately 200 spectacular treasures from The Met along with selected objects from the HKPM collection, the close relationship between body and jewellery will be explored. The masterpieces will display the depth and breadth of the encyclopedic collection of this world-renowned museum and illustrate the diversity and interconnectedness of global jewellery. Cathay is the Major Sponsor of the exhibition.

“Windows into Heaven: Religious Art Treasures from the State Tretyakov Gallery” (working title), a special HKPM exhibition from 21 October 2026 through 26 March 2027 (tentative) in Gallery 9, will offer a rare glimpse of the profound legacy of Eastern Orthodox art. Presenting about 100 important icon paintings and gemstone-encrusted treasures of Orthodox Christian art spanning nearly a millennium from the renowned State Tretyakov Gallery in Russia, the exhibition traces the evolution of Eastern Orthodox art. Structured thematically into five sections, the exhibition explores the sacred role of icon paintings in worship and highlights the significance of visual narratives related to Christ, the Virgin Mary, saints, and the Bible in Eastern Orthodox art traditions.

“Cultural Exchange and Buddhist Art along the Silk Roads” (working title) will be presented in Gallery 8 from 9 December 2026 through 26 April 2027. Jointly organised by the HKPM and the Guimet-National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris, the exhibition will feature nearly 150 masterpieces of Buddhist art, including sculptures, ivory carvings, glassware, gold objects, and textiles from Guimet’s world-class collection, complemented by significant objects from Chinese Mainland museums. The exhibition traces the transmission of Buddhism and the stylistic development of Buddhist art along the Silk Roads. Visitors will embark on a journey across Asia, from Afghanistan and China to the Korean Peninsula and Japan, from the 1st to the 10th century, and discover how Buddhist artistic traditions were shaped through a millennium of dialogue, movement, and connectivity.

New thematic exhibition of multimedia works in dialogue with traditional Chinese arts and culture

The HKPM continues to engage Hong Kong artists and employs innovative technologies to create new works that breathe life into China’s time-honoured traditions. The Museum’s third thematic exhibition of works by Hong Kong artists and creative practitioners along these lines is “Myth into Art: Fantastic Animals in the Digital Realm” (working title), which will run from 13 May through 31 December 2026 in Gallery 7. Drawing inspiration from the magnificent architecture of the Forbidden City and its captivating mythical animals and their stories, the exhibition will explore the relationship between society today and its cultural heritage, as well as the interplay between nature and technology. The exhibition is organised by the HKPM.

Hong Kong’s first major survey of works by distinguished artist Wong Kwan Shut, featuring his signature works as well as historical paintings donated to the HKPM

“Joyful Encounters: The Art of Wong Kwan Shut” (working title), organised by the HKPM, will be on view in Gallery 6 from 24 June through 30 September 2026. The exhibition is a major survey of the creative journey of the Hong Kong calligrapher, painter, and art collector Mr Wong Kwan Shut, presenting a recent gift of over 60 important works to the HKPM by his wife, Mrs Wong Pong Chi-ying. The exhibition illuminates not only Wong’s main artistic styles and achievements but also the close connections between his collecting and artistic creation. As the fourth exhibition of major collections donated to the HKPM, it underscores the quality and depth of the Museum’s growing collection.

The “Egypt Mania” generated by the blockbuster “Ancient Egypt Unveiled” exhibition continues to captivate Hong Kong in 2026

The HKPM’s special exhibition “Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums” has attracted over 75,000 visitors since its opening on 20 November 2025 and will remain on view in Gallery 9 through 31 August 2026. Jointly organised by the HKPM and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, the exhibition features 250 spectacular works from seven major Egyptian museums along with the latest archaeological finds from Saqqara. The HKPM plans to sustain the excitement about this exhibition by launching new learning programmes and dynamic city-wide promotional campaigns in 2026. “Ancient Egypt Unveiled”, a destination exhibition, is proudly supported by Bank of China (Hong Kong), the Museum’s Strategic Partner, with Cathay and UnionPay International as the Major Sponsors.

Currently on view in Gallery 4, the thematic exhibition “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Art of Armaments—Qing Dynasty Military Collection from The Palace Museum” explores the military organisation, military technology, martial spirit, and military art of the Qing dynasty. It will remain on view until 21 January 2026. In Gallery 8, the special exhibition “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Treasures of the Mughal Court from the Victoria and Albert Museum”, which illuminates the golden age of South Asian art and culture in the 16th and 17th centuries, will run till 23 February 2026. Visitors are encouraged to see the exquisite treasures of the Mughal courts, including a 57-carat “fancy light pink” diamond before the exhibition closes. Both exhibitions are solely sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

In view of the warm response to the exhibition, “The Ways in Patterns: An Immersive Digital Exhibition from the Palace Museum” (Gallery 7), exclusively sponsored by the Institute of Philanthropy will be extended to 30 March 2026. Meanwhile, “A History of China in Silk: The Chris Hall Collection at the Hong Kong Palace Museum” (Gallery 6) will remain on view until 4 May 2026. For visitors interested in arts tech, Chinese design, textiles, and fashion, both exhibitions are must-sees.

Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director of the HKPM, said, “The 2026 lineup showcases the HKPM’s commitment to deepening public appreciation of Chinese art and culture and its dialogue with world civilisations. By strengthening partnerships with leading international cultural institutions, connecting the traditional with the contemporary, and exploring the Palace Museum’s rich collection in new light, we will continue organising exhibitions that inspire curiosity, spark cross-cultural dialogue, and cultivate an appreciation of cultural heritage in a fast-changing world.”

HKPM line-up of new exhibitions in 2026*

*Note: the exhibition name, content, and duration are subject to change.

Remarks

About the Hong Kong Palace Museum
The Hong Kong Palace Museum aspires to become a leading institution on the study and appreciation of Chinese art and culture while advancing dialogue between world civilisations. The Hong Kong Palace Museum is a collaborative project between the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and the Palace Museum and is funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust with a donation of HK$3.5 billion for its establishment, as well as some of the annual exhibitions and education programmes in 2023–2031.

Embracing new curatorial approaches, the Museum combines a Hong Kong perspective with a global vision to present precious artefacts from the Palace Museum and other important cultural institutions around the world. Through research, exhibitions, and educational and professional exchange programmes, the Museum aims to build international partnerships and position Hong Kong as a global hub for art and culture. At heart a resource that belongs to the local community, the Museum strives to inspire community engagement, foster dialogue, and promote creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration.

About the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK)
WestK is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on 40 hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, WestK will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, providing 23 hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.
https://www.westk.hk/