The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) signed a collaboration memorandum on cultural inheritance work with the Palace Museum and the GS Charity Foundation in Beijing today. Under the collaboration memorandum, the Palace Museum will provide professional advice and assistance to the HKPM while the GS Charity Foundation is committed to offering the HKPM funding support of HK$50 million in five years for launching a series of new projects. These projects will enhance cultural and artistic exchanges, nurture museum professionals, promote the inheritance of Chinese culture, and strengthen Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan.
With the joint support of the Palace Museum and the GS Charity Foundation, the HKPM plans to launch three annual projects from 2024 to 2028:
- The “GS Visiting Fellows Programme at the HKPM” will fund senior scholars in the field of cultural and artistic studies from overseas and/or the Mainland to serve as visiting fellows at the HKPM. They will collaborate with the HKPM’s researchers on projects related to the Palace Museum’s collections, cultural heritage preservation and exhibitions.
- The “Hong Kong and Mainland Youth Internship Programme at the Palace Museum” aims to select youths from the Mainland to intern in the HKPM and Hong Kong youths to intern in the Palace Museum. Through the internship and exchange activities at relevant cultural institutions, participants will enhance their knowledge and understanding in the areas of Chinese culture and the museum sector, and accumulate valuable work experience to prepare them for a career in the museum and cultural fields.
- The “Hong Kong Students’ Chinese Cultural Experience Programme” will arrange experiential activities outside of school for local students. Themed around the Palace Museum’s precious artifacts and national cultural heritage, these activities will employ engaging and innovative approaches to deepen students’ understanding of Chinese traditional culture, art and history, strengthen their cultural confidence, and enhance their national consciousness, thereby ensuring that the Chinese cultural traditions continue to be passed down through generations.
Furthermore, the Palace Museum and the GS Charity Foundation will support the HKPM in organising large-scale thematic exhibitions with the aim of deepening mutual understanding between civilisations and promoting cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.
Dr Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum, said, “Building on longstanding and close collaborations, the Palace Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum share a deep and special kinship. One of the visions of the Palace Museum is to serve as a hub for fostering dialogue and exchange between world civilisations, placing great importance on youth education and cultural inheritance. We look forward to organising more cultural activities, exhibitions and academic conferences that connect the Mainland and Hong Kong, promoting cultural exchange and integration and, together, presenting the profound and extensive facets of traditional Chinese culture to the world.”
Yeung Chun Fan, Vice-chairman and General Manager of the Glorious Sun Group, said, “The GS Charity Foundation is honoured to partner with the Palace Museum to support the HKPM, deepening the exchange and cooperation between the Palace Museum and the HKPM, and further implement the mission of the HKPM to orchestrate the beauty of traditional Chinese culture. I look forward to broader and deeper collaboration between the two museums in promoting cultural exchanges between the Mainland and Hong Kong, enhancing the international influence of Chinese culture, and helping young people strengthen their cultural self-confidence.”
Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director of the HKPM, said, “Our shared vision with the Palace Museum is to nurture talents, especially in the fields of youth education and cultural inheritance. We are deeply grateful to Palace Museum for its strong support for the HKPM and the GS Charity Foundation for its generous funding support. As we deepen our collaboration in the areas of exhibitions, research, conservation work, public education and talent training, I am confident that the HKPM will become a cradle for nurturing cultural and museum professionals, contributing to the promotion of Chinese culture worldwide and facilitating dialogue between different civilisations.”
More details of the three annual projects under the collaboration memorandum – the “GS Visiting Fellows Programme at the HKPM”, the “Hong Kong and Mainland China Youth Internship Programme at the Palace Museum”, and the “Hong Kong Students’ Chinese Cultural Experience Programme” – will be announced in 2024.
Remarks
About the Hong Kong Palace Museum
The Hong Kong Palace Museum aspires to become a leading institution in the study and appreciation of Chinese art and culture while advancing dialogue among 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 educational 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 Palace Museum
Established in 1925, The Palace Museum is a broadly representative national museum. It is housed on the grounds of the palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties known as the Forbidden City and its collection is based on Ming and Qing imperial collections. In 1961 the State Council named it a Nationally Protected Key Cultural Heritage Site, and in 1987 it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Palace Museum became a national 5A tourist attraction in 2007. The following year, it was among the first Chinese museums recognized by the National Cultural Heritage Administration as a first-grade museum. Covering over one million square metres, the architectural compound under The Palace Museum’s administration consists of around 9,000 bays (internal spaces defined by columns) of Ming and Qing era structures, making it the world’s largest and best-preserved historical palatial complex.
Today, The Palace Museum is an unparalleled art treasure house with a vast collection of over 1.86 million pieces in twenty-five major categories. It showcases the time-honoured and splendid Chinese civilisation to the public through its imperial palace architecture; the display of original interior settings to illustrate the history of the imperial court; galleries dedicated to decorative arts, timepieces, paintings, calligraphic works, ceramics, and sculptures; and thematic exhibitions.
About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District 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, the West Kowloon Cultural District 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.westkowloon.hk/
