Hong Kong Palace Museum | HKPM Special Exhibition Talk Series: Mengdiexuan and Ancient Chinese Gold

Betty Lo and Kenneth Chu

Owners of the Mengdiexuan Collection

Founded by Betty Lo and Kenneth Chu, the Mengdiexuan Collection of ancient Chinese gold is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Their generous donation of 946 gold and silver wares includes objects from the Eurasian Steppes, Tibetan Plateau, and Central Plains. These objects span a period of over three thousand years. Betty and Kenneth have also supported numerous exhibitions and research projects, and helped to bridge the gap between scholarship and craftsmanship by collaborating with partners in the jewellery industry to conduct research on historical designs and techniques.

Dr Tianlong Jiao

Head Curator of the Hong Kong Palace Museum

Dr Tianlong Jiao received his B.A. from Peking University in 1987 and Ph. D. from Harvard University in 2003. Prior to his appointment at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, he was the Curator of Asian Art at the Denver Art Museum, Head and Curator of Chinese Art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, Chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Bishop Museum. He also served as faculty or visiting professors at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Xiamen University, the Chinese University of Science and Technology, and Shandong University. His research speciality is early Chinese art and archaeology. He has curated many travelling exhibitions in collaboration with major museums worldwide, including the Palace Museum. He also conducted archaeological projects in the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Hawaii, and Honduras. He has authored or co-authored seven books and more than ninety research papers in Chinese and English. His book The Neolithic of Southeast China (Cambria Press 2007) was the winner of the 2007 Philip and Eugenia Cho Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Asian Studies.