Hong Kong Palace Museum Presents the Palace Museum Culture Lecture Series (Part III)

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) will present Part III of the Palace Museum Culture Lecture Series from March to May 2022. At these free public talks, leading experts on Palace Museum culture from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei will share new research that brings to life the distinctive charm of the culture of the Forbidden City.

Organised by the HKPM, Parts I and II of the Lecture Series were held last year and received an overwhelming response. The three upcoming talks in Part III will examine respectively the development of European cannon technology in the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, Chinese export ceramics from the Palace Museum collection, and the Qing imperial collection of Islamic jades. Participants will be invited to explore cultural exchanges between China and the world.

The details are as follows:

European Cannon Technology in the Reign of the Kangxi Emperor (12 March 2022): Dr Chou Weichiang, Curator, HKPM, will explore European cannon technology in the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (1662–1722), as well as technological breakthroughs in the military applications of artillery in this period. European cannons were widely used across Asia by the beginning of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Long adept at horseback archery, the Manchus also recognised the importance of firearms. The emperor attached great importance to these weapons—after the Revolt of the Three Feudatories in 1673, the Qing army produced new cannons with the assistance of the Jesuit astronomer and mathematician Ferdinand Verbiest (1623–1688).

Ancient Chinese Export Ceramics in the Palace Museum Collection (9 April 2022): Mr Lyu Chenglong, Research Fellow and Director, Department of Antiquities, Palace Museum, will explore the museum’s collection of ancient Chinese export ceramics. The Palace Museum is home to a world-renowned ceramic collection. Particularly well represented are ancient works produced by “The Five Great Kilns” as well as imperial ceramics manufactured in the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in Jingdezhen. Export ceramics in the museum’s collection came from a variety of sources, including government allocations, donations from private or corporate collectors, as well as purchases made after 1949, with only a small number of works from the Qing court collection. A less known category, Chinese export ceramics nevertheless represent a significant area of growth in the overall collection of the Palace Museum. Since 1949, allocations made by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, as well as museum purchases, have contributed to the growth of the Chinese export ceramic collection at the Museum, which reflects a growing interest in this area among scholars and collectors.

Precious Jades from the Western Regions: Analysing and Appreciating the Diversity of Islamic Jades in the Qing Imperial Collection (14 May 2022): Ms Teng Shu-p'ing, former Chief Curator, Department of Antiquities, Palace Museum, Taipei, will explore the reasons why a large number of jades from the Islamic world travelled to China and entered the Qing imperial collection in the second half of the eighteenth century. Ms Teng explains the functions of these jades, and uses their artistic traits as a basis to identify four regional styles, including those of jades from the Mughal Empire in North India and the Ottoman Empire in Turkey. In addition, she will use poems composed by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795) and engraved on these jades to analyse the emperor’s aesthetics and the myths he conjured up about some of these jades.

Programme details:

Zoom 1: European Cannon Technology in the Reign of the Kangxi Emperor

Zoom 2: Ancient Chinese Export Ceramics in the Palace Museum Collection

Zoom 3: Precious Jades from the Western Regions: Analysing and Appreciating the Diversity of Islamic Jades in the Qing Imperial Collection

Speaker biographies:

Remarks

About the Hong Kong Palace Museum
The Hong Kong Palace Museum aspires to become one of the world's leading cultural institutions committed to the study and appreciation of Chinese art and culture, while advancing dialogue among world civilisations through international partnerships. Scheduled to open in July 2022, the Museum is a collaborative project between the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and the Palace Museum. The capital cost of the Museum is fully funded by a donation of HK$3.5 billion from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

Embracing new curatorial approaches, the Museum will offer a Hong Kong perspective and a global vision, presenting the finest objects from the Palace Museum and other important cultural institutions around the world. Through innovative research and travelling exhibitions, as well as educational, cultural, and professional exchange programmes, the Museum will build international partnerships and help position Hong Kong as a hub for art and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world. As a world-class institution, the Museum is, at heart, a cultural resource that belongs to the community of Hong Kong. And as a dynamic platform, it will inspire community engagement, foster dialogue and partnerships, and promote creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration. 
https://www.westkowloon.hk/en/hkpm

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 forty 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 twenty-three hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.