Hong Kong Palace Museum previews opening shows featuring national treasures loaned by Beijing

Centuries-old Chinese imperial ceramics will be among the highlights of the inaugural exhibitions at the museum when it opens to the public on July 2

Hundreds of national treasures will be on display, with others due to be loaned by the Palace Museum arriving later having been delayed by Covid-19 outbreaks

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Ceramic pieces on display as part of “Clay to Treasure: Chinese Ceramics from the Palace Museum”, one of the nine inaugural exhibitions at the Hong Kong Palace Museum opening on July 2, 2022. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 9:08pm, 17 Jun 2022Updated: 5:41pm, 18 Jun 2022

After years of discreet planning verging on secrecy, the Hong Kong Palace Museum has unveiled three of the nine exhibitions the public will see when it officially opens on July 2. They feature a number of top national treasures on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing.

An exhibition titled “Clay to Treasure: Chinese Ceramics from the Palace Museum”, focuses on the evolution of ceramic production in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and features 169 objects displayed in a gallery that combines contemporary design and traditional Chinese elements.

One of the most famous pieces on show is a headrest in the shape of a reclining boy, which was made during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) and is one of 166 grade-one national treasures loaned temporarily to the Hong Kong museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District by the Palace Museum in Beijing. The white porcelain headrest belonged to the imperial collection.

Other pieces in the exhibition include 12 multicoloured chrysanthemum-shaped dishes commissioned in 1733 by the Qing Emperor Yongzheng and made at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, which were experimenting with bold new glaze colours at the time.

A view of 12 chrysanthemum-shaped dishes from the Qing dynasty featured in “Clay to Treasure: Chinese Ceramics from the Palace Museum”, one of the nine inaugural exhibitions at the Hong Kong Palace Museum opening on July 2, 2022. Photo: Felix Wong

Also from the imperial kilns is a vase with lotus sprays, a Kangxi period piece that is one of the earliest examples of falangcai-enamel decorated porcelain. The blue and yellow lotus flowers depicted show a revolutionary use of shading akin to Western painting style at the time.

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