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Hong Kong Palace Museum: highlights to see among the national treasures on loan from Beijing, and its controversial beginnings

When the Hong Kong museum opens on July 2, there are some stunning national treasures to see among more than 900 loaned by the Beijing Palace Museum

Its opening is the culmination of a project criticised for the lack of public consultation when Hong Kong’s then No 2 leader Carrie Lam announced it in 2016

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A festive robe made for a Chinese emperor on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. First announced in 2016, the museum is finally opening on July 2, 2022. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 11:52am, 1 Jul 2022Updated: 11:59am, 1 Jul 2022

The Hong Kong Palace Museum, in the West Kowloon Cultural District, officially opens to the public on July 2 and features a range of Chinese artworks and relics.

The grand opening of the Hong Kong counterpart to Beijing’s Palace Museum coincides with the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China. Nine galleries fill the 13,000-square-metre (140,000 sq ft) space, spread across five floors, exhibiting ink paintings, calligraphy, ceramics and other artefacts dating from as early as the 10th century.

A total of 914 artefacts have been loaned by the Beijing Palace Museum, with 166 classified as “grade one” national treasures, including works in the special exhibit “The Making of Masterpieces: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy from the Palace Museum”, shown in one-month rotations due to their value and need for conservation.

Most of the pieces on loan are appearing in Hong Kong for the first time.

A headrest in the shape of a reclining boy at Hong Kong Palace Museum. Photo: Sam Tsang

The project sparked its share of controversy when it was announced in December 2016 by the then-chief secretary for administration, the second-highest office holder in the Hong Kong government Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, with critics homing in on the lack of public consultation.