CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
THE WHEEL OF TIME: 100 YEARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW (until 4th March 2012)
Rickshaws running along Queen's Road Central, 14 families sheltered under the same roof and tussling over water and fire, a post-war generation looking for new identity and culture... With a wealth of film images from different eras, Hong Kong cinema has documented the social life, culture and different facets of its home city. Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA)'s exhibition "The Wheel of Time: 100 Years of Light and Shadow" takes visitors through a journey illuminated with the sights and sounds of the geography, politics, social life and culture of the city.
"The Wheel of Time: 100 Years of Light and Shadow" recounts the development of Hong Kong cinema in connection with many significant social changes the city underwent from 1898 to 2010. The exhibition is on display until 4th March 2012 at the Exhibition Hall of the HKFA. Admission is free.
Starting with a time tunnel installation, the exhibition consists of six areas. Zone one, "Integration and Consolidation", features Hong Kong from 1898 to 1949. "The Edison Shorts", the documentary shot by the Edison Company in 1898, captures some of the earliest sights of Hong Kong and the livelihood of the fishing island. Shots from "A Trip Through China" (1916) take the audience on a spectacular walk past the classical and renaissance architecture in Central; commercial buildings and scenery along the waterfront; sea and land transport like ferries, sedan chairs, rickshaws and tram cars; and the different lifestyles of Westerners and the local Chinese.
When redevelopment after World War II was in full swing, people were still haunted by physical and emotional trauma. In zone two, "Homeland and Metropolis", movies like "The Kid" (1950) show the devastation of a war-broken family while "Save Your Water Supply" (1954), "Should They Marry?" (1951) and "Our Sister Hedy" (1957) reflect the livelihood of the grass-roots family and the rise of the middle class.
The exhibition zone entitled "Old Values and New Blood" focuses on the era of youth and the changes from 1960 to 1975. "The Delinquent" (1973) and "The Orphan" (1960) show the erosion of public safety, as well as housing and labour problems with the increase of the population and industrialisation. Michael Hui's "The Last Message" (1975) is a satire on the craziness of Hong Kong people when it comes to the stock market. Director Chang Cheh's "The Assassin" (1967) and Bruce Lee's action films reflect the frustration of youths and the dream of the oppressed working class to fight back. Erotic films like "Women of Desire" (1974) and "Golden Lotus" (1972) were a breakthrough in their departure from traditional culture.
As the economy started to recover, local pop culture attained primacy during the 1970s. The young directors of the New Wave cinema made many groundbreaking films, and their creative works blazed a trail for the golden age of local cinema. The zone "Insurrection and Breakthrough" shows how the society faced challenges at the time. The film "Anti-Corruption" (1975) is based on the bribery case involving police chief superintendent Peter Fitzroy Godber, "The Story of Woo Viet" (1981) is a truthful and sympathetic reflection on the situation of Vietnamese refugees, "The Private Eyes" (1976) and "Aces Go Places" (1982) feature the livelihood of the working class and the middle class, and "Boat People" (1982) and "Long Arm of the Law" (1884) indicate that collective anxiety loomed large as 1997 approached.
The zone entitled "Glory and Downturn" focuses on the era from 1985 to 1997, in which the then Oriental Pearl's lustre was dulled by pessimism. The tragic hero film "A Better Tomorrow" (1986), the trendsetting absurd nonsensical comedy "All for the Winner" (1990) and the rare political satire "Her Fatal Ways" (1990) reflect the wariness of Hong Kong people. "The Other 1/2 & the Other 1/2" (1988) and "Made in Hong Kong" (1997) express uncertainty and a lack of confidence in the future after the handover.
The last section, "Motherland and Locality", features the post-1997 era and filmmakers' responses to crises in politics, the economy and social life. The undercover sting films of the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy (2002-03) incorporated the sentiments of Hong Kong identity in the action-cop genre, "Shaolin Soccer" (2001) is testimony to the resilience of the Hong Kong people after the financial crisis, "1:99" (2003) is an attempt to give medical practitioners a much-needed boost and to pray for an end to calamities, and "McDull, Prince de la Bun" (2004) and "Echoes of the Rainbow" (2009) rise to calls for conservation and heritage preservation.
Hong Kong Film Archive is located at 50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho. The exhibition is open from 10am to 8pm, and HKFA is closed on Thursdays.
FANTASTIC CREATURES FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM (until 11th April 2012)
One hundred and seventy artefacts selected from the extensive collection of the British Museum and depicting creatures with amazing powers are on show at the Hong Kong Museum of Art from 20th January 2012 until 11th April 2012, offering visitors a golden opportunity to explore human civilisation through the ancient and intriguing legends and myths attached to the creatures.
Entitled "Fantastic Creatures from the British Museum", the exhibition features an array of valuable artefacts selected from the collection of the British Museum and spanning different cultures and civilisations from the Ice Ages to the present day: from ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, China, Japan, India and Africa to elsewhere in Europe and the Americas. Spectacular exhibits include the Greek minor god Pan; the Greek gorgon Medusa; the Egyptian sphinx; sirens, the Etruscan bird-women of Italy; the Chinese dragon and qilin; the Japanese tengu; Medieval creatures; the unicorn; and Kozo, the double-headed dog hunter from the Bakongo people of Africa. Also on display are European masters' prints including "Rhinoceros" by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and "Femme Torero" by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973).
The ancient Egyptian sphinx
is a symbol of royal power. It represents a king, or sometimes a queen,
with the body of a lion. The Hellenised feature of this statue shows it
was made in 332-30 BC, in the Ptolemaic period. As usual, the king
wears a "nemes" headcloth with a cobra on the forehead. Sphinx statues
flanked temple doorways and processional avenues. Their role was to act
as guardians, keeping enemies of the gods at a distance. Egyptian
sphinxes are very different from the cruel female sphinx of Greek
mythology. ©The Trustees of the British Museum (2012)
Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Trustees of the British Museum and organised by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the British Museum, the exhibition celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the 50th anniversary of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Fantastic creatures have always fascinated human beings throughout time and around the world. What makes a creature fantastic? It is often larger than life, or has multiple heads or other body parts; it may combine elements of different creatures, either different animals or animal and man. Often it also has magical properties. The fabulous, extraordinary beings may threaten or help us, and may be regarded as good or evil. In widely different societies, mythical beasts serve fundamental human needs. For many people, ancient and modern, they embody the complex relationship we have with nature and with the fellow creatures with whom we share the earth.
The exhibition is structured into nine sections, each centred around a particular type of fantastic creature, to examine how animals or mythical creatures address many fascinating questions and ideas, such as what lies beyond the horizon, how humans make sense of the world and explain its mysteries and dangers, the human relationship with the animal kingdom, the nature of good and evil, and what it means to be human.
This Chinese ewer, made in 11th century or early 12th century, takes the form of a girl with an upturned tail covered with fish scales and a pair of feathery wings who is holding the ewer spout. Mermaids are not usually part of Chinese iconography, and this winged figure may be more closely related to the angel-like creatures that are often seen in a Buddhist context with their hands similarly folded. ©The Trustees of the British Museum (2012)
To enhance viewers' appreciation of the exhibition, an education corner, "POW WOW Creatures Zone", with a computer game and origami activity has been set up for visitors to learn more about the artistic characteristics of the fantastic creatures in an interesting way. An "Animal Pottery" ceramic workshop will be available for families. In addition, lectures, audio guides, free public guided tours, video programmes and workshops will also be organised during the exhibition period. A fully illustrated catalogue will be published for sale at the Gift Shop of the museum.
To echo the exhibition from the British Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art has put on show a Chinese-themed exhibition with exhibits selected from its Chinese antiquities collection. Entitled "Cruising the Universe: Fantastic Animals in the Arts of China", the exhibition showcases the organic evolution of animal representations in Chinese traditional arts and crafts, customs, religious rituals, myths and legends.
Hong Kong Museum of Art is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is open from 10am to 6pm daily and from 10am to 8pm on Saturdays. On Chinese New Year's Eve, the museum will open at 10am and close at 5pm. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year.
Standard admission tickets for this exhibition are priced at HK$20 (Friday to Tuesday) and HK$10 (Wednesdays only). Full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities can enjoy concession fees, which are HK$10 (Friday to Tuesday) and HK$5 (Wednesdays only). "Free Admission on Wednesdays" and the department Weekly Pass are not applicable to this exhibition.
For further information see the museum's website;
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts/english/exhibitions/exhibitions01_jan12_01.html
EXHIBITION OF WUT MAN-CHUNG'S WORKS (until 31st March 2012)
Renowned Chinese composer Wut Man-chung (1942-1992) wrote a range of well-known compositions from the 1970s to the early 1990s, including notable pieces such as "Ambush on All Sides", "Princess Ch'ang P'ing Fantasy Overture", "The Pamir Capriccio Op. 21", "3 pieces of Cantonese folklore" and "Huang Shan, the magnificent mountain". His family has generously donated his music score manuscripts, trophies, records and other collections to the Hong Kong Music Collection of the Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL).
The "Exhibition of Wut Man-chung's Works" is on display from 4th January 2012 until 31st March 2012 at the Arts Resource Centre on the 10th floor of the HKCL for the public to appreciate this talented composer's musical journey.
The Gold Record Award of the orchestral work, "Princess Ch'ang P'ing Fantasy Overture" is one of the exhibits on display at the exhibition
Wut dedicated his whole life to music and education and contributed greatly to the local music scene. His music is noted for its strong ethnic style and that he wrote a wide range of music appealing to different audiences. In addition, Wut strived to educate younger musicians.
The Hong Kong Music Collection of the HKCL was established in 2001 to collect Hong Kong music documents systemically and provide valuable information and materials for local music research. The HKCL and the Hong Kong Music Collection recently celebrated their 10th anniversary and the retrospective exhibition on the maestro's musical journey takes place at an appropriate time.
Wut Man-chung was born in Guilin, Guangxi. At the age of five, he moved with his parents to Beijing, where began his lifelong musical journey. Wut wrote his first nursery song, "Zao Zao Qi", when he was eight. He entered the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing in 1960. Owing to the Cultural Revolution when he graduated, he had been placed to work in the Tianjin Gegu farm and later worked as resident composer of the China Railway Art Troupe, a position that provided him with the opportunity to travel to remote parts of the country. During his travels he came into contact with traditional Chinese music and folk songs, both of which helped to shape his unique musical style.
Wut migrated to Hong Kong with his family in 1975. Over a span of about 10 years, he wrote many popular pieces of music which won him honour and wide acclaim. He died in Taipei in February 1992.
In addition to Wut’s music, his manuscripts, awards, letters, photos, trophies and other valuable items will also be on display at the exhibition. Highlight exhibits include the manuscript and compact disc of the symphonic poem "Ambush on All Sides"; the manuscript of the "Pamir Capriccio" for harmonica and orchestra; his Gold Record Award for the orchestral work, "Princess Ch'ang P'ing Fantasy Overture"; the manuscript, cassette, photos and published score of contemporary Chinese opera "The West Chamber"; the Golden Tripod Award certificate for the composition "Huang Shan, the magnificent mountain"; and the manuscript of Wut's vocal works "Four Poems from Li Bai".
The manuscript of the symphonic poem "Ambush on All Sides"
Admission to the exhibition is free.
Hong Kong Central Library is located at 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay and opens Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 9pm, Wednesday 1pm to 9pm and on public holidays from 10am to 7pm. The library is closed on the first three days of Chinese New Year.
TO THE LAST MAN: CANADIAN TROOPS IN THE BATTLE OF HONG KONG (until 20th June 2012)
On November 16, 1941, two Canadian battalions, the Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles of Canada, comprising 2,500 members boarded a huge transport vessel to journey to Hong Kong, where they joined the Hong Kong defence forces.
Canadian troops march along Nathan Road toward Sham Shui Po Camp after disembarkation. They appear fit and confident. This is one of the photos on display at the exhibition
The Winnipeg Grenadiers was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army formed in 1908. At the start of World War II, its members were put into garrison duty for 16 months in Jamaica. In October 1941, they returned to Canada and were then sent to Hong Kong for active duty. They received some new members, but those new members did not even have basic training and they also lacked ammunition appropriate for a standard battalion. As a result, the battalion lacked the strength needed for front-line duty.
The Royal Rifles of Canada was formed in 1862 and originated in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The battalion was placed in active service during World War I. During World War II, its members served in Newfoundland in the east of Canada on garrison duty before being called to serve in Hong Kong in October 1941.
After the arrival of the Canadian troops, there was only a short period for acclimatisation. On December 8, 1941, the Japanese began their assault on Hong Kong Island and soon gained control of most of the north-eastern part of the island extending from Chai Wan to Mount Butler. The Canadian troops were immediately deployed to occupy Mount Butler and Jardine's Lookout. However, their fighting ability was seriously impeded due to their limited knowledge of the terrain. As a result, the troops suffered heavy casualties. At 3.25pm on Christmas Day, the Governor, Sir Mark Young, made the decision to surrender.
During the occupation, 1,500 Canadian prisoners of war were imprisoned in North Point Camp. As was the case with other prisoner-of-war camps, North Point Camp suffered from overcrowding and a lack of food and amenities, and medical facilities were almost non-existent. Some Canadian prisoners of war were dispatched to Japan as labourers, some fell ill with malnutrition, and others died due to lack of medicine. In addition, beatings by camp guards were a common occurrence.
The Japanese finally announced their surrender in 1945, and Canadian soldiers could then be sent back home. In the end, a total of 558 soldiers from the original force did not return home - more than one-fifth of those who had sailed from Vancouver to Hong Kong in 1941. As many Canadians fought to the last man, and the gallantry of the soldiers deserves special mention, this pictorial exhibition pays tribute to the Canadian troops who defended Hong Kong.
Through the historical pictures and panel text, the stories and the spirit of the Canadian troops can be recollected. Among the exhibits is the touching story of a big dog, Gander, who was sent to Hong Kong with the troops. Gander showed his bravery in protecting his comrades-in-arms and finally died in battle at Lei Yue Mun (around the present site of the Museum of Coastal Defence).
Gander, also known as "Pal", was the only dog from Canada to receive the Dickin Medal. Gander was sent to Hong Kong with the Royal Rifles of Canada in 1941. During the battle at Lei Yue Mun (around the present site of the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence), Gander showed his bravery in protecting his comrades-in-arms. When the Japanese landed near the soldiers at the beach, Gander barked and attempted to bite them. Later, when the Japanese troops were getting near a group of wounded Canadian soldiers, Gander protected them by suddenly charging at the Japanese. The enemy soldiers changed their route, which spared the wounded Canadians. Finally, when Gander saw an enemy grenade, he grabbed it in his mouth and carried it to where it would not harm his companions. Unfortunately, the grenade exploded and killed him
The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence is located at 175 Tung Hei Road, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong. It is open from 10am to 5pm and is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Lunar New Year. Admission is HK$10 and half-price concessions are applicable to full-time Hong Kong students, people with disabilities and senior citizens aged 60 or above. Admission is free on Wednesdays. For further details see the museum's website;
http://hk.coastaldefence.museum/en/section3-3-06.php
APPLAUDING TO HONG KONG POP LEGEND: ROMAN TAM (until 30th July 2012)
Roman Tam (1945-2002), a Hong Kong pop legend, sang numerous wonderful songs throughout his performing life and left a legacy of golden hits in the Hong Kong pop scene. His family generously donated more than 3,000 memorabilia items from different stages of his performing career to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum after his death. To share these treasures with the public, the museum is running a large-scale exhibition, "Applauding to Hong Kong Pop Legend: Roman Tam", from 21st December 2011 to 30th July 2012. The exhibition enables visitors to revisit Tam's career development and the Hong Kong popular music industry's history through the display of more than 220 artefacts selected from the collection.
A glamour photo of Tam from the 1970s. Tam was into avant-garde styling when he joined the showbiz scene, and he became renowned as a "fashionable singer"
Tam was a major force on the Hong Kong pop scene for more than 30 years, singing a number of golden hits. Throughout his performing life, he weathered storms and changes and witnessed the transformation of local pop music culture.
Pop music holds an important place in Hong Kong pop culture. Different generations have their own unique songs, which not only give people audio and visual enjoyment but also become part of their collective memory. These songs tell of the everyday lives of the people and reflect the social and economic development of Hong Kong. The exhibition interweaves stories about the development of Hong Kong pop music and Tam's glamorous performing life, bringing back the colourful cultural scene of the past century and paying tribute to the superstar.
The exhibition, featuring Tam's stage costumes and props, awards, photos and advertisements for performances, provides an overview of his career in the performing arts stretching over more than 30 years in Hong Kong. The exhibition not only reflects his achievements in the local pop music industry, but also shows his persistence, both in his choice of profession and in his pursuits in the arts.
Tam began his career as a singer in the mid-1960s when he formed a band to play popular Western hits in bars. He progressed to being a ghost singer for local films, for which he attracted attention for his vocal skills in his interpretations of Mandarin songs, before he reached the peak of his art, storming the charts with a succession of Cantonese pop hits.
Tam was committed to innovation in the styles of his songs. While his albums featured a lot of songs with a TV connection, he began to release music of different genres. For example, a concept album called "Wei" (Flowers) focused on the theme of the title, while a jazz-styled album entitled "A Mid-Summer's Evening" was also brought out. "The Laser" featured rap-style music and the highly charged song "Pussy Cat", while "Braving the Storm" started a trend for autobiographical songs. With the great success he was enjoying, Tam not only gained acceptance, but also received recognition and acclaim for establishing his own style. He had become a true icon of Hong Kong pop music.
A born singer with a natural talent for public performance, Tam loved the stage with a passion. He was also an advocate of aesthetic beauty who strove to provide his audience with perfect audio and visual entertainment in his stage performances. Tam developed an acute sense for fashion and absorbed the essence of stagecraft during his years in Japan from 1974 to 1977, and when he returned to Hong Kong he brought with him the latest Japanese trends to create a unique image for himself. He earned recognition as an innovator ahead of his time and built an inimitable style and a distinct stage presence.
In one breakthrough for Cantopop, Tam pioneered the Cantonese musical. Backing his judgement by investing his own money, he produced two Cantonese musicals, "Legend of the White Snake" and "Liuyi's Letter", with the specially founded Roman Tam Production Company Limited, in 1982 and 1984 respectively. Both shows were based on Chinese traditional folklore, with the stories retold through music and dance. While the productions provided little financial return, they received plenty of acclaim and gave Tam huge encouragement as he developed his future artistic direction.
Tam wears his costume with peacock feathers during his farewell concert, "Roman Tam's Glorious Stage", in 1996
Tam, who was able to stay ahead of his time and never stopped innovating and leading in the constantly changing pop music world, remains to this day a timeless icon in Hong Kong's pop culture.
For further details of the exhibition see Hong Kong Heritage Museum website;
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng/exhibitions/exhibition_details.aspx?exid=176
Hong Kong Heritage Museum is located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin. It is open from 10am to 6pm on Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays, and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. It will open from 10am to 5pm on Christmas Eve and Lunar New Year's Eve, and is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Lunar New Year. Admission is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
EXHIBITION OF ARCHIVAL HOLDINGS ON THE FORMER KAI TAK AIRPORT (from 19th December 2011 - closing date not yet confirmed)
The Public Records Office (PRO) of the Hong Kong SAR Government Records Service (GRS) is holding an "Exhibition of Archival Holdings on the Former Kai Tak Airport" at the Exhibition Hall of the Hong Kong Public Records Building, 2/F, 13 Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon from 19th December 2011. The exhibition is open to the public Monday to Friday (except public holidays) from 9am to 5-45pm and admission is free.
The airport terminal building (1962)
Kai Tak Airport (later called the Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak) was opened in 1930 and closed on July 6, 1998. The exhibition shows the development and appearance of the airport during different periods with selected archival records, maps and plans, and photographs and videos of the PRO. Valuable airport layout plans, development plans, and aerial and panoramic photographs of Kai Tak Airport are displayed. As well as reviewing the development of the Airport, the exhibition will revive memories about the place where we reunited with or bade farewell to our family members and friends.
Airplane flying over rooftops of buildings in Kowloon City (1998)
Complementing the on-site exhibition, an online Reference Resource Page is being developed. It consists of four parts: Timeline, Reference List, Image Gallery and Game. These are particularly useful educational resources for teachers and students pursuing such subjects as liberal studies, history and civic education. The Reference Resource Page can be viewed on the Public Records Office, Government Records Service website;
http://www.grs.gov.hk/ws/online/kai_tak/en/index.html
Guided tours for groups will be provided on request. If you have queries on reserving a guided tour or on the exhibition, please contact Mr Bernard Hui, Senior Assistant Archivist, Public Records Office of the Government Records Service (tel: 852 2195 7728).
A REMINISCENCE OF CANTONESE OPERATIC CANTATRICES IN OLD HONG KONG (until 29th February 2012)
Famed Cantonese opera singer Xiao Minxin was known for her unique voice and a singing style that featured a touch of sadness. Her famous songs like "Autumn Tomb" and "The Sentimental Swallow Returns" not only captured the hearts of fans but also influenced the singing style of subsequent Cantonese opera singers. She and three other "nuiling" (female singers), Xu Liu-xian, Zhang Yue'r and Zhang Hui-fang, were acclaimed as the Four Masters of Pinghou (male voice impersonators) from the 1920s to the 1930s. It was very popular for the opera singers to perform in different "getan" (singing forums) at various teahouses, and the charges at the teahouses varied according to the appeal of the "nuiling".
An exhibition entitled "A Reminiscence of Cantonese Operatic Cantatrices in Old Hong Kong", organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is being held until 29th February 2012 at the Rare Book Reading Room on the eighth floor of Hong Kong Central Library.
The exhibition, mainly in Chinese, features the development of "getan" in the old days. Archival entertainment newspapers, old gramophone records, film tune manuscripts and lyric sheets of Cantonese opera songs are on display to take readers down memory lane to find out more about the "getan" at teahouses.
An old gramophone recording of "The Spotlight" is one of the highlights of the "A Reminiscence of Cantonese Operatic Cantatrices in Old Hong Kong" exhibition
In the past, one of the main leisure activities for the public was enjoying dim sum at teahouses while listening to the "nuiling" singing at the "getan". The first Chinese restaurant that included "getan" on the premises was located in Sheung Wan, and the business flourished in many teahouses in the 1930s.
The culture of "getan" was further developed with the emergence of gramophone and radio stations. Many famous "nuiling" also recruited some opera songwriters to write new songs for their performances. Famous songwriters such as Wong Sum-fan, Ng Yat-siu and Wu Man-sum emerged in this period. Wong, drawing on his knowledge of literature, injected literary elements into his songs. Both Ng and Wu wrote a lot of Chinese ditties, Wu even adapted Chinese lyrics to Western melodies in his songwriting.
Audiences attending a "getan" would receive a sheet of paper printed with lyrics and sometimes a photo of the "nuiling" stationed at the teahouses. One of the precious exhibits is an album of lyric sheets of Cantonese opera songs printed by a restaurant in Sheung Wan. The lyric sheets were compiled by local renowned calligrapher Ho Shuk-wai over more than 60 years.
An album of lyric sheets of Cantonese operatic songs, which is on display at the exhibition
Other exhibits include the publication "The New Moon", published by the New Moon record company in the 1930s, and "Qian nian wan zai" (The Millennium), a bulletin produced by the EMI record company. Archival newspapers on display include the Hong Kong Evening Post, which focused on news and critics' writing on Cantonese opera stars and was the first local evening newspaper, having been published since 1921, and the China Star, a tabloid in old Hong Kong.
A collection of old gramophone recordings by different "nuiling" is also featured in the exhibition. They are "Album of Xiao Minxin", covering four popular Cantonese opera songs; "Kou hua hua xia juan", featuring the popular songs of humorous singing queen Zhang Yue'r; "The spotlight", a masterpiece of Zhang Hui-fang; "Guan Gong Kills Cai Yang" from singer Fei Ying; and "Memory of Xiao Minxin", written by Ng Yat-siu as a tribute to Xiao Minxin. Also on display is the manuscript of the title tune for the Cantonese film "A Melancholy Melody", composed by Wu Man-sum; "Mourning of Wong Sum-fan", a Chinese calligraphic work written by Ho Shuk-wai; and an autographed copy of "Xing yun xin qu", written by Wong Sum-fan.
Hong Kong Central Library is located at 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay. It is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 9pm. On Wednesdays the library is open from 1pm to 9pm. On public holidays opening hours are 10am to 7pm. The library is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and the first, second and third days of Chinese New Year. On New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve the library closes at 5pm.
Admission to the exhibition is free.
REVITALISING THE GLORIOUS TRADITION: THE RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION OF PAN TIANSHOU'S ART (until 5th February 2012)
More than 30 paintings covering the full spectrum of works by Pan Tianshou, who is honoured as one of modern Chinese painting's Four Traditionalist Masters, will be on display at the Hong Kong Museum of Art from 25th November 2011 to 5th February 2012. Visitors can take the opportunity to appreciate this great master of art's unique style, characterised by vigorous brushwork and forceful composition.
Pan was a prominent figure in modern Chinese painting, making significant contributions to the preservation, updating and development of traditional painting. Devoted to artistic creation and art education, Pan not only brought Chinese art to the world but also nurtured a great number of students, putting tremendous effort into the development of Chinese calligraphy teaching.
Early in 2011, the Pan Tian-shou Foundation hosted the exhibition "The Art of Pan Tianshou" at the National Museum of China in Beijing to mark the 40th year since Pan's death. With support from the Foundation, the China Academy of Art and the Pan Tianshou Memorial Museum, this exhibition has been brought to Hong Kong for sharing with the public the artistic charm of the great master's work.
Selected from the Pan Tianshou Memorial Museum in Hangzhou, the exhibits include Pan's early flower painting inspired by Wu Changshuo, landscape paintings composed between the 1920s and 1930s, and his renowned finger paintings of vultures and lotus plants, as well as several large-scale masterpieces such as "Transporting Iron Ore by Sailboat", "Buffalo in a Summer Pond" and "The Almighty Gaze". An installation artwork, "Snow Melting in Lotus", by Pan's son, Professor Pan Gongkai, which was shown at the Venice Biennale 2011, is also on display. By offering a dialogue between the two generations of Chinese artists through their works composed in different times and places, the exhibition provides an extraordinary opportunity for the audience to get a glimpse of Chinese art development over the past century.
With a keen interest in painting since childhood, Pan (1897-1971) exposed himself to the basics of the art by copying "The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting", and he aspired to become an artist working in Chinese painting. Later he was admitted to the Zhejiang First Normal College in Hangzhou, where he learnt from Jing Hengyi, Li Shutong and Xia Mianzun. Trained as a modern educator and guided by contemporary heavyweight Wu Changshuo, Pan chose to start his career in art and education in Shanghai. At various art institutions in Shanghai, he took senior positions such as Professor of Chinese painting at the Shanghai College of Fine Arts and Dean of the Department of Art Education at the Xinhua Art College. Invited by Lin Fengmian, the founding Director of the National Academy of Art (now known as the China Academy of Art) in Hangzhou who highly appreciated his talent, Pan became the Chief Professor of Chinese Painting at the Academy. Later in his career, Pan also served as Director of the National College of Art in Chongqing and the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, during which he played an instrumental role in the education of calligraphy and painting in modern China.
During the 20th century, when calls for integrating Chinese and Western art and even complete Westernisation were overwhelming among art circles in the Mainland, Pan differentiated himself by proposing that "Chinese and Western paintings need to be separated".
In the early years of the People's Republic of China, there was a wave of national nihilism that despised national and cultural heritage during which traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting were almost drowned. Under these circumstances, Pan still devoted himself to the defence of tradition by promoting specialised training in three traditional disciplines of Chinese painting, as well as restoring Chinese calligraphy education, which contributed enormously to the inheritance of Chinese art and its educational development.
In "Flowers of Mount Yandang", Pan Tianshou selected as his subjects different species of flora. He organised his composition by alternating between meticulous and freehand brush stokes, and between warm and cool colour tones. For example, two detailed white lilies rise among sketched red flowers and black leaves. Such rhythmic alternation enlivens the painting. Pan was able to convey the spirit of Mount Yandang with such a lively and dynamic painting.
Pan created his works rationally, and with repeated trials he eventually developed his unique and innovative layout and composition. Bringing theory into practice, Pan applied modern art language to demonstrate and enrich the traditional techniques and created a great variety of compositions. His works are not only the quintessence of art that marries energy with aesthetics but also much-sought-after examples for learners of Chinese painting.
Hong Kong Museum of Art is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is open from 10am to 6pm daily and from 10am to 8pm on Saturdays. On Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve, the museum will open at 10am and close at 5pm. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year. Admission is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays. For further information see;
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts/english/exhibitions/exhibitions01_oct11_02.html
KNOWLEDGE-POWER: THE IMPERIAL EXAMINATION SYSTEM OF THE QING DYNASTY (until 6th February 2012)
China's imperial examination system was pioneered as a way of selecting government officials on merit. Indeed, by upholding the principles of equal competition this system helped the imperial court to recruit outstanding people for government service. During more than 1,300 years of its implementation, the imperial examination produced many prominent government officials, philosophers and artists, reflecting its considerable influence in Chinese history.Running from 9th November 2011 until 6th February 2012, the "Knowledge•Power: The Imperial Examination System of the Qing Dynasty" exhibition, being held at the Hong Kong Museum of History, showcases more than 100 sets of artefacts selected from the collections of the Shanghai Jiading Museum, along with other exhibits provided by local sources. By tracing the system's development, demise and legacy, the exhibition provides a better understanding of its symbolic importance and the instrumental role it played in shaping Chinese society and culture. The exhibition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Shanghai Jiading Museum.
The imperial examination was established in the Sui dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties and developed further throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties, helping to recruit public officials through open and fair examinations. Used for more than 1,300 years, this system helped the government to select outstanding individuals to serve the country while also providing ordinary people with an opportunity for social mobility. The examination, combining education with recruitment for the state bureaucracy, was considered an effective and important means of consolidating imperial rule, which exerted a great influence on Chinese culture and society, and was a forerunner of modern civil service recruitment systems in various Western countries. The Chinese imperial examination system dates back to the Sui dynasty in AD 605, when Emperor Yang introduced the system to recruit state officials. Since then, the imperial court regularly held public examinations on different subjects to select individuals with the necessary talent for the requisite government positions. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, children began their formal education at the age of 6 or 7. For rich families, tutors were hired for home schooling. Other village children would attend schools at their ancestral halls, temples and village houses.
The system comprises a series of local examinations and a central examination. The palace examination was formally introduced in AD 689 during the Tang dynasty. The examination system was then institutionalised at three levels - provincial, metropolitan and imperial - and this structure was adopted ever since. During the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the system further developed into preliminary, provincial, metropolitan and imperial levels.
The imperial examination is a literacy-based system. In AD 702, Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty introduced the imperial military examination to select individuals for military posts. Military examinations were not adopted consistently in different dynasties, and only some 500 rounds were held throughout the history of China. Military examinations became regular again in AD 1504 during the Ming dynasty, when they were held triennially. The practice continued throughout the Qing dynasty for a period of 256 years, from Emperor Shunzhi till Emperor Guangxu (1901). Apart from mastering martial arts, candidates were also required to take written tests on military classics.
The announcement of the examination results was a memorable occasion for aspiring candidates, and their names were listed on a scroll and posted outside the examination hall. "Juren", or those candidates who had passed the provincial examinations, qualified for appointment to government posts. "Gongshi", those who passed the metropolitan examinations, would be recommended to sit the palace examination, for which they were further divided into three classes by their results. The top three candidates were given the honorary titles of "zhuangyan", "bangyan" and "tanhua" respectively, while graduates in the second and third classes earned their own specific degrees and titles.
Over the centuries, the imperial examination system became a major institution in Chinese society. The dream of rising from rags to riches by education and examination was shared by many. The desire for success motivated the candidates and united families and clans. The presence of the system and its values were felt everywhere, in household items, architectural decorations and leisure activities. From the mid-19th century onwards, the Qing government was rocked by both internal turmoil and foreign aggression. Influences from the West aroused severe criticism of both the imperial examination system and the state bureaucracy. The traditional education system was failing to meet the challenges of the times, especially in the military field. State bureaucracy was furthered corrupted by the sale of official titles. China's defeat in the Sino-Japanese War and its signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 sparked off territory-wide anger. In Beijing, the pro-reform intellectuals Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, together with over 1,000 candidates of the metropolitan examination, made an urgent plea for political reform, including changes to the imperial examination system. Their requests were met during the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898 with the abolition of the "eight-legged essay" in the imperial examination. The reform was ultimately crushed. In the 31st year of Emperor Guangxu (1905), an imperial decree was announced to abolish all provincial and metropolitan examinations, which finally brought the imperial examination system to an end.
In addition to the exhibition, the Hong Kong Museum of History is organise a writing competition and a series of lectures and workshops to enhance public knowledge of the subject matter. On 26th November, a lecture introducing the cultural relics in relation to the imperial examination system in Hong Kong will be given by the Assistant Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History, Ms Josephine Wong. Another two lectures, "The Imperial Examination System of Ming-Qing China: A General Introduction" by the Assistant Professor, Department of History, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dr Puk Wing-kin, and "Education and Imperial Examination in the Qing Dynasty" by the experienced instructor of antiquities and monuments, history and heritage, Mr So Man-hing, will be held on 12th November and 17th December respectively. The lectures, to be conducted in Cantonese, will be held in the museum's Lecture Hall from 3pm to 5pm. Admission to the lectures is free and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Hong Kong Museum of History is located at 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It opens from 10am to 6pm on Mondays to Saturdays and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. On Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve, the museum will open at 10am and close at 5pm. It is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year. Admission for the museum is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays. For further information see the museum's website;
http://hk.history.museum/en/ex_special_exam_sep19.php
FASHION VISIONARIES (until 12th March 2012)
An exhibition "Fashion Visionaries", being held at Hong Kong Heritage Museum from 5th November 2011 until 12th March 2012 is an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the development of local fashion design.As a fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn once said, "Fashion reflects our time and the trends of our time; fashion is also a mirror that reflects our moods." Fashion involves the designer's aesthetics, the wearer's tastes, the observer's interpretation and the society's norms. Thanks to a group of local fashion designers who, with their international perspectives and boundless creativity, have been leading the trade to develop, Hong Kong has seen half a century of remarkable fashion history.Showing the amazing works of iconic Hong Kong fashion designers, art and image directors, fashion photographers, illustrators and young fashion designers, along with photos and information of models in the field, the exhibition offers an opportunity for visitors to review the development of Hong Kong's fashion design industry over the past 50 years as well as the diversified creative industry of Hong Kong.
The exhibition is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association (HKFDA), organised by Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the HKFDA, and fully supported by Create Hong Kong. The "Fashion Visionaries" exhibition was one of the most important programmes presented by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. It presented to the world the dynamic development of Hong Kong's fashion industry and showcased the distinguished design and achievements of the field. After unprecedented success in Shanghai, the LCSD and the HKFDA are presenting the exhibition, with some new exhibits added, to a local audience in a brand new way. The exhibition showcases more than 50 outfits designed by local iconic designers and a series of works by award-winning young fashion designers, allowing visitors to review the colourful character and development of Hong Kong's fashion design, and to preview its new trends. The exhibition also features a number of works by Hong Kong's influential art and image directors, fashion photographers and illustrators, along with photos and information of models, the interpreters of fashion design, through multi-media installations. Some exhibits will be donated to enrich the Hong Kong Heritage Museum collection after the exhibition.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum has also worked with the HKFDA to publish an exhibition catalogue, which will include masterpieces by Hong Kong's famous designers and practitioners from other related fields. The catalogue will be officially released in late November.
To enhance public knowledge and interest in local fashion design, the organisers will hold a series of fringe activities during the exhibition period, including fashion shows, talks and sharing sessions. For details of the exhibition and fringe activities see the Hong Kong Heritage Museum website;
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng/exhibitions/exhibition_details.aspx?exid=173
Hong Kong Heritage Museum is located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin. It is open from 10am to 6pm on Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays, and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. It will close at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Lunar New Year's Eve, and is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Lunar New Year. Admission is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
IMPRINT OF THE HEART: ARTISTIC JOURNEY OF HUANG XINBO (until 27th February 2012)
Lu Xun, a writer, thinker and artist in modern China, launched the Modern Woodcut movement in the early 1930s in Shanghai, promoting the use of woodblock print art as a means to express sympathy for the people's suffering and to call for their awakening. Lu's thinking deeply moved the young Huang Xinbo, who started his career in woodcut art under the influence and guidance of Lu and created numerous works throughout his life.More than 200 works by Huang are being showcased in an exhibition entitled "Imprint of the Heart: Artistic Journey of Huang Xinbo" at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum from 3rd November 2011 until 27th February 2012, giving visitors an opportunity to appreciate the artistic journey of this influential 20th century print artist.
In the 1930s, Lu Xun introduced to China the woodcut art of Europe, with subjects mainly concerning war, revolution and society. This medium facilitated the extensive dissemination of anti-war propaganda during China's dark years of conflict. The art form was brought to Hong Kong in the 1930s by artists arriving from the Mainland, and Huang was one of them. He was also a pioneer of the modern Chinese woodcut. The exhibition depicts Huang's artistic career with six sections arranged chronologically and under different themes. Using this structure, the idea of renjian is employed, referring to the Human Art Club and the Human Publishing House Huang established and at the same time suggesting his artistic approaches.
The theme of the first section is "A First Probe into Humanity: The Embryonic Years", which introduces how Huang started his print art journey. In 1934, Huang was admitted to the Shanghai School of Fine Art, where he practised sketching and oil painting and self-studied in woodcutting. Huang's works were heavily influenced by Lu Xun and were also selected by Lu to be included in his "Woodcut Records", the first anthology of the new generation of Chinese woodcuts.
The second section is entitled "The Patriotic Heart: The Sino-Japanese War Years", which looks into how the misery and turmoil of the Second Sino-Japanese War inspired Huang to express his indignation through his art. In 1938, Huang joined the Communist Party of China and took up the job of designing publication covers while creating caricatures and propaganda paintings, so as to unite the people as well as promote resistance and rally for national salvation. During this period, Huang produced more than 200 woodcuts that illustrated his sophistication in both artistic concepts and techniques. Meanwhile, having shaken off the influences of European and Russian printmaking, Huang's unique personal style was truly taking shape. Later, Huang journeyed to Hong Kong. Following the fall of Hong Kong, Huang was forced to flee to Guilin and co-organised a major art exhibition, "Hong Kong in Distress", with artists that included Yu Feng and Yang Qiaoren. The exhibition was focused on depictions of life in exile during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War, and created a profound impact on the community. After the end of the Sino-Japanese War was declared, Huang returned to Hong Kong and became a journalist at the Chinese Business Daily. In addition to producing a number of woodcuts and publishing many news reports, Huang also took up oil painting in an attempt to render the world of people in a new medium.
The third section, "A Compassionate Soul: The Human Art Club Years", tells how Huang and his friends established the Human Art Club and the Human Publishing House, actively promoting art and cultural activities through exhibitions and publications, and making great contributions to the development of the arts and culture of post-war Hong Kong. Works produced in this period reflected the lives of the working class in Hong Kong, and serve as valuable testament to post-war Hong Kong society.
Entitled "The Soulful Quest: The New China Years", the fourth section tells of the period when Huang left Hong Kong and returned to the Dongjiang liberated district after the new China was established. His works created during this period show that he embraced the revolutionary spirit and conveyed expressions of joy, aspirations and patriotic passion.
The fifth section is entitled "An Enduring Spirit: The Cultural Revolution Years". In 1966, the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution interrupted the creation, exhibition, education and publishing of art. Huang was interrogated and sent to Guangdong for ideological re-education through labour, which prevented him from producing work for five years. During these difficult times, Huang found refuge by immersing himself in the prose and poetry of the Southern Song poets Lu You and Xin Qiji, as he greatly sympathised with their concerns for the fate of their country and its people. Huang then wrote a series of poems lamenting the loss of the prime years of his life and the opportunity to realise his aspirations during that turbulent period, and he transformed his inner poetry into woodblock prints.
The final section is called "The Lasting Voice: The Late Years". After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Huang became active again and participated in various art conferences, as well as the organisation of art exhibitions. At the same time, he took charge of restoring the operation of the Guangzhou branch of the China Artists Association and the Guangdong Art Academy. He also published two personal woodblock print albums, "Huang Hsin-Po's Woodcuts" and "Xinbo Block Print Album", and exhibited his work in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing. These exhibitions included some of the earliest solo art exhibitions in post-Cultural Revolution China. In February 1980, Huang created his last woodcut work, "The Rose that Came out of the Greenhouse", on the occasion of the republishing of the Yangcheng Evening News. In March that year, he died of illness at the age of 64. When he passed away, a draft of an artwork remained on his working desk as the last trace of his engraved legacy for the people.
The exhibition, featuring more than 200 block prints created between 1930 and 1980 as well as oil paintings by Huang, along with artefacts from the Human Art Club, manuscripts, poetry, articles and photographs, provides an overview of Huang's artistic journey. These valuable items form an excellent archive of print art in China before World War II and the art form's development in post-war Hong Kong. Fifty exhibits will be donated to enrich the Hong Kong Heritage Museum collection after the exhibition.
To complement the exhibition, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum has worked with the Hong Kong Open Printshop to launch "Life Impression: Response Exhibition of the Print Art of Huang Xinbo" during the exhibition period, for which students from secondary schools and tertiary institutions have been invited to produce prints in dialogue with Huang's work. The exhibition was conceived as a modern recognition of Huang's art and a continuation of his vision of social awareness and humanist concerns across time and space and against different cultural and historical backgrounds. The response exhibition is located on the first floor of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum is located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin. It opens from 10am to 6pm on Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays, and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. It will close at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Lunar New Year's Eve, and is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Lunar New Year. Admission is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
For more details see the museum's website;
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng/exhibitions/exhibition_details.aspx?exid=175
An exhibition entitled "In Search of the Ideal Nation - Dr Sun Yat-sen and Guangzhou After the 1911 Revolution" is being held at the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum to commemorate the centenary of the 1911 Revolution. The exhibition provides an opportunity for visitors to look back on Dr Sun's three attempts to establish a government in Guangzhou and to learn more about the city's development during that period, thus allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of Dr Sun's efforts after the 1911 Revolution.
Running from 30th September 2011 until 28th March 2012, the exhibition is being presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Guangzhou Committee and the Administration of Culture, Press, Publication, Radio and Television of Guangzhou Municipality, and is organised by the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum and The Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen's Mansion.
The exhibition showcases about 100 exhibits drawn from the collections of The Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen's Mansion and the Hong Kong Museum of History. They tell the story of how Dr Sun and his followers built up a government in Guangzhou, then a base for the revolutionary cause, three times. The exhibits also show the remarkable changes in the political, military, economic, cultural and educational fields during the period of 1917 to 1925.
Guangzhou has always held an extremely important place in China. First and foremost a city with a strong fighting spirit, it also served as the entry point for new products and ideas from the West and thus frequently set the trends for the rest of the country. Guangzhou, therefore, was the place where many political reform movements and revolutionary campaigns were nurtured in modern China.
After setting up a government in Guangzhou, Dr Sun hoped to develop Guangdong into a model province, with Guangzhou as a model city. In 1918, when the Military Government led by Dr Sun had control of Guangdong, the first municipal administrative authority in modern Guangzhou was established. In 1920, Sun Fo, the son of Dr Sun, who had studied in the United States for several years and was familiar with municipal authorities in other countries, was appointed as the first Mayor of Guangzhou. Under Sun Fo's leadership, the city took huge steps forward on its journey to modernisation. Its economy, culture, education system and appearance, as well as its people's way of life, underwent significant changes, and the city developed into a key hub for South China.
Dr Sun also made three attempts to establish a government in Guangzhou from 1917 on. The first was in 1917, when he travelled south to Guangzhou to initiate the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution and established the Military Government of the Republic of China, in which he took up the position of Grand Marshal of the Navy and Army in opposition to the warlord Duan Qirui. In less than a year, however, Dr Sun had been edged out by warlords and politicians in the south and was forced to leave Guangdong for Shanghai.
In 1920, Dr Sun raised an army to expel the Guangxi warlords from Guangdong. He returned to Guangdong in November and was elected President, later named as the Extraordinary President of the Republic of China by the Extraordinary Parliament in April 1921. Dr Sun then began planning the Northern Expedition with the aim of toppling warlords and uniting China, but Chen Jiongming, who held military and political power in Guangdong, launched a mutiny in June 1922, forcing Dr Sun to leave Guangdong once again.
The navigation clock of the gunboat Zhong Shan on display at the "In Search of the Ideal Nation - Dr Sun Yat-sen and Guangzhou After the 1911 Revolution" exhibition
Dr Sun's final attempt to set up a government in Guangzhou came in February 1923. After Chen Jiongming's forces had been ousted, Dr Sun returned to Guangzhou from Shanghai to set up the headquarters of the Army and Navy Grand Marshal's Office. He took office as Grand Marshal, and the nationalist revolution reached its pinnacle. Dr Sun passed away in Beijing in March 1925. On July 1 of the same year, the Grand Marshal's Office was reorganised as the Nationalist Government.
Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum is located at 7 Castle Road, Mid-levels, Central, Hong Kong. It is open from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Wednesday and on Friday and Saturday, and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays). The admission fee is HK$10 with a half-price concession for full-time Hong Kong students, people with disabilities and senior citizens aged 60 or above. Free admission is available every Wednesday. For further information see the museum's website;
http://hk.drsunyatsen.museum/en/permanent_exh_ideal.php
ARTISTIC INCLUSION OF THE EAST AND WEST: APPRENTICE TO MASTER (until 15th April 2012)
Hong Kong Museum of Art is showing an exhibition, "Artistic Inclusion of the East and West: Apprentice to Master", which showcases 51 Chinese export paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries alongside works by Western artists. The exhibition enables visitors to explore the Western techniques and aesthetic qualities found in export paintings and to look at how the Chinese artists who produced export paintings modelled their work on Western art when dealing with pictorial challenges in composition, space and depth, light and shade, ambiance and emotions, and figures and portraiture.
Chinese export painting was a genre of painting that was produced in large quantities in Guangzhou, then known as Canton, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries when the China trade flourished and Western merchants converged on the city. Mainly executed with Western media and techniques, these images for export were produced for the Western market by Chinese artists working primarily for studios in Guangzhou. Guided by works by Western artists that were easily found in the form of prints, these Chinese artists were exposed to Western art and adapted its general principles and pictorial conventions, which were so dissimilar to those of traditional Chinese fine art.
For this exhibition, the Hong Kong Museum of Art has specially selected a number of representative apprentices' artworks from its collection, putting them side by side with works by Western artists to let visitors observe by themselves how the Chinese painters learnt from Western painting. The exhibition enables visitors to appreciate apprentices' works with different level that show important traits, which may be regarded as some of the main features of Chinese export painting in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of these artists, for example, resorted to over-embellishing adornment and partially emulating compositions or themes from their Western counterparts. Some artists managed the fundamentals and went further to challenge themselves with more difficult elements; they produced engaging trial works with meaningful errors. Others adhered to native genres and presentation, with minimal Western touches; their works were less Westernised but nonetheless were appreciated by their Western clientele. And then there were those who were doubtless the most skilled of all, whose works equalled those of Western professional artists in their level of technique.
The exhibition is being held at the Hong Kong Museum of Art until 15th April 2012.
Hong Kong Museum of Art is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It opens from 10am to 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday and on Fridays, and from 10am to 8pm on Saturdays. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays). Admission to the museum is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
For further details see the museum's website;
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts/english/exhibitions/exhibitions01_jul11_02.html
CRUISING THE UNIVERSE: FANTASTIC ANIMALS IN THE ARTS OF CHINA (until mid-August 2012)
Hong Kong Museum of Art's current exhibition "Cruising the Universe: Fantastic Animals in the Arts of China", explores the evolution of animal representation in Chinese traditional arts and crafts, customs, religious rituals, myths, legends and intellectual culture. About 180 artefacts, comprising either representations of animals or objects bearing animal motifs, are on display from 22nd July 2011 until mid-August 2012.Ancient people relied on animals for their survival and shared a close relationship with the animal kingdom. Today, it is not difficult to find traces of animals having been made divine guardians by many prehistoric tribes with the hope that worshipping them would bring good fortune and protection. In Chinese culture, creatures familiar as objects of worship include the Four Spirits, namely the Blue Dragon, the White Tiger, the Red Bird and the Dark Warrior; the qilin (Chinese unicorn); and the bixie, which resembles a lion but has horns and a pair of wings.
In the Neolithic age, animals were intimately connected to labour and the mundane aspects of human life. They assisted in agriculture and transportation and also provided food and clothing for people. This is why Neolithic cave paintings and pottery featured animal-themed imagery. Useful in transportation, agriculture and animal husbandry, camels, horses, cows and sheep were important elements in everyday life and economic activities, and therefore frequently appear in ceramic and clay sculptures, decorated bricks and carvings in bamboo, wood or stone. The lifelike depictions were not only suffused with decorative interest but also showed the flavour of everyday life.
Divine creatures have a place in Chinese culture and the most significant ones are the dragon and the phoenix. Throughout history, the dragon has represented divine power and authority, and only in later times became a symbol of the monarch. The phoenix was seen as the king of birds and endowed with the wisdom to foretell peace in the world. There is a saying in Chinese, "The phoenixes come to this place and dance with grace", which is taken to be an auspicious omen. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the phoenix became a symbol of the Empress and was paired with the Emperor's dragon.
Auspicious Chinese animal imagery can always be found in Chinese art and culture and it comes in many forms. Wishing for peace, wealth and good luck, the ancients endowed animals with auspicious symbolism according to their appearance, movement and behaviour, or based on puns using their names. Originally nocturnal and mysterious creatures, bats became symbols of good fortune because the Chinese word for bats, "fu", is a homophone of "good fortune", and so bat images were widely incorporated into crafts, clothing, New Year pictures, and household items. The lion is said to have been brought to China from the Surlag (or Shule) kingdom (in today's Xinjiang) during the Eastern Han. Regarded as the king of beasts, the lion is an emblem of authority and power, and a dispeller of evil. Therefore, from the Eastern Han onwards, imperial mausoleums, temples and residences of the wealthy were guarded by stone lions at the front gate.
Representations of animals also made up an extremely common form of funerary art in ancient China. The ancients believed that a person's soul persisted after death, so they made burial objects based on articles of the deceased in life to enable the individual to continue living in the same way in the afterlife. Among these, the best known is the terracotta army in the mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. In the burial pits are many life-size statues of soldiers and horses in grand formations.
Animals are often featured in folklore and fables as elements linking the real world to the realm of the fantastic. Injected with human traits or supernatural powers, they fulfil everyday mortal wishes or serve as didactic and moral symbols. A leaping fish that transforms into a dragon is one of the most common themes in ceramic sculpture and jade carving, and also among accessories in the scholar's studio. "The carp leaping across the Dragon's Gate" became an analogy for success in imperial examinations or rising in officialdom. The auspicious symbol was much welcomed by scholars and officials. The depiction of the transformation process from fish to dragon has therefore become a widely popular motif.
At this exhibition visitors will be able to appreciate the beauty of a series of artefacts selected from the museum's collection that have animal motifs depicted in various media including ceramics, jade, stone, wood and bamboo carvings, glassware and metalwork, dating from the Eastern Zhou to the 20th century. Exhibits range from dragons and phoenixes as symbols of power and prestige; bats in rebus form for good fortune; the bixie, believed to ward off evil; and vivid representations of domestic animals such as cats, chickens and sheep.
Hong Kong Museum of Art is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It opens from 10am to 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday and Fridays, and from 10am to 8pm on Saturdays. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays). Admission to the museum is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
For further details see Hong Kong Museum of Art's website at;
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Arts/english/exhibitions/exhibitions01_jul11_01.html
VIRTUOSITY AND INNOVATION: THE MASTERFUL LEGACY OF LAM KAR SING (until 14th May 2012)
Dr Lam Kar Sing, a renowned Cantonese opera artist, has committed his life to exploring and revitalising the art of Cantonese opera. During his stage career, he performed a number of masterpieces involving the application of his own performance theory - "Breadth, virtuosity, depth and innovation" - and those performances have been well received by his fans. Today, despite his having retired from the stage, Dr Lam has continued to play an active role in promoting Cantonese opera, and he has been honoured by the Hong Kong Government as well as other arts organisations and the Cantonese opera community for his contributions to the field.
Lately, Dr Lam donated 2 000 Cantonese opera artefacts to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, greatly enhancing the museum's collection. Some of the artefacts donated by Dr Lam are on display, along with other exhibits, at an exhibition entitled "Virtuosity and Innovation: The Masterful Legacy of Lam Kar Sing" at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum from 20th July 2011 until 14th May 2012.
The exhibition comprises around 270 exhibits, most of them carefully selected from Dr Lam's donation. Exhibits include libretti, handbills, stills, records and costumes as well as audio and video clips of Dr Lam. Pictures of Dr Lam practising his martial arts routines as well as spending time with his wife, Hung Tau Tzi, will also be featured.
Born Lam Man Shun in Hong Kong in 1933, Dr Lam developed a keen interest in Cantonese opera and operatic arias as a young boy by receiving training from two leading virtuosi in the genre, Tang Chiu Lan Fong and Sit Kok Sin. In a glittering career, he founded two Cantonese Opera troupes, Hing Sun Sing and Chung Sun Sing, where as director and lead actor he premiered many original works, including "The Sounds of Battle, "Paragons and Heroism", "A Chronicle Written in Blood", "Torn Between Love and Hate", "Lam Chung" and "The Jade Disc", which have become classics of Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong.
When Cantonese opera went into decline in the 1970s, buffeted by the rise of other forms of entertainment that had a negative impact on the box office, Dr Lam signed a contract with Rediffusion Television to produce a series of TV programmes on Cantonese opera in a bid to attract new theatre-goers. It proved to be an inspired move, as it won larger audiences for live stage performances.
After he retired from the stage in 1993, Dr Lam continued to play an active role in promoting Cantonese opera, setting up the Lam Kar Sing Foundation and engaging in community work. He was also honoured on several occasions by the Hong Kong Government, and received many awards and accolades from organisations such as the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for his outstanding contribution to Cantonese opera.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum has produced a set of four Octopus card sleeves, tailor-made for distribution in phases to visitors to the exhibition. The first phase will began on 20th July. The second phase will commence on 1st October the third phase will start on 16th December 16 and the fourth phase will begin on1st March 2012. Visitors can collect the Octopus card sleeves, while stocks last, with a valid Leisure and Cultural Services Department museum pass or an admission ticket of the day at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
For exhibition details, please visit the museum's website at;
www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng/exhibitions/exhibition_details.aspx?exid=170
or call (852 2180 8188.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum is located at 1 Man Lam Road, Shatin. It is open from 10am to 6pm on Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays, and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. It is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays). Admission is HK$10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time Hong Kong students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
FROM CLAY TO TEAPOT: TEA WARE BY HONG KONG POTTERS 1986 - 2010 (until 13th February 2012)
The Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware has launched a new exhibition entitled "From Clay to Teapot: Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters 1986-2010", which features 64 finalist entries selected from the past Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters competitions along with exhibits selected from "Yuanyang: An Exhibition on Coffee and Tea Vessels", which was held in 2003. The new exhibition aims to give the public an opportunity to appreciate more original works by local potters. The
Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware has organised the Tea Ware by Hong
Kong Potters competitions since 1986 with a total of eight competitions being held up to 2010, attracting a number of potters to participate and
spurring the design of a great number of spectacular artworks.The 82 original ceramic works on display were acquired by the museum and represent a wide spectrum of themes, including works inspired by natural objects, delights from everyday life and simple geometric designs.
The exhibition is a brief summary of the Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters competitions spanning more than two decades. It is organised not only as a platform for local potters to learn and exchange skills, but also as a platform to review the evolution of Hong Kong ceramic tea ware art and an opportunity for sharing the fruits of its success with all participants as well as those who appreciate ceramic art. The exhibition also includes ceramic works selected from 'Yuanyang: An Exhibition on Coffee and Tea Vessels', held in 2003. That exhibition showcased the superb creativity of not only potters, but also ceramic artists and artists using other media who explored the possibilities of working with clay as a material to exchange artistic ideas on the theme of 'Yuanyang'. Coffee and tea vessels as well as ceramic sculptures taking on various forms were featured in that well-received exhibition. 18 works from that exhibition have been selected and put side by side with those from the Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters competitions in the current exhibition, enabling visitors to see a framework of local ceramic art.
The exhibition runs from 15th June 2011 until 13th February 2012. To coincide with the exhibition, the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware is presenting a series of activities on ceramics to be hosted by a renowned local ceramic artist. "Ceramic Tea Ware Design: Children's Weekend Activity" will be hosted by Law Hon-wah. Law, who holds rich ceramics teaching experience, will share with the audience the pleasure of ceramics creation. The activities will be held on 23rd and 30th July and 6th and 13th August from 2.30pm to 4pm at the museum.
Located at 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong (inside Hong Kong Park), the Museum of Tea Ware is open from 10am to 5pm daily except Tuesdays (closed). Admission is free.
CALLIGRAPHY ON STONE: SEAL CARVING IN HONG KONG (from 2nd February 2011 - will run until 2014)
An exhibition entitled "Calligraphy on Stone: Seal Carving in Hong Kong" at Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware displays more than 60 Chinese seals fashioned by early Hong Kong seal carvers such as Deng Erya, Zhang Xiangning, Jiang Jinglun.
The "Calligraphy on Stone: Seal Carving in Hong Kong" exhibition features a collection donated to the museum by the K.S. Lo Foundation. The collection focuses on the early history of Hong Kong seal carving and the cultural interflow between Hong Kong and mainland China during the republican era, with works by Xu Sangeng, Yang Qiguang, Yi Ru, Li Yinsang, Jian Jinglun, Huang Yi, Deng Ju, Chen Yushan, Yu Zhongjia and others.
Seal carving is an art of calligraphy, painting and carving all in one and requires cultivation in bronze-and-stone as well as paleography. This explains why it is less popularly engaged in than painting and calligraphy. While there have indeed been prominent seal carvers in Hong Kong, many others have remained obscure or even fallen into oblivion in the seal carving world just because they are better known for their painting and calligraphy. Besides those who lived all their lives in the territory, due attention should be given to seal carvers who were temporary residents, visitors or simple passers-by since they also had an integral part to play in the history of seal carving in Hong Kong. Hong Kong seal carving has generally been scantly documented, much more so for the period before the Resistance War broke out. If political history and migration of seal carvers are to be taken into consideration, early Hong Kong seal carving can be broadly divided into two periods.
From Late Qing to the Republican Period;
Hong Kong seal carving is traceable to the year 1872 in a seal carved by Wang Tao (1826 – 1897), a much respected newspaper publisher and politician in the late Qing. As a fugitive hunted for his liaison with Li Xiucheng, or the Loyal King of the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace through correspondence, he came to Hong Kong in 1862 and remained here for a total of 20 years, broken only by a brief stay in England. Passionate as he was about calligraphy, he once invited the distinguished calligrapher-seal carver Xu Sangeng (1826 – 1890) to come over from Shanghai to Hong Kong to write and carve for him besides joining him in literary gatherings with his friends. Xu Sangeng was in Hong Kong for probably two weeks on his way to Guangdong where he had a prolonged stay in Keyuan of the Zhang family in Dongguan. The earliest seal carver who actually grew up locally was Feng Han (1875 – 1950). Feng was an admirer of the essayist Han Yu. The other important seal carver was Deng Shiru (1884 – 1954) who derived his art exclusively from Huang Shiling (1849 – 1908) and excelled in seals of Buddhist images and pictorial seals.
Republican Years Prior to the Resistance War;
With the founding of the Republic of China, whether it was ex-officials from the defunct Qing court, conservatives who were apathetic to the revolutionary cause or intelligentsia who were apprehensive of the chaotic warlord scramble, everybody was flocking into Hong Kong from Guangdong upon each other’s heels. The thriving economy and accessibility of the then colony encouraged cultural activities so much so that literati found themselves shuttling between Hong Kong and Guangdong just to take part in them. Naturally, seal carvers were among them.
One of the early seal carvers active in Hong Kong was Hu Man (c. 1869 – 1929). Hu was well versed in poetry, painting, calligraphy and epigraphy. As a faithful follower of the Zhe School of seal carving, Hu settled in Hong Kong after the Revolution of 1911 and died in 1929. Another seal carver who also derived his art from the Zhe School was Huang Yi (active in the first half of the 20th century). Huang was a doctor of medicine who loved poetry, clerical script and seal carving. He was also proud of his strong collection of calligraphies, paintings, rubbings and rare books. Although the date of his arrival in Hong Kong is not known, he died here in the late 1930s.
Huang Shiling attracted students like Li Yinsang (1880 – 1945) and Yi Ru (1872 – 1941). Although Deng Erya did not personally receive any guidance from Huang, it is believed that bits and pieces about Huang’s art were easily accessible through Li Yinsang, a close friend of Deng Erya. The best that Deng acquired from Huang are his sleek, defined and vigorous cuts and his regular yet varying composition. As his skills matured, Deng incorporated features from images and scripts like bird-and-worm script, eave tiles, brick inscriptions and even foreign scripts like Tangut, Manchurian, English, Greek etc. His students included Yu Zhongjia (1908 – 1941)and Zhang Xiangning (1911 – 1958). The eldest son of Deng, Deng Ju (1901 – 1933) who grew up watching his father carve while taking to carving himself, was once worked in Hong Kong as a newspaperman.
Luo Shuzhong (1898 – 1969) settled in Hong Kong in 1926 and joined the Hong Kong Painting, Calligraphy and Literature Society in 1927. Apart from carving seals and writing calligraphy, he also painted. As was told by the artist himself, he learned from Ye Tui’an, a seal carver of the Zhe School, when he was 16. In the context of Hong Kong seal carving after the People’s Republic of China was founded, Feng Kanghou (1901 – 1983) was obviously the most influential since his students and students of theirs have made up virtually the whole of the local seal carving community.
Jian Jinglun (1888 – 1950) worked in an overseas Chinese office in Shanghai between 1933 and 1937. In the winter of 1937, the Resistance War drove him from Shanghai to Hong Kong where he opened the school Xiuhai Hall in Lee Garden Hill. Jian was particularly gifted in poetry, prose, calligraphy and seal carving and was ingenious to forge a personality that is shored up by the ancient heritage. As for seal carving, he sought inspiration primarily from Zhou, Qin and especially Han seals. His works gained in solidity and archaic flavour and was most acclaimed for his unparalleled works in the oracle bone script.
Besides, Yang Qiguang (c. 1862 – 1926) was noted for his seal and clerical scripts when he was young. In seal carving, Yang followed the Zhe School and his works are solid and powerful. With academic family background, Chen Yushan (1904 – 1987) moved to Hong Kong after the Resistance War, taught art at both secondary school and tertiary institution. Chen also established his own studio Yushan Art Academy. Lin Qianshi (1918 – 1990), on the other hand, excelled in poetry, painting, calligraphy and seal carving, moved to Hong Kong in 1949. He complied a comprehensive book on 50 seals by himself of different styles in 1957.
(Above extracted from Dr. Vincent Tong, An overview of Early Hong Kong Seal Carvers 2005)
Located at 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong (inside Hong Kong Park), Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware is open from 10am to 5pm daily and is closed on the first three days of Chinese New Year as well as Tuesdays. Admission is free.