Programme of Special Events in Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Hong Kong SAR

Gallery Tour of the exhibition:‘Splendour and Mystery of Ancient Shu - Cultural Relics from Sanxingdui and Jinsha, Sichuan’

This is a rare opportunity to view the renowned archaeological treasures from Sichuan. The exhibition of 120 artifacts include large bronze heads, bronze masks, gold canes, gold-foil ornaments, jade congs, jade rings, jade halberds, pottery, seashells and oracle tortoise shells from the unique collections of the Sanxingdui and Chengdu Museums and the Sichuan Institute of Archaeology. These artifacts showcase the brilliant civilization that once existed in the ancient Shu region thousands of years ago. Jeremy Hui, Curator of History at the Heritage Museum, will give us a special private guided tour.

To mark the extraordinary ‘The Pride of China’ exhibition (see below), the Friends are sponsoring a six-week long lecture series featuring world-renowned scholars and experts on Chinese art every weekend from late June until August.

This is a unique opportunity not to be missed.

Date & time:	Every weekend from June 29 through August 5 (see below & separate flyer for details)
Venue:	Lecture Hall, Basement, Hong Kong Museum of Art
Cost:	Free, reservation recommended
	Details

Private Viewing and Cocktail Reception for “The Pride of China : Masterpieces of Paintings and Calligraphy of the Jin, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties from the Palace Museum, Beijing” (Part I) at the HKMA”

On view are early masterpieces of Chinese painting and calligraphy dating from the Jin, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties from the Palace Museum collection in Beijing which have never travelled overseas before. Among the works are Wang Xun's Letter to Boyuan of the Jin dynasty, Feng Chengsu's Copy after Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Yan Liben's Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy of the Tang dynasty, Dong Yuan's The Xiao and Xiang Rivers of the Five Dynasties, and Zhang Zeduan's Along the River During the Qingming Festival of the Song dynasty. Some of the works date back as much as a thousand years, and altogether they represent some the highest artistic and intellectual achievements of Chinese culture. Part I of the exhibition ends July 22.        

Join the Friends for a private viewing and cocktail reception at the museum of this unprecedented landmark exhibition. The evening will feature a Chinese-themed reception with sumptuous food, delightful music and special guided tours by museum curators.

Date & time:	Thursday July 5, 2007  6pm – 10pm
Cost:	Members $450, guests $500, students $200, reservation required
	Details 1 Details 2

Special Nighttime Visit to ‘The Pride of China’ Exhibition (Part I) at the HKMA

This is a perfect opportunity to see the exhibition quietly after hours on your own.

Date & time:	Friday, July 20, 2007, 9pm – 11pm
Cost :	Members & students free, guests $100, reservation required
	Details

Curators of the Museum will take us through Part II of this extraordinary exhibition. Exhibition ends 11 August.

Date & time:	Thursday, August 9, 2007, 6pm – 10pm
Cost:	Members & students Free, guests $100, reservation required
	Details

To mark the 140^th anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s birth and the inauguration of a museum dedicated to him, the Friends are organizing a summer camp focused on the life of the founding father of modern China. Trained as a medical doctor in Hong Kong, Dr. Sun rose to become the leader of the revolutionaries who overturned the Manchu dynasty and established the Republic. His life was heroic as it was seminal. The programme will include a 3-day tour to sites relevant to Dr. Sun’s life in Hong Kong, Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macau, covering his early years as a student, medical student and revolutionary. The aim of this summer camp is to help students understand the life of Dr. Sun, his role in the context of the history of modern China, and explore his connections with Hong Kong and other nearby cities. (See separate flyer for details)

Eminent historian Dr. Joseph Ting will be our tour leader and guide. Dr. Ting is the former chief curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History, and specializes in early Hong Kong history.  He has travelled extensively throughout China and is editor of the Hong Kong Historical Archive. His publications include: “人類的事故”(1989) “羅衣百載:香港服飾演變”(1992), and also “四環九約:博物館藏歷史圖片精選”(1994 ).

FUTURE EVENTS

HKMA 45th Anniversary/Friends’ 15th Anniversary Gala Evening in Celebration of: ‘Treasures of the World’s Cultures from the British Museum’

The British Museum boasts one of the richest collections of world cultural relics. This important exhibition will showcase 250 artefacts including sculptures, paintings, jewellery, and porcelain collected by the British Museum since it was founded in 1753. The objects cover a vast span of time from 2 million years ago to the present day, and encompass the cultures of Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, as well as Europe, Africa, America and Asia. Highlights include an Egyptian wooden mummy-board of the early 22nd Dynasty, circa 945 BC; a 13th century Egyptian brass astrolabe with silver inlay; a 2nd century marble Roman statue of Dionysus; a ‘Queen's lyre’ of 2600-2400 BC found in the Royal Cemetery at Ur; and a walrus ivory chess-piece made in 1150-1200 from Scotland.

In celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Museum of Art and 15th Anniversary of the Friends of the HKMA, the Friends and their Trustees will be hosting a gala event at the Museum. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception and viewing of the exhibition, followed by dinner in the Museum lobby.