The letter of intent on collaboration was signed by (from left, sitting) Tang Fei, director of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology; and Dr Louis Ng, museum director of Hong Kong Palace Museum on May 22, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) will co-host a special exhibition of Sichuan’s Sanxingdui relics during the upcoming National Day holiday, the museum announced.
The museum on Monday signed a letter of intent on collaboration with the Sichuan Provincial Museum and other cultural institutions to co-organize the special exhibition, titled Gazing at Sanxingdui: New Archaeological Discoveries in Sichuan.
The exhibition aims to promote cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Sichuan with the purpose of promoting the development of traditional Chinese culture
The exhibition will focus on the latest archeological discoveries at Sichuan province’s Sanxingdui archaeological site, and feature 120 precious pieces made of bronze, jade, gold, and pottery that are 2,600 to 3,000 years old.
READ MORE: Bringing a time-tested heritage to a new audience
Nearly half of the relics that will be displayed in the exhibition were unearthed from 2020-22 at Sanxingdui (in English, Three-Star Mound). Most of the relics will be displayed outside Sichuan for the first time.
The exhibition aims to promote cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Sichuan with the purpose of promoting the development of traditional Chinese culture.
Tang Fei, director of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that officials are looking forward to presenting these cultural objects at the museum to Hong Kong residents as well as visitors from the Chinese mainland and around the world, with the goal of deepening visitors’ understanding of China’s Bronze Age civilization and broadening the impact of traditional Chinese culture.
READ MORE: Visitors admire new arrivals in HKPM
HKPM Director Louis Ng said that he is grateful to the Sichuan Provincial Museum and other cultural and archaeological institutions for lending the precious relics from the Sanxingdui site, and that this special exhibition will help reinforce the HKPM’s mission to promote the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture.
The exhibition will last about four months. Details about ticket arrangements will be released later.
The HKPM will also organize a series of public events in the city to allow the public have a better understanding of the ancient Shu civilization, of which the Sanxingdui ruins are believed to be a part.
Contact the writer at mikegu@chinadailyhk.com