Collaboration with Palace Museum to develop Hong Kong Palace Museum in West Kowloon Cultural District (with photos/video)

******************************************************************************************

     The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) will collaborate with the Palace Museum to develop the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, with a view to showcasing the exquisite collections of the Palace Museum on a long-term basis. The Memorandum of Understanding of Co-operation was signed in Beijing today (December 23) by the Chief Secretary for Administration and the Board Chairman of the WKCDA, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Director of the Palace Museum, Dr Shan Jixiang, to launch the project. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, and the Minister of Culture, Mr Luo Shugang.

     Speaking at the ceremony, Mr C Y Leung said that in the past few years there have been very proactive cultural exchanges and co-operation between the Government of the HKSAR (HKSARG) and the Palace Museum. The HKSARG has co-organised with the Palace Museum some highly successful blockbuster exhibitions which became prominent cultural events in Hong Kong. He noted that concerted efforts were also made to launch a number of joint projects on heritage conservation and education.

     In 2012, a collaborative agreement was signed between the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) of the HKSARG and the Palace Museum. Since then, large-scale exhibitions have been organised by LCSD museums in collaboration with the Palace Museum every year. These exhibitions have been well received by members of the public as they offer a glimpse of the valuable collections of the Palace Museum and its fascinating history. The latest exhibition is “Ceremony and Celebration – The Grand Weddings of the Qing Emperors” being held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

     Mrs Lam and Dr Shan introduced the details of the project at the media briefing after the signing ceremony.

     Mrs Lam said the Hong Kong Palace Museum, located in the West Kowloon Cultural District, would display the exquisite collections of the Palace Museum to the Hong Kong public and overseas visitors on a long-term basis and in a comprehensive and in-depth manner.

     “The Hong Kong Palace Museum is not only in line with the vision of the West Kowloon Cultural District to foster Hong Kong to become the cultural hub of the region, but is also highly complementary to its core arts and cultural facilities under construction or planning, notably M+, as a rich tapestry of Chinese and Western art in both traditional and modern genres will be showcased by the two museums.”

     The Hong Kong Palace Museum will stand out prominently on the western harbourfront of the West Kowloon Cultural District, with the proposed Exhibition Centre lying to its north. The museum will have a site footprint of around 10,000 square metres and an approximate construction floor area of 30,500 square metres. Major facilities will include exhibition galleries, activity rooms, a lecture theatre, souvenir shop and restaurant. Part of the gallery space will be used for permanent exhibitions to showcase relics on imperial life, as well as the history and culture of the Palace Museum. Other galleries will focus on its collections such as paintings and calligraphy, ceramics as well as other arts and cultural artefacts. In addition to the two thematic exhibition galleries, a gallery will be dedicated to feature collections from Hong Kong collectors.

     Both Mrs Lam and Dr Shan emphasised that the Hong Kong Palace Museum will not be a branch museum of the Palace Museum, but one of the core arts and cultural facilities of the West Kowloon Cultural District. A wholly-owned subsidiary company under the WKCDA will be set up to oversee the construction, management and day-to-day operation of the museum. The Palace Museum will provide, on a long-term loan basis, collections for display in the Hong Kong Palace Museum and provide expert advice and assistance on museum design or curatorial matters where necessary. It will not be involved in the daily management of the museum.

     Furthermore, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has agreed to donate HK$3.5 billion to fund the capital cost of the project, covering design, construction and exhibition development cost. The Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Dr Simon Ip, attended the signing ceremony and media briefing.

     A Government spokesman added that since the requisite land has been identified, funding has been secured and relevant approval of the WKCDA Board has been secured, the Authority will soon proceed to tender the works for the Hong Kong Palace Museum. The project is anticipated to complete by 2022.

Ends/Friday, December 23, 2016
Issued at HKT 19:58

NNNN

Archives Yesterday's Press Releases Back to Index Page Back to top

Today's Press Releases

Photo

The Chief Secretary for Administration and Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Mrs Carrie Lam (front row, left), attended the Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation Between the Palace Museum and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Beijing this afternoon (December 23). Photo shows Mrs Lam and the Director of the Palace Museum, Dr Shan Jixiang (front row, right), exchanging the memorandum at the ceremony.

The Director of the Palace Museum, Dr Shan Jixiang, speaks at the Press Conference on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District in Beijing today (December 23) to introduce details of the project.

The Chief Secretary for Administration and Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Mrs Carrie Lam, speaks at the Press Conference on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District in Beijing today (December 23) to introduce details of the project.

The Chief Secretary for Administration and Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Mrs Carrie Lam (left), and the Director of the Palace Museum, Dr Shan Jixiang (right), take questions from the media at the Press Conference on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District in Beijing today (December 23).

Audio / Video

CS and Chairman of Board of WKCD Authority attends Press Conference on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District

View

Attachment

Hong Kong Palace Museum Project - Fact sheet

Presentation by CS at Press Conference on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District (Chinese only)

Presentation by the Director of the Palace Museum at Press Conference on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District (Part 1) (Chinese only)

Presentation by the Director of the Palace Museum at Press Conference on Development of the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District (Part 2) (Chinese only)