Hong Kong Palace Museum｜Hong Kong Palace Museum will exhibit more than 60 treasures from the Palace Museum on rotation this summer. Highlights include precious Qing Dynasty stationery, Qing Dynasty military relics and the portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi

Description

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (the Museum) is showcasing more than 60 treasures from the Palace Museum as part of its rotating special exhibitions this summer. We invite children and adults to visit the museum during the summer vacation and discover the historical and cultural stories behind these treasures.

The third batch of treasures of the Qing Dynasty military relics exhibition will be on display from July 23

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Presents Series: Xiu Ming Wu Bei – Military Artifacts from the Palace Museum during the Qing Dynasty, currently being held in Hall 4 of the museum, will launch its third phase from 23 July to 20 October 2025, presenting a total of 22 new exhibits. The exhibition is exclusively sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Highlights include:

● "Warships with Colorful Decorations" from "Review of the Fleet at Bohai": In the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1886), Prince Chun (1840–1891) inspected the Beiyang Fleet on the orders of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908). This picture depicts him boarding the Beiyang Fleet's flagship Dingyuan, where he was welcomed by the ship's colorful decorations and the officers and soldiers standing at the mast. This scene was drawn by the painter of the Shenjiying based on the illustrations of the German encyclopedia. It records the modifications made to the Dingyuan warship after it came to China, and retains the paint color of the warship through painted form. It is a very rare and precious historical material.

● "Zhongliusha Fort Map" - "Zhongliudizhu Fort Map": The location where the Canton Tower stands today was the site of the Zhongliudizhu Fort during the Guangxu period (1875-1908). At that time, the fort was part of the defense system, effectively blocking the Pearl River section southeast of Guangzhou.

Rare Qing Dynasty stationery will be unveiled on August 13

Most of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty had profound attainments in calligraphy and practiced copying calligraphy every day. In the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign (1792), because there were more than 20,000 pens in the Maoqin Hall, Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795) issued an order to reduce the number of tribute pens. This shows the huge amount of writing utensils used in the palace. Among the rotating exhibits in this museum's special exhibition, there are a number of elegant Qing Dynasty stationery items from the collection of the Palace Museum.

Among the eye-catching exhibits is the throne-style pen screen with lotus and bat patterns. This throne-shaped pen screen is the only one in the collection of the Palace Museum, and can be said to be a unique piece; another treasure is the white imperial ink with the Lanting Xiuxi Tu from the Qianlong period. The white ink is made of a special material and is therefore very rare. The two treasures will be exhibited together with about 30 other exhibits, including a brush holder with a horse-washing pattern, a water container with a bat pattern, and a rosewood bristle brush, in the exhibition "A Day in the Forbidden City: Palace Life and Art in the Qing Dynasty" (Exhibition Hall 2) and "The Quest for Innovation: Contemporary Design Dialogues with Ancient Craftsmanship" (Exhibition Hall 5) from August 13.

Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi on limited-time exhibition

At the end of June, the museum rotated some of the cultural relics in the "Forbidden City: Architecture, Collections and Cultural Heritage" (Exhibition Hall 1). The highlight of the exhibit, the Qing Dynasty painting of Empress Dowager Cixi, will only be on display for three months, which is a rare opportunity. The folding fan in Cixi's hand and the books and teacups on the table in the painting are elements that only appear in portraits of Qing Dynasty emperors. It can be seen that while she emphasized her intellectuality in tasting tea and reading, she also showed her desire for power. Rotating exhibits during the same period include a new batch of five pages of "Imperial Ritual Vessels Illustrations", snow-grey grape-patterned flower-bottom women's slippers, and an imperially inscribed claret inkstone (an imitation of the Song Dynasty Tiancheng "Wind" inkstone).

Seize the last chance to visit "The Joy of Tibetan Sharing"

"Joy of Collection and Sharing - The First Batch of Donated Collections to the Hong Kong Palace Museum" (Hall 6) will end successfully on August 11. Visitors can seize the last opportunity to appreciate the treasures donated to the Hong Kong Palace Museum by various sectors and understand their historical and cultural value. The exhibits include items donated by Mrs. Walter Kwok on behalf of the Walter Kwok Family Foundation in memory of Dr. Walter Kwok and donated by James. A gilt-bronze musical clock inlaid with quartz and agate by Cox (active 1749–1791); a Qianlong-style lipped-mouth vase donated by Mr. Jin Shi and Mr. Jin Cile; "The Greatest Happiness of Doing Good" in running script by Jao Tsung-i (1917–2018), donated by Mr. Lin Hanwu; a Li Bai poem in bronze inscription by Ma Guoquan (1931–2002), donated by Mr. Ma Dawei; "The Awakening of the Sleeping Lion" by Cai Jingxiang (1906–2007), donated by Mr. Cai Han, etc.

Summer special programme "Family Day" from August 16 to 17 Limited pass discounted price HK$70

Visitors can enter the special exhibitions (Halls 1 to 7) with a standard ticket priced at HK$70 for adults and a concession ticket* priced at HK$35. In addition, the museum is offering a family ticket package discount from July 1 to August 31, suitable for families visiting special exhibitions (Halls 8 and 9) during the summer. Purchase two adult tickets and one child ticket (7 to 11 years old) to enjoy up to 20% discount. For details of the offer, please refer to the “Tickets” page on the museum website.

The museum will hold its first "Family Day" from August 16 to 17. This parent-child carnival is themed on Chinese gardens, buildings and mythical beasts. Children and adults can travel through different corners and exhibition halls of the museum and participate in parent-child activities such as creative workshops, large-scale puppet shows, art installations and hand-made experiences, while searching for the footprints of mysterious beasts and exploring the diverse aspects of Chinese traditional culture and architecture. Parents can seize the opportunity to purchase a limited number of "Family Day" passes at a discounted price of only HK$70 (valued at HK$105), including one adult and one child aged 7 to 11. This event is one of the "Hong Kong Palace Museum Jockey Club Education Projects" and is exclusively sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. For details, please refer to the “Events” page on the museum website.

The "Hong Kong Palace Museum Student Cultural Ambassador Day" was held on July 26

In addition to the rotation of exhibits, the museum will also hold the "Hong Kong Palace Museum Student Cultural Ambassador Day" for the second consecutive year. On July 26, more than 50 student cultural ambassadors of the Hong Kong Palace Museum will transform into exhibition guides, visitor attendants, cultural and creative product ambassadors, etc., personally participate in the museum operations, interact with visitors, and bring a richer visiting experience to the audience. The Hong Kong Palace Museum Student Cultural Ambassadors Scheme (“Student Cultural Ambassadors”) is the Museum’s flagship student programme, sponsored by the China Merchants Charity Foundation. Targeting local tertiary and secondary school students, the programme aims to deepen students’ understanding and interest in cultural heritage and museum professions through a series of learning and practical activities. The third "Student Cultural Ambassador" recognition ceremony will also be held on the day of the event. Over the past three years, this program has trained 320 qualified student cultural ambassadors.

* Concession tickets are available for children aged 7 to 11, full-time students, seniors aged 60 or above, people with disabilities (with one accompanying carer) and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients.