The Grand Gathering of the Century:
Zodiac Heads from the Yuanmingyuan and Important Treasures
This summer, a major national treasure exhibition at the Indra and Harry Banga Gallery, City University of Hong Kong, will showcase East–West cultural exchanges and art technology via an immersive experience that will stimulate broader community engagement.
Held in conjunction with the 26th anniversary of the establishment of Hong Kong SAR and the 100th anniversary of the co-organiser, China Tourism Group Corporation [China Travel Service (Holdings) Hong Kong Limited], the exhibition has also been co-organised by China Poly Group Corporation Ltd. and the City University of Hong Kong.
This exhibition spotlights a set of highly valued national treasures, including four zodiac heads from the Yuanmingyuan (The Old Summer Palace) of the Qing imperial court that were lost for over a century and other treasures dating back to Early China and other important periods of the development of Chinese culture. Also to be explored are the dynamic cultural exchanges between China and the West in art, culture, architecture, lifestyle, gardening and farming, and science and technology from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The exhibition empathises the vital need to preserve world cultural heritage.
Phase I from 4 July to 31 August 2023 will display four original zodiac heads and phase II from 5 September to 30 November 2023, in collaboration with the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, will feature the full set of 12 zodiac head sculptures donated by the actor Jackie Chan. These heads will be displayed in a re-creation of the Great Fountain design that features in the Western architecture of the Yuanmingyuan. The Indra and Harry Banga Gallery will work with several local museums on exhibiting other essential treasures.
Audiences can embrace and better understand the historical, artistic, and social context of the exhibition through innovative art technology and interactive experiences enabled by augmented reality, mixed reality and artificial intelligence technology. To expand audience reach, a series of related educational materials have been designed for schools, students, families, children, and young people.