BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua/APP): “Radiance: Ancient Gold Ornaments from the Collection of the Hong Kong Palace Museum” opened at the Capital Museum Wednesday.
The exhibition showcases over 170 sets (pieces) of exquisite gold artifacts, each bearing witness to the splendor of ancient craftsmanship. It is scheduled to run through March 1, 2026.
Zhao Jing, exhibition curator with the Capital Museum, noted that the gold artifacts featured in this exhibition span a period from the 15th century BC to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), covering roughly 3,000 years.
China’s earliest gold artifacts mostly originated from the northwestern frontier regions, which maintained close contact with the Eurasian steppe. As population migration, trade, and technological exchange became increasingly frequent, gold began to be widely used in the Central Plains, eventually becoming an important part of China’s material culture, she said.
“Preparation for this exhibition was initiated two years ago and is part of the broader framework of cooperation between Beijing and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,” Zhao said.
Renowned Hong Kong collectors, Betty Lo and Kenneth Chu, have spent many years collecting Chinese gold artifacts scattered across the world. After extensive systematic research and organization, they donated more than a thousand pieces to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, Zhao added.
Louis Ng, director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, said: “In recent years, several collectors have donated precious artifacts they have accumulated over decades. We aim to make full use of Hong Kong’s unique advantage, being backed by the motherland while connected to the world, to facilitate the return of dispersed cultural relics to China and to contribute to the study and preservation of fine traditional Chinese culture.”
“The Capital Museum’s core mission is to protect, research, and present the material evidence of civilization, and to tell the Chinese stories behind these artifacts,” said Guo Jingning, director of the Capital Museum, who cited this exhibition as a successful example of their collaboration with their colleagues in Hong Kong, bringing the cultural relics stored in museums to life.
Other cultural projects that will be launched in Beijing to offer more diverse and vibrant experiences, said Amy Yuen, deputy director of the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing.
Lo said she and Chu were fascinated by the story behind these gold artifacts, as well as the technique and development of this medium in China throughout more than three millennia.
“Towards a certain stage in life, you want to plan ahead for your own collection and want to keep it intact. One of the primary goals of our donation is to rely on a partner institution like the Hong Kong Palace Museum to share our collection with a wider audience.” For Lo, this allows more people to appreciate the brilliance and legacy of ancient Chinese gold art.
Ng said that the prospects for cooperation and exchange between Hong Kong and the mainland are boundless. Looking ahead, he hopes to see more collaboration with the Capital Museum to jointly promote the prosperity and development of China’s cultural endeavors.