Fragrance exhibition opens today

The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) will stage an exhibition from today (June 28) to October 16 to showcase a selection of 160 precious items about the Chinese fragrance culture in different periods of time, according to Leisure & Cultural Services Department.

The "Fragrance of Time - In Search of Chinese Art of Scent" exhibition features 109 sets of exhibits from the Shanghai Museum collection and 51 sets from the HKMoA collection.

The exhibits include ceramics, bamboo carvings, paintings and bronze objects that span the Neolithic period to the 20th Century, taking audiences on a visual and olfactory journey across thousands of years.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung said the exhibition focuses on a Chinese fragrance culture that had a profound and extensive history in the daily lives of people in ancient China, adding that Hong Kong was also an important trading hub for fragrance materials in the past.

Highlight exhibits from the Shanghai Museum include two Grade-1 national treasures on display in Hong Kong for the first time, including "Lady reclining on a cage over a censer" by Chen Hongshou from the Ming dynasty; and a gold-painted stone Sakyamuni Buddha dedicated by Shi Huiying from the Southern Liang dynasty, as well as 13 sets of Grade-2 national treasures.

Meanwhile, highlights from the HKMoA collections include a hanging censer carved with an openwork floral design and six loop handles from the Qing dynasty, as well as a pair of kidney-shaped purses with seed stitching and couched gold embroidery of antiquity motifs from the Qing dynasty.

Mr Yeung also noted in his speech that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government established the Chinese Culture Promotion Office and organised the inaugural Chinese Culture Festival this year.

He added that the festival will designate a focal city each year, with Shanghai being the focus in this first edition.

Besides this exhibition, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department will also bring to the public performances from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company and the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra.