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An exhibition titled "Historical Imprints of Lingnan: Major Archaeological Discoveries of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao" will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of History from tomorrow (June 11) until September 1, tracing the history and development of civilisation in the Lingnan region through archaeological finds from a number of important sites in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.
The exhibition is jointly presented by the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao Special Administrative Region Government (SARG), and is co-organised by the Guangdong Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Macao Museum.
An opening ceremony was held today (June 10). Officiating guests included the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Deputy Director General of the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, Mr Yang Wei-shi; and the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SARG, Dr Ung Vai-meng.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Tsang said that archaeological work has taken giant strides in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau in the last three decades, and has recorded outstanding accomplishments. Nine excavation projects in the region have been named among the "Ten Most Significant New Archaeological Discoveries in China", including an excavation project in Ma Wan in Hong Kong in 1997.
Mr Tsang said the exhibition is the largest exhibition yet of archaeological discoveries in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, showcasing over 700 archaeological items on loan from more than 30 cultural organisations and museums. The exhibition will highlight the close cultural connection between the three places since ancient times, as well as covering the technological advancements in archaeological excavation and the progress made in promoting archaeology to the public in the three places over the decades.
Archaeological findings indicate that the human history and culture of the Lingnan region date back more than 100 000 years. The exhibition explores the historical and cultural development of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau from the Palaeolithic Period to the Ming dynasty. Highlights include exquisite stone tools and pottery unearthed from Neolithic sites in the three places, architectural relics and burial items discovered in the palace and mausoleum sites of Guangzhou's Nanyue Kingdom, exported porcelain items of the Song and Ming dynasties salvaged from the shipwrecks of the Nanhai No. 1 in Yangjiang and the Nan'ao No. 1 in Shantou, and the Ming dynasty blue and white porcelains excavated from the St Paul's College site in Macau.
The Hong Kong Museum of History is located at 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Admission to the exhibition is free. For details of the exhibition, please visit the website at hk.history.museum/en_US/web/mh/exhibition/current.html, or call 2724 9042.
In conjunction with the exhibition, an international conference will be held on August 16 and 17 at the Hong Kong Museum of History. Twenty experts and scholars from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, the United Kingdom and New Zealand will share their latest research on the Song and Ming periods of Lingnan history, archaeological technology, conservation of archaeological sites and recent archaeological discoveries. Details will be available on the museum's website: hk.history.museum in mid-July.
Ends/Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:18
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