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A number of interactive exhibits and multimedia programmes previously staged at the Hong Kong Science Museum's "Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court" exhibition will be showcased at the ¡§Appreciation of the Western Science and Technology from Qing Emperors¡¨ exhibition at Shandong Museum from today (December 1) until March 1 next year.
Speaking at today¡¦s opening ceremony, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li, said that Hong Kong and Shandong have been working closely on aspects of cultural exchange for some years. Among recent co-operation projects were the International Horticultural Exposition 2014 Qingdao, at which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government organised a series of musical and dance performances; the thematic exhibition "Conflict and War: China and Japan 1894-95", co-organised by the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence and the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Shandong Province in 2014; and ¡§The Rise of the Celestial Empire: Consolidation and Cultural Exchange during the Han Dynasty¡¨ exhibition, which was staged at the Hong Kong Museum of History this year to showcase valuable relics provided by Shandong Museum and the Changqing District (Jinan City) Museum.
Ms Li said that in addition to displaying relics from the Palace Museum in Beijing using traditional means, the¡§Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court¡¨exhibition deployed innovative methods involving new technology and multimedia effects, as well as showing a number of interactive exhibits in a lively way. Through hands-on experience visitors were able to appreciate the scientific principles of the exhibits. The exhibition was well-received and appreciated by the Hong Kong public.
Ms Li also expressed her heartfelt appreciation to Shandong Museum for inviting the Hong Kong Science Museum to bring its exhibits to showcase alongside the treasures of the Palace Museum in the ¡§Appreciation of the Western Science and Technology from Qing Emperors¡¨ exhibition. The people of Shandong will have an opportunity to visit an extraordinary exhibition that combines history and science, she said.
Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony included the Deputy Director of the Palace Museum, Dr Song Jirong; the Director General of the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Shandong Province, Mr Xie Zhixiu; the Deputy Director General of Cultural Heritage Bureau of Shandong Province, Mr Zhou Xiaobo; the Executive Deputy Director of Shandong Museum, Mr Guo Sike; and the Museum Director of the Hong Kong Science Museum, Ms Karen Sit.
Presented by the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Shandong Province, the Palace Museum and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, organised by the Shandong Museum and the Hong Kong Science Museum, and assisted by the Design and Cultural Studies Workshop, the exhibition features about 120 artefacts selected from the Western science and technology collection of the Palace Museum. Interactive exhibits and multimedia programmes that were designed and produced by the Hong Kong Science Museum for the Shandong exhibition include ¡§The Big World¡¨ and ¡§The Great Palace¡¨ video projections, interesting hands-on exhibits that help visitors learn more about astronomy, mathematics and medicine, and ¡§Palace Ride with the Emperor¡¨, which allows visitors to simulate a bicycle ride in the Palace.
Ends/Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:30
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