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The Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, the star exhibit at the China Pavilion of Expo 2010 Shanghai China (Shanghai Expo), has come to Hong Kong. Entitled "River of Wisdom - Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival", the exhibition was officially opened by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Government (HKSARG), Mr Donald Tsang, today (November 8) at the AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong International Airport.
Other officiating guests were the Chairman of Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mr Feng Guoqin; the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong SAR, Mr Li Gang; the Director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Shanghai Municipal Government, Mr Li Mingjun; the Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, Mr Chen Xianjin; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Stephen Lam; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr T Brian Stevenson; and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung.
The exhibition is jointly presented by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the HKSARG, and co-organised by the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is the exclusive sponsor of the exhibition.
The exhibition will be open to public from tomorrow (November 9) until November 29 at AsiaWorld-Expo.
At the Shanghai Expo, the Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, which was created using modern multimedia technology, earned a reputation as the China Pavilion's star exhibit. Projected on a giant screen more than 120 metres long and six metres high, this version of the painting uses animation to reveal its details, including moving people, running water, various goods displayed for sale, boat-trackers shouting from the riverbank and boats wending their way forward. With a vividly depicted river meandering through the lower part of the giant picture, the exhibition gives visitors a brand new experience and the illusion that they are actually in Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song dynasty 900 years ago.
The animated picture shown in the exhibition is 30 times the size of the original painting, "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival", by Zhang Zeduan of the Northern Song dynasty. An integrated image is formed using 12 high-resolution projectors with sophisticated computer geometric transformation and correction technology. The tone, style and features of the original painting including all its streets, boats and buildings are retained in the animation. In order to vividly illustrate the booming commercial activities, including the dramatic night market, the animated version has specially-created night scenery. The scene is portrayed in day-to-night cycles lasting for four minutes, with a dramatic interplay of light and colour.
This huge animated painting is often called the "River of Wisdom", because it depicts many cultural characteristics and demonstrates the great depth of Chinese society and commerce in ancient times. Zhang Zeduan's Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival is one of the "top ten" paintings in China still in existence. Besides its extremely high artistic value, this painting possesses great historical value thanks to its vivid depiction of the lives and activities of different social classes in Bianjing and its suburbs during the Qingming Festival. The important historical information on urban life in the Song dynasty contained in the painting allows better understanding of ancient Chinese culture.
To enhance its educational value, additional elements of history, culture, art and education are incorporated in the exhibition. These include an introduction to the significance of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival in Chinese culture and art, and information about the conception and production of the animated version. The exhibition allows visitors to learn more about the urban outlook, people's daily lives, and the Song dynasty's achievements in science and technology.
A series of public lectures will be held during the exhibition period. They include the "Unrolling the 'Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival' in Hong Kong", by the Curator of Hong Kong Museum of Art, Mr Szeto Yuen-kit; and the "Landmark of the Shanghai World Expo - The China Pavilion", by the Deputy Director of China Pavilion Department of Shanghai World Expo, Ms Mao Zhuchen, to be held on November 13; "Interpretation of Chinese Cultural Masterpiece through Modern Technology", by the Director of the Exhibition Business Department, Crystal Digital Technology Co Ltd (Shanghai), Mr Yu Zheng; and "The Contemporary Interpretation of Chinese Culture - 'Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival'", by the Director of the Design & Cultural Studies Workshop (Hong Kong), Mr Chiu Kwong-chiu, to be held on November 20; "The Attempt for Integrating Chinese Cultural and Heritage in Mainstream Media – The Case Study of McDull Animation Film and TV", by the General Manager of the Bliss Concepts Limited, Mr Samuel Choy; and "Chinese Culture as Reflected by 'Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival' – Urbanisation and Urban Characteristics of the Song Dynasty", by the Director of the Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies, Professor Victor Sit, to be held on November 27. The lectures will be held in Meeting Room 201, AsiaWorld-Expo, at 2.30pm and 3.30pm on the specified dates. Conducted in Cantonese and Putonghua, the lectures are free and the seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The exhibition will be open from 10am to 11pm from Monday to Friday and from 9am to 11pm on Sundays and Saturdays. Each viewing session will last for one hour. The admission fee is $10. Children under four years old will be admitted free. The tickets have already all sold out. Those who have secured tickets are advised to visit the exhibition at the scheduled session as printed on the ticket and familiarise themselves with the content of the exhibition and the transportation arrangements prior to their visit by visiting the exhibition website at qingmingriverside.hk .
The exhibition has obtained support from the MTR Corporation and other transportation organisations to provide visitors with convenient and economical transportation to the exhibition venue. For example, visitors going to the AsiaWorld-Expo by Airport Express can purchase the same-day-return ticket at $48 at Hong Kong or Kowloon Stations. They can also enjoy return-trip discounts by taking the MTR Tung Chung Line and airport buses under CityBus.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has generously supported the exhibition by offering full sponsorship for the special "River of Wisdom Exhibition - Jockey Club Transport Subsidy Scheme". Under this scheme, round trip transport subsidies for 200,000 students, the elderly, the disabled etc, will be provided to bus them to and from the venue.
For more details about the exhibition and transportation arrangements, please visit the exhibition website at qingmingriverside.hk . For enquiries, please call 1823.
Ends/Monday, November 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:55
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