Exhibition on China's first emperor ends with record attendance of more than 420,000 visitors (with photos)
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     "The Majesty of All Under Heaven: The Eternal Realm of China's First Emperor", the largest exhibition on Qin cultural relics ever held in Hong Kong, will come to a close at 10.30pm today (November 26). Extremely well received by the public and tourists, the exhibition has broken the records for total and daily attendance of thematic exhibitions organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History.

     The four-month exhibition, running from July 25 to November 26 at the Hong Kong Museum of History, was jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, and co-organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center with the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as the sole sponsor. It was one of the highlight programmes celebrating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

     The exhibition has attracted about 424,000 visitors with an average daily attendance of around 3,855. The highest daily attendance of 6,259 was recorded on November 25. Both the total and daily attendance figures set new records for thematic exhibitions organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History.

     The Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung, expressed her gratitude to the public, which has been very supportive of the exhibition. She said, "The exhibition has not only broken the attendance records of the thematic exhibitions organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History, but also made a number of breakthroughs in terms of the number and types of terracotta figures displayed in Hong Kong and the application of advanced multimedia technologies in heritage exhibitions."

     The exhibits, some of which are newly discovered and had never been exhibited in Hong Kong before, offer a very well-balanced and carefully selected presentation of the six centuries of history of the Qin, which evolved from a tribe into an empire.  

     The 20 terracotta figures displayed at the exhibition outnumber the quota usually approved for loaned exhibitions outside the Mainland. The variety of the terracotta warriors on display is also the most diverse in comparison with those shown in Hong Kong before. Some of the terracotta figures still have their original paint, which is very rare indeed.

     The Museum has also exploited various forms of advanced multimedia and audio-visual technology, such as the use of 32 projectors and a 300-unit high-configuration rendering farm, to create a gigantic seamless projection which encircles visitors and enables them to admire the magnificence of the Qin terracotta army pits. The application of the latest technologies marks a new step forward in staging heritage exhibitions in Hong Kong.

     In addition, about 35 educational programmes, including an international conference and public art programmes, have been organised in collaboration with a number of local institutions to bring the contents of the exhibition to a wide range of visitors and to foster creativity amongst youngsters.

     "In the past four months, we have received lots of favourable comments and feedback from visitors, groups, academic organisations and local and overseas scholars, as well as museum professionals. They spoke highly of the rich contents of the exhibition, the balanced approach in selecting exhibits and the innovative presentation of the exhibition. They were amazed by the impressive audio and visual effects of the multimedia programmes as well as the creativity of the education and public art programmes. All of the museum staff members are very encouraged by the enthusiastic response and recognition," Mrs Fung said.

     "We would like to thank the public for their overwhelming response and support that made this exhibition a great success. We also want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the State Council, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and various Shaanxi heritage and museum institutes for their support in providing 120 sets of invaluable cultural relics for the exhibition, giving the public such a rare opportunity to view these national treasures in Hong Kong.

     "Our heartfelt thanks also go to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for their generous sponsorship of the multimedia programmes, public art and educational activities which further enriched the exhibition," Mrs Fung said.

Ends/Monday, November 26, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:11

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