As people are unable to travel abroad during the pandemic, why not visit the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) for a soul-purifying journey? A unique Chinese landscape painting exhibition entitled "Touching: A journey through Chinese landscapes from the Xubaizhai Collection (Phase 1)" will be held from tomorrow (September 24). The exhibition features landscape works from the Xubaizhai Collection with specially designed travelling routes, allowing visitors to wander around the world of Chinese landscape painting and relax amid the joys of nature.
 
     The founder of the Xubaizhai Collection, Mr Low Chuck-tiew (1911-1993), was a renowned art connoisseur. He donated his considerable art collection to the HKMoA in earlier years. The Xubaizhai Collection comprises Chinese painting and calligraphy works dating from the fifth to 20th centuries, with particular strengths in the Ming and Qing dynasties. This exhibition will show over 50 works from the Xubaizhai collection in phases to provide an opportunity for visitors to explore the essence of Chinese landscape paintings.
 
     Whether depicting a life in seclusion, portraying an imaginary spectacle, recording an excursion, offering a perspective on a scholar's studio and garden, illustrating lines of verse or revitalising traditional styles, Chinese landscape painting does not merely represent scenery, it also expresses the artist's temperament and aspirations. The first phase exhibition features 27 works. With paintings as "tour guides", six travelling routes are introduced, comprising the Pureness tour, the Discovery tour, the Scenic and historical tour, the Literati aesthetics tour, the Literary tour and the Spiritual tour, leading visitors to discover different themes and literati sentiments revealed in the Chinese landscape paintings and better understand the attitude to life of the ancients. The exhibition invites visitors to walk through the artist's scenery, view, travel and simply live in nature.
 
     Highlighted exhibits include Zhao Zuo's "Fishing boat in an autumn river", Shen Hao's "Landscapes", Kuncan's "The lofty peaks of Mount Huangshan", Cheng Tinglu's "Eight views of the Northern Villa", Wen Congjian's "Pine-shaded studio" and Yang Jin's "Landscape in the style of Shen Zhou".
 
     The HKMoA has specially produced an animated video for this exhibition. Set in panoramic landscapes, it takes a fresh approach in presenting unique scenes from traditional Chinese landscape paintings to offer viewers a truly immersive experience. "Landscape in the style of Shen Zhou" by Qing Dynasty court painter Yang Jin provides the frame for the video, inviting viewers to take a journey with the figures travelling through a variety of themes in the landscape paintings. Along the journey, they can walk across magnificent peaks and ridges, re-visit the imperial path, experience the pleasure of fishing in streams, stroll through bamboo groves and listen to cascading water, etc.
 
     The exhibition will be held from tomorrow to February 16 next year at the Xubaizhai Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy on the second floor of the HKMoA (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon). For details of the exhibition and admission arrangements, please visit the website at hk.art.museum/en_US/web/ma/exhibitions-and-events/touching_a_journey_through_chinese_landscapes_from_the_xubaizhai_collection_phase1.html or call 2721 0116 for enquiries.
 
     According to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), visitors are required to scan the "LeaveHomeSafe" QR code or register their name, contact number and date and time of entry before being allowed to enter the museum for necessary contact tracing if a confirmed case is found. An appeal is made by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to visitors to download the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app in advance and scan the QR code with the app before entering. Visitors who opt for registering their personal information at the scene are reminded to arrive early to avoid delaying their visit, as a longer time is required for such registration.
 
     In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, the museum will apply a quota to limit visitor flow. Visitors to the museum will need to use hand sanitiser and will be subject to temperature checks before admission. They also need to wear their own masks. Children under 12 will only be allowed to enter the museum and exhibition facilities when accompanied by an adult.

Ends/Thursday, September 23, 2021
Issued at HKT 19:00

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