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Hong Kong Museum of History working intensively on preparing exhibition showcasing artefacts from Sui and Tang dynasties (with photos)
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     ​The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has collaborated with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration to present the exhibition "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" at the Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH). The exhibition will run from April 25 to August 24, with free admission. Over 165 pieces/sets of selected exhibits will be presented to enable visitors to experience the splendour of the Sui and Tang dynasties. The invaluable cultural relics from Shaanxi have arrived in Hong Kong. The curatorial team in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland experts are working intensively on preparing the exhibition.
      
     As the third exhibition of the LCSD's General History of China Series, the exhibition journeys from the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties, and the Sui dynasty, and mainly narrates the grandeur of the Tang dynasty, exploring its historical context and development origins. The exhibition showcases exhibits from the collections of over 10 museums and cultural institutions in Shaanxi province. Among the exhibits, 18 pieces/sets are grade-one national treasures, including a painted female figurine of dancer with a double-looped bun, a white pottery dancing horse, a silver-gilt incense caddy with scenes showing human figures and a pure gold reliquary casket with a roof-curb-shaped lid.

Female figurine of dancer in elegant dance pose

     The painted female figurine of a dancer with a double-looped bun from the Tang dynasty was unearthed from the tomb of Zhang Chenhe, Changwu County, Xianyang City. This figurine is of a tall, slender lady with sloping shoulders and a tiny waist. Her hair is styled in a double spiral bun, and she looks light-hearted and lively, representing highly fashionable young women in the early to high Tang period, and reflecting the standards of female beauty at that time.

White pottery dancing horse beautifully akin as white jade

     Another exhibit is a white pottery dancing horse from the Tang dynasty, unearthed from the tomb of Zhang Shigui, Liquan County, Xianyang City. The horse is muscular with an elegant, slender body. Its head is slightly lowered and its right front hoof is raised. Entirely unadorned, it emanates a pure beauty akin to that of white jade, and perfectly shows off the exquisite craftsmanship of Tang dynasty artisans with its extremely high ornamental and artistic value. Dancing horses, a unique form of entertainment combining the movements of horses with music and dance, was introduced into China from the western regions, and was seen as symbols of a prosperous and auspicious age.
 
Masterful engravement of patterns and inscriptions on gold ware

     The exhibition presents two relics unearthed from the Underground Palace of Famen Temple from the Tang dynasty. Xiangbaozi (silver-gilt incense caddies with scenes showing human figures) were standard parts of the set used by the Tang people in making offerings of incense. The lid of this incense caddy features a raised surface divided into four petals, each adorned with a flying lion. Its background is of scrolling vines. The lid fits snugly onto the body, divided into four sinuously curving arched panels. Each panel shows a scene from a famous classical story. The other exhibit, the pure gold reliquary casket with its roof-curb-shaped lid was created by a famous esoteric Buddhist monk from the late Tang period, Zhihuilun, for holding the relic of the Buddha's actual body. An inscription was engraved on the front of the casket, reflecting the wish for peace, prosperity, and good weather.
 
Exhibition layout mirroring city planning of Tang Chang'an

     The museum designed the layout of the exhibition mirroring the Tang Chang'an City, vividly presenting the large-scale and well-organised city planning to visitors. Multimedia programmes including projections, animation and interactive games will be used to introduce Emperor Taizong of Tang's Six Steeds of Zhaoling, a stone relief showing his six beloved horses, famous historic figures in the Sui and Tang dynasties, women's makeup and the imperial examination system in the Tang dynasty, enabling visitors to view social characteristics of various aspects in Sui Tang period. Apart from the precious cultural relics from Shaanxi, the exhibition will also feature relics of Sui and Tang dynasties unearthed in Hong Kong, including a glazed shard of Changsha ware unearthed from Sham Wan Tsuen, Chek Lap Kok; a spirit jar with its lid unearthed from Shek Kong, Yuen Long; and a celadon cup unearthed from San Tau, Lantau Island, from the Tang dynasty.
 
     This exhibition is jointly presented by the LCSD and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, jointly organised by the HKMH and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, in collaboration with the Chinese Culture Promotion Office.
 
Ends/Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:30
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"The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of History from April 25 to August 24. Photo shows a grade-one national treasure, a painted female figurine of a dancer with a double-looped bun from the Tang dynasty, from a collection of the Changwu County Museum. The figurine is of a tall, slender lady, with sloping shoulders and a tiny waist. Her hair is styled in a double spiral bun, and she looks light-hearted and lively, representing highly fashionable young women in the early to high Tang period, and reflecting the standards of female beauty at that time.
"The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of History from April 25 to August 24. Photo shows a grade-one national treasure, a painted female figurine of dancer with a double-looped bun from the Tang dynasty, from a collection of the Changwu County Museum, being installed into a showcase by a conservator of the Conservation Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
"The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of History from April 25 to August 24. Photo shows a museum conservator from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and experts from the Chinese Mainland performing a condition inspection on a white pottery dancing horse from the Tang dynasty, a grade-one national treasure from a collection of the Zhaoling Museum. The horse is muscular with an elegant, slender body. Its head is slightly lowered and its right front hoof is raised. Entirely unadorned, it emanates a pure beauty akin to that of white jade, and perfectly shows off the exquisite craftsmanship of Tang dynasty artisans with its extremely high ornamental and artistic value. Dancing horses, a unique form of entertainment combining the movements of horses with music and dance, were introduced into China from the western regions, and were seen as symbols of a prosperous and auspicious age.
"The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of History from April 25 to August 24. Photo shows a grade-one national treasure, a silver-gilt incense caddy with scenes showing human figures from the Tang dynasty, from a collection of the Famen Temple Museum. Xiangbaozi (silver-gilt incense caddies with scenes showing human figures) were standard parts of the set used by the Tang people in making offerings of incense. The lid of this incense caddy features a raised surface divided into four petals, each adorned with a flying lion. Its background is of scrolling vines. The lid fits snugly onto the body, divided into four sinuously curving arched panels. Each panel shows a scene from a famous classical story.
"The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of History from April 25 to August 24. Photo shows a grade-one national treasure, a pure gold reliquary casket with its roof-curb-shaped lid from the Tang dynasty, from a collection of the Famen Temple Museum. On the front of the casket, there is an engraved inscription reflecting the wish for peace, prosperity, and good weather.
"The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province” exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Museum of History from April 25 to August 24. Photo shows Chinese Mainland experts performing a condition check on a Sancai (tri-colour) glazed figurine of a hunter on horseback. In this piece, the horse is standing still, while the hunter twists his head back with a raised arm. Originally, there would have been a hunting animal behind him.