HONG KONG.- The Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Palace Museum jointly unveiled the new thematic exhibition “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Forbidden City and the World—Cultural Encounters” (“The Forbidden City and the World”). Positioned within a global context, the exhibition presents the Forbidden City as a vital platform for dialogue between China, other parts of Asia, and Europe. Spanning more than 600 years of history, the Yuan (1271–1368), Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, the exhibition weaves a rich tapestry of interactions in diplomacy, trade, science and technology, philosophy, and craftsmanship, inviting visitors to appreciate the rich cultural legacy embodied by the Forbidden City.

Since its opening in 2022, the HKPM has maintained a close partnership with the Palace Museum to promote Chinese culture and foster cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world by co-organising numerous exhibitions and bringing a total of over 2,200 treasures from the Palace Museum collection to Hong Kong. In 2026, the two museums are presenting four new thematic exhibitions in succession. Among them, “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Forbidden City and the World—Cultural Encounters” presented in Gallery 1, serves as an introduction to the history and culture of the Forbidden City, providing context for other thematic exhibitions featuring objects from the Palace Museum.

“The Forbidden City and the World” showcases over 130 precious artefacts from three premier institutions: the Palace Museum in Beijing, the HKPM, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Anchored by the Palace Museum’s collection, including 18 grade-one national treasures, the display is further enriched by significant objects from the HKPM, the Chris Hall Collection at the HKPM, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, with categories ranging from paintings and calligraphic works to jewellery, timepieces, ceramics, glassware, furniture, textiles, and scholar’s objects.

Today’s opening ceremony at the HKPM in the West Kowloon Cultural District was officiated by Zhu Hongwen, Deputy Director of the Palace Museum; Leo Kung, Chairman of the HKPM Board; Winnie Yip, Head of Charities (Culture & Sports Cluster; Community Engagement), The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Betty Fung, Chief Executive Officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; and Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director of the HKPM.

Through rare treasures exploring cross-cultural exchanges in three dynasties

As the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Forbidden City served not only as the centre of political power but also as a stage for interactions between China and the wider world. “The Forbidden City and the World” brings together over 130 exceptional treasures, spanning a wide range of categories, from paintings and calligraphic works to jewellery, timepieces, ceramics, glassware, furniture, textiles, and scholar’s objects. Every three months, a number of new objects will be displayed and each rotation presents approximately 80 artefacts.





The exhibition has four sections:

The first section “Routes of Exchange—Marco Polo and Zheng He” charts China’s flourishing cultural encounters with other regions during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. From the interconnected overland Silk Routes to maritime trade routes, it paints a vivid picture of China’s growing contact with the wider world. Among the highlights is a piece of Mounting fabric with patterns of cranes, deer, and persimmon pedicels from the Hongwu period (1368–1398) of the Ming dynasty, to be displayed for three months. Beginning with his first mission abroad for the Ming dynasty, diplomat Zheng He (d. 1433) brought patterned textiles woven with gold and silk threads as gifts and was prepared to speak the language of prestige and alliance. In the course of his seven major maritime expeditions, he took Chinese textiles as far as Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, West Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa. This section also includes one of the exhibition’s oldest works: a Mosque lamp with a verse from Qur’an, dating back to the late Yuan or early Ming period. It serves as a testament to the longstanding exchange of objects and ideas between China and West Asia.

The second section “Imported Treasures—Ming Court Art and New Knowledge of the World” illustrates the historical context of rare commodities imported to China from South and Southeast Asia during the late Ming period, and their significant impact on imperial art and craftsmanship in the Ming and Qing dynasties, reflecting Chinese culture’s inclusiveness and inventiveness. Among the highlights of this section are two grade-one national treasures: a Ruyi sceptre in the form of lingzhi fungus and a sapphire Pendant, as well as the Copy of Jiang Tingxi’s Album of Birds. Intricately shaped from a single piece of Burmese jadeite, the ruyi sceptre is one of the few surviving examples of its kind. As rubies and sapphires from Southeast and South Asia entered the imperial court in greater quantities, gemstone inlay techniques were increasingly used in making jewellery and decorating court vessels. The Album of Birds, commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795), takes the form of a richly illustrated encyclopaedia and documents exotic species with unprecedented precision. On display for only three months is a painting featuring a kingfisher from Siam (modern-day Thailand) from the album. Birds of this species were among the gifts presented to the Qing court from Siam and Champa (modern-day Central Vietnam).

The third section “East Meets West—Artistic and Scientific Exchanges in the Qing Dynasty” highlights the spirit of artisanal innovation and the integration of knowledge during the Kangxi (1662–1722), Yongzheng (1723–1735), and Qianlong reigns of the Qing dynasty. A Geometric polyhedron model shows the Kangxi Emperor’s keen interest in mathematics and his open‑minded engagement with foreign knowledge. A very special work is a painting titled Fighting tiger from Yinzhen’s Amusements, depicting Prince Yinzhen (the future Yongzheng Emperor) hunting a tiger. In this scene, the prince wears European-style attire and a Western-style wig, revealing Yinzhen’s fascination with the novel and the exotic. A Luohan bed with figures featuring scenes of merchants and envoys carrying foreign treasures offers a window into how Europeans were perceived in China during the Qing period.

The fourth section “The Emperor’s Southern Treasury—The Canton Customs and the World” examines how the Canton Customs shaped court culture from the mid- to late Qing dynasty. In 1757, Guangzhou’s Canton Customs was the only designated seaport open to foreign merchants. The imperial court granted a legal monopoly over trade between China and foreign countries to the Thirteen Factories, a consortium of licensed merchant firms there. Among the most important commodities of exchange was tea, which helped spark a taste for tea drinking across Europe and even inspired the development of European tea services. On display is a striking example: an Iris-decorated kettle with handle, crafted during the Meiji period (1868–1912) in Japan, which deliberately echoes the forms of European silverware. Merchants of the Thirteen Factories collected exotic goods to trade and brought back curiosities for Chinese emperors. Exhibits such as the Singing bird cage automaton and Adjustable nearsighted glasses bear witness to this history of exchange.

Discover China’s global encounters through innovative design and engaging experience

The design of the exhibition employs colour and spatial choreography to shape a visitor journey that unfolds step by step. In the first section, red is the dominant tone, complemented by column-inspired structures that evoke the palatial atmosphere of the Forbidden City. The setting draws visitors into a narrative of Sino-foreign exchange from an imperial perspective. In the fourth section, blue takes centre stage, echoing the refined hues of the exhibits and recalling Guangzhou’s historical role as a hub of maritime trade. Specially commissioned videos are presented at both the entrance and exit to the exhibition. The opening video, produced in collaboration with the Design and Cultural Studies Workshop led by Mr Chiu Kwong-chiu, uses animation to illustrate how the Forbidden City was shaped by its encounters with the world. The closing video chronicles the Palace Museum’s contributions to Sino-foreign cultural exchange over its centennial history, alongside the HKPM's efforts to foster global cultural dialogue since its opening in 2022.

The exhibition features a suite of multimedia elements that enrich the overall visitor experience:

• A digital “Qianlong Garden” (Palace of Tranquil Longevity): Embellished by the garden’s perspectival wall paintings, this digital garden lively presents rare creatures from across the world, inviting visitors to embark on a journey of discovery. The perspectival wall paintings, an interior decorative painting popular during the Qianlong reign, reconcile Western linear perspective with architectural setting.

• The interactive “What Did the Kangxi Emperor Study?” shows how knowledge from Europe was selectively received, studied, and integrated into the Qing court in the Kangxi period, offering insight into the processes that underpin Sino‑European intellectual exchange.

• Adjacent to the historical timepieces on display is a video revealing the mechanical movements, design aesthetics, and harmonious chimes of a musical clock from the collection of the HKPM, bringing to life this masterpiece.

• Through an animated video depicting scenes of attracting foreign merchants, inspecting samples, negotiating, packing, and weighing at the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou during the Qing dynasty, visitors can step into the shoes of 18th-century European traders to explore the tea trade.