More Than Gifts: Highlights on the Gifts Commemorating Hong Kong’s Return to China
2/F Corridor Hong Kong Heritage Museum
20 June 2012 - 25 February 2013
In celebration of Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, the nation’s thirty-one provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities presented the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with gifts of embroidery, ceramics, lacquer work, tapestry, as well as wood and stone sculpture. All of them are of enormous size and superb craftsmanship, and are truly gems of contemporary Chinese art.
To commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the reunion, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum selects five highlights of gifts on display. We cordially invite the public to share the profound sentiments conveyed by these magnificent works of art.
Exhibit Highlights
The Forever Blooming Bauhinia
Sculpture
Reunification Gift from the Central People’s Government
The sculpture, coated with gold, sits on a pedestal of red Sichuan granite. The blooming bauhinia is meant to augur a prosperous future for Hong Kong.
Shell Carving
Reunification Gift from Hainan Province
Enormous shells of this kind are rarities from the Nansha Islands. The molluscs that yield such huge shells often enjoy a life span exceeding sixty years. The shell shown here is supported by waves in the shape of six ruyi heads to invoke blessings for the six million Hong Kong people. The pair of unfolding valves also denotes unity, perfection and magnificence.
Ink-slab Carved from Songhua Rock
Reunification Gift from Jilin Province
Three sections combine to form the piece. The enormous ink-slab is carved from Songhua rock, a specialty obtained from the foot of the Changbai Mountain in Jilin province. A bauhinia wreath carved from wood crowns the slab while the huge roots of a centenary tree in the Changbai Mountain serve as the base. The three sections form an integral whole, implying that Jilin and Hong Kong share the same root, and together they would strive for a prosperous future.
Vase of Hickory Wood
Reunification Gift from Heilongjiang Province
This vase measuring 1997 mm in height is an allegory to the 1997 Reunion while the stand of 37 cm tall represents the 37 million population in Heilongjiang. The gilt band with corrugated wave motif near the base of the vase is a symbol of Heilongjiang (literally, River of the Black Dragon). It is the wish of its people that Hong Kong’s future will be as prosperous as the blooming bauhinia.
Model of the Wooden Pagoda at Yingxian, Shanxi
Reunification Gift from Shanxi Province
Established nine hundred years ago, the Pagoda has survived many wars, earth-quakes and natural disasters. The model is made in fine quality walnut wood at the ratio of 1:20 to bring alive the magnificence of the original Pagoda.
