VisAsia HingYiu Mok Mandarin Language Lecture

An annual lecture presenting recent Asian art scholarship in Mandarin language

Sunday 31 August 2008
11am - 12.30pm
Domain Theatre, Lower Level 3

• Buddhist Art in Shandong Province and the Longxing Temple Sculpture Hoard
  LU Wensheng, Director, Shandong Museum

Free. No bookings required.
Lecture is in Mandarin with no English translation.

In conjunction with the exhibiton: The lost Buddhas: Chinese Buddhist sculpture from Qingzhou

Previous lectures: 

Sunday 2 September 2007
 
The making, use and collection of jade in the Qing imperial house
ZHANG Guangwen, Palace Museum
ZHANG Guangwen’s lecture will look at the making, uses and collection of jade during the Qing dynasty, including major categories such as: ritual jade, decorative jade, jade utensils, precious objects, accoutrements for the scholar’s desk, jade figures and animals, and pendants. Qianlong’s love and promotion of jade will also be considered. The central theme of this lecture will be jade that focuses on nature.
ZHANG Guangwen, is a well established scholar in Chinese jade. He joined the curatorial team of the Palace Museum in 1978, and was head of the crafts section of the Registration Department and the Antiquities Department. He graduated from the Renmin University of China in 1985. In 1998 he became a senior research fellow at the Palace Museum. He has published widely on ancient Chinese jade and his major works include: A concise history of Chinese jade (1992), and Identification and appreciation of Chinese jade (1998).

Auspicious motifs in the decorative arts of the Ming and Qing dynasties
ZHANG Rong, Palace Museum
ZHANG Rong’s lecture will study different artefacts of the Ming and Qing periods which used motifs which were a perfect combination of auspicious words and pictures often consisting of human figures, flowers, birds, animals and commonly employing metaphors, puns, symbols, and homophones all of which were imbued with wishes for good fortune and averting disaster. Hence, evident were constant allusions to the longing for longevity, good fortune, promotions, celebrations etc.
ZHANG Rong specializes in Chinese decorative art of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is a well known expert on Chinese snuff bottles, lacquer, cloisonné, and glass. She graduated from Nankai University, China in 1985 and joined the Palace Museum the same year. Now she is head of the Antiquities Department and is also a senior research fellow. Her publications include: The appreciation of patterns and decorations in lacquer, Chinese lacquer and Snuff Bottles.

19 August 2006
Happy Birthday to the Kangxi Emperor: Imperial Ceramics with Longevity Motifs
Peter Lam
The Kangxi Emperor Xuanye (1654-1722CE), was one of the very few capable and worthy emperors in Chinese history. He forbade extravagant celebrations for his annual birthdays. The only exception was 1713 when he was sixty; there was a massive nationwide celebration. Officials and members of the imperial household offered birthday tributes to the emperor. These gifts carry good wishes for longevity. This illustrated lecture introduced porcelain wares produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in Jingdezhen for this celebration in 1713. An attempt has also been made to identify the Imperial Factory Supervisor who was responsible for the production of these porcelain pieces.
Peter Y. K. Lam, a graduate from the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, is an art historian as well as a museum professional. His scholarly works on Chinese ceramics, calligraphy rubbings and the decorative arts are widely published. For the past thirty years he has been with the Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he is its Director, concurrently an honorary professor at the Fine Arts Department.

20 February 2005
History and Research on Blue-and-White Porcelain
Professor Zhang Pusheng
Deputy Chair National Ancient Chinese Ceramic Society, Member of the National Cultural Relic Appraisal Board, Nanjing Museum Research Fellow and Fudan University Adjunct Professor.
According to recent research Chinese blue-and-white porcelain has a history of over one thousand years first originating during the 9th century in the Tang dynasty and reaching its peak from the 15th to 17th centuries in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Determining the authenticity and period of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain is a complex and interesting exercise because it was exported as early as the Tang dynasty and forgeries appeared from the Ming dynasty. Professor Zhang shares his personal experience in evaluating blue-and-white porcelain through two important factors: firstly he considers the colour of the glazes and secondly, the decorative motifs.

1 August 2004
Textile excavations in China
Professor Zhao Feng
Deputy Director, National Silk Museum, Hangzhou