May 31, 2011

The conference on Chinese ceramics over the weekend was a great success. Some excellent presentations were given on topics ranging from the finds of shipwrecks and the naval routes of the European traders, to the dating of the export porcelain and reports on the excavations of regional sites.

The invited speakers speaking either in English or Putonghua were especially grateful for the simultaneous interpretation which colleagues from the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics, the City University of Hong Kong, provided. This was crucial to make communication and exchange between Chinese and foreign scholars possible.

Translation and interpretation is very important in this field because Chinese scholars mainly publish in Chinese on the study of porcelain from the production and export angle, while the articles by Western scholars focus on the distribution and consumption side. Often either side has no access to articles because they do not know the language.

With translators and interpreters at hand it is possible to combine all efforts so as to gain a much broader overview of the process of Chinese ceramics, from the kilns in China to the dinner tables in Europe.

Written by: Audrey

May 20, 2011

A new exhibition was launched yesterday at the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. Entitled ‘Cultural Relics of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’, the exhibition marks the 160th anniversary of the start of the uprising in 1851 and offers insights into the establishment of the Society of God Worshippers, the uprising in Jintian village and eventually the fall of the Kingdom in 1864.

According to the press release (see link), the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had a close relationship with Hong Kong, as the Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Dr Louis Ng noted: ‘Hong Ren’gan, later the Shield King, stayed in Hong Kong for several years, where he learnt English from missionaries and got to understand Western culture and systems. He wrote ‘The New Essay on Economics and Politics,’ which considered forward-thinking reforms to tackle the political and social problems at the time in China.’

To learn more about this intriguing period in Chinese history, visit the Museum of Coastal Defence, which is open daily, except on Thursdays, from 10am to 5pm. More details are available on the Museum of Coastal Defence’s website.

Written by: Audrey

May 13, 2011

As a result of my involvement in the preparations for the international symposium on Chinese Ceramics, I found myself browsing the website of Museu de Arte de Macau. Although I have been to Macau several times in the past, I never visited this museum. From the information on the website, there is a wide variety of art on display, both ancient prints and historical paintings as well as modern photographs and abstract works. The museum has five floors and aims to display “the specialty of traditional oriental culture combined with the artistic flavour of the Western civilization.”

Looking at the opening page with announcements and events, my attention was drawn to the exhibition on the third floor which is entitled “Western Views on China: Prints of the nineteenth Century about the Pearl River Delta”. This out of interest in texts and pictures that can be revealing of how early western visitors interpreted China. Unfortunately there is only a very small photo of an example depicting life in the Pearl River Delta, and no link to more information. I reckon that the only way to quench my curiosity is to visit the third floor next time when I am in Macau.

Written by: Audrey

May 4, 2011

On 8 April I posted on Pulse the announcement about our Symposium on Chinese Ceramics to be held at the end of this month. I have had queries about this and although I have responded to them, it seems that my messages did not get through. So here goes, anyone interested in attending the symposium, please send an email to Dr Zhou Yue at yuezhou@cityu.edu.hk, or Dr Amy Fan at amyfan@cityu.edu.hk.

Written by: Audrey