Orientations May/Jun 2025

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Art Museum has evolved significantly since its inception in 1971. Initially serving as a research unit, it has expanded its role to become a public-facing museum that emphasizes accessibility and engagement with a broader audience. The recent addition of the Lo Kwee Seong Pavilion and the Harold and Christina Lee Gallery, designed by Rocco Yim, addresses the growing needs of Hong Kong’s thriving art scene. The museum’s expansion seamlessly blends with the existing campus while enhancing the visitor experience. One of the reopening exhibitions, ‘Transcending Transience: Art and Culture of Late Ming Jiangnan’, showcases treasures from collections worldwide, including the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Shanghai Museum.

The May/June 2025 issue marks this occasion with eight articles that provide a comprehensive view of the collection, ranging from the history and significance of art collecting in Guangdong, China, to the often-overlooked art of Chinese rubbings. We look at sinicized depictions of Western figures on Canton enamels and painted enamels produced at the Qing court, and explore early Sino-Portuguese trade and custommade porcelain from Jingdezhen.  We also consider the multifaceted role of the snake in Chinese mythology and art, as seen in 24 sets of artefacts that explore its diverse representations throughout history.

Opening this May is a groundbreaking exhibition at the Bowers Museum entitled ‘World of the Terracotta Warriors: New Archaeological Discoveries in Shaanxi in the 21st Century’. New archaeological finds over the past two decades in Shaanxi province, China, have revealed rich information about pre-dynastic China’s political landscape and artistic achievements. The exhibition explores the social and cultural dynamics of early China through 110 objects.

Also opening this spring, ‘Shutendōji Begins: Tales of the Demon Slayer Throughout the Ages’ at the Suntory Museum of Art will focus on the famous Japanese demon Shutendōji, whose tales date back to the Heian period (794–1185) and have been depicted in various forms of art. The exhibition highlights the significance of the museum’s scrolls by Kanō Motonobu (1478–1559?), commissioned by warlord Hōjō Ujitsuna in 1522, and the role they played in establishing the iconography of the narrative during the Edo period (1600–1868). It offers a rare opportunity to view scroll paintings of Shutendōji from other collections around the world to better understand the intermedial nature of the story, which blends literature, painting, and performance.

FEATURES
Josh Yiu. Form Follows Function: A New Architectural Landmark and the Evolving Role of a University Museum
Raymond Rang. Collecting in Guangdong: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy at CUHK Art Museum
Peggy Pik-ki Ho. National Treasures in CUHK: Rare Rubbings of the Song Dynasty donated by Bei Shan Tang
Joyce Ying-Ching Chou. Western Figures on Canton Enamels and Painted Enamels Produced at the Qing Court
Wang Guanyu. Connecting China and the West: Early Sino-Portuguese Trade and Custom-Made Porcelain from Jingdezhen
Lung Tak Chun. A Century of Collecting: The Wong Family and their history in the late 19th and 20th centuries
Phil Chan. Continuing an Elegant Legacy: Recent Acquisitions of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy at the Art Museum, CUHK
Sam Yu Tong. The Snake in Chinese Art History
Zhouyong Sun and Tianlong Jiao. Art and Ritual at Shimao: The Earliest Stone-Walled City in Northern China
Tomoko Emura. Shutendōji Beyond Time and Space: The ‘Shutendōji Begins’ Exhibition at the Suntory Museum of Art

INTERVIEW
Interview with Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho and Becky MacGuire on the Albuquerque Foundation

BOOK REVIEW
Francesco Calzolaio. Eternal Letters: Qur’an Manuscripts from the Abdul Rahman Al Owais Collection