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The Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) presents a special exhibition titled “The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Seals”, starting from 28 September. Members of the public are welcome to visit.

Since the Art Museum was established in 1971, it has received a generous donation of over 1,800 Chinese seals from the Bei Shan Tang. With their rich diversity and significant academic and artistic value, these seals have elevated the Art Museum to a paramount position globally among university museums with collections of this kind. Showcasing about 400 precious artefacts, this exhibition will chronicle the evolution of seals spanning from the Warring States period (475-221 BCE) to the modern era, demonstrating their diverse formats and historical development. The exhibition will be segmented into eight thematic sections, covering formats and materials, usage, official seals, private seals, common seals, religious seals, pattern seals and seals by literati artists. This holistic approach will offer a comprehensive presentation of the formats, scripts, historical evolution and artistic characteristics of Chinese seals. Highlights include bronze seal “Zuohen Zheng Mu” (Warring States period, Qi state), clay seal impression “Yongzhoumu Yinzhang” (Xin dynasty), bronze seal “Xiangyinchen Yin” (Qin state and dynasty), bronze seal “Da Jia Siyin” (Han dynasty) and stone seal “Dingfen Xueshu” by the artist Huang Shiling (1849-1908).

The exhibition’s opening ceremony took place today (27 September). The officiating guests included Dr Chien Lee, Chairman of the Bei Shan Tang Foundation; The Hon. Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, HKSAR; Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK; Professor Alan Chan, Provost and J.S. Lee Professor of Chinese Culture at CUHK; Ms Lillian Kiang, Chief Executive Officer of the Bei Shan Tang Foundation; Professor Tian Wei from Sun Yat-sen University, and Honorary Research Fellow of CUHK Art Museum; Professor Josh Yiu, Director of CUHK Art Museum; and Dr Tong Yu, Associate Curator of CUHK Art Museum.

Officiating at the opening ceremony, Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, stated, “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Bei Shan Tang Foundation for its generous support of CUHK over the years. Dr J.S. Lee, founder of Bei Shan Tang Foundation, exemplified the spirit of persistence and faith. Throughout his life, he demonstrated unwavering commitment to promoting Chinese culture and the arts while supporting educational endeavours. The University is incredibly fortunate to have received the generous affection of Dr Lee and his family, and we are deeply grateful for his outstanding contributions. The Foundation has bestowed numerous artistic treasures upon the Art Museum, significantly enhancing our ability to promote and uphold traditional Chinese culture. In ancient China, seals were regarded as significant tokens, and the majority of the seals housed in our University’s museum were donated by Bei Shan Tang, exceeding 1,800 pieces. This diverse collection possesses immense artistic and scholarly value, making us the university museum with the largest collection of seals in the world. It allows the public to appreciate and learn about these treasures at the Art Museum.”

In ancient times, Chinese seals possessed both practical and artistic qualities, acting as symbols that linked various segments of society. The ancients also pursued a harmonious aesthetics in their design of seals, giving rise to the art of seal engraving, which has influenced countries like Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. With the generous gifts of over 1,800 Chinese seals from Bei Shan Tang to the Art Museum, the research and curatorial team conducted in-depth examination and documentation of these artefacts. Their aim was to explore the essence of the Chinese seals, reflect on the evolution of social and economic developments, cultural transformations and aesthetic trends, while showcasing the achievements of Bei Shan Tang in preserving traditional Chinese culture.

In addition, the Art Museum will publish the catalogue The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Seals during the exhibition period. The publication will feature academic essays introducing the exhibits, as well as detailed information about them, including their format, material, weight, size, date and impressions on paper and clay, complemented by explanations from the perspectives of historical documents and folklore studies. The application of technology has also facilitated the testing of seal ingredients and the deciphering of seal scripts. The details of the publication will be announced later.

Exhibition details

The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Seals

Please download exhibition photos from https://bit.ly/3WPOYBc.