Jockey Club and Institute of Philanthropy collaborate with Palace Museum to launch the exhibition “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience”

Supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club), exclusively sponsored by the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), organised by the Palace Museum and in partnership with Tai Kwun, the exhibition “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience” was launched today (17 January) at Tai Kwun and will run until 31 January. Members of the public are welcome to visit the exhibition at the F Hall Studio free of charge with no registration required. The exhibition is one of the activities under the “With you. Then. Now. Always.” campaign in celebration of the Club’s 140th anniversary.

Guests tour “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience” exhibition.

An opening ceremony for the exhibition was held today at Tai Kwun JC Cube. Officiating guests included HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law, Club Steward and Chairman of the IoP Lester Huang, and Deputy Director of the Palace Museum Zhu Hongwen.

Officiating at the opening ceremony of “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience” were HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (centre), Club Steward and Chairman of the Institute of Philanthropy Lester Huang (left), and Deputy Director of the Palace Museum Zhu Hongwen (right).

HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law expressed her gratitude to the Club and the IoP for supporting the exhibition. She said the exhibition presents Chinese culture as embodied by the Palace Museum in digital form, infusing new vitality into traditional culture.

HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (centre), Club Steward and Chairman of the Institute of Philanthropy Lester Huang (left), and Deputy Director of the Palace Museum Zhu Hongwen (right) attended the opening ceremony of “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience”.

Club Steward and IoP Chairman Lester Huang said the two organisations are committed to promoting arts and cultural heritage. Being one of the key activities of the “Promotion of Chinese Culture and Arts Tech Talent Development in the Mainland and Hong Kong”, a collaborative initiative between the Club, the IoP and the Palace Museum, the exhibition vividly introduces the architecture and artefacts of the former palace through interactive multimedia technology. Visitors can immerse themselves in a cultural journey to appreciate the unique artistic charm of the Palace Museum, exploring the wisdom and exemplary traditional Chinese culture it represents.

Club Steward and Chairman of the Institute of Philanthropy Lester Huang said the exhibition vividly presents the architecture and artefacts of the Palace Museum through interactive multimedia technology, allowing visitors to appreciate the unique artistic charm of the former palace.

Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Palace Museum, its Deputy Director Zhu Hongwen explained that this is its first pop-up exhibition in Hong Kong to showcase the Palace Museum’s architecture and artefacts through modern technology. It provides the public and tourists with an opportunity to experience the palace’s culture at close range, while also promoting cultural exchange between Hong Kong and the Mainland.

Guests tour “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience” exhibition.

Highlights of the “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience” include: “Four Seasons at The Palace Museum”, which uses digital technology to reveal the beauty of the Gate of Imperial Supremacy (Huangji men), the main entrance to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity (Ningshou gong), across all four seasons; “Impression of the Corner Tower”, which uses virtual reality (VR) to bring to life the construction and painting process of the four Corner Towers of the Forbidden City, which applies the unique architectural feature of “nine beams, eighteen columns, and seventy-two ridges”; and “Treasured collections”, with selected precious artefacts from the museum’s collection. Placed within a digital cabinet, 22 of them are interactive.

The exhibition entrance with the “Four Seasons at The Palace Museum”, which employs digital technology to reveal the beauty of the Gate of Imperial Supremacy (Huangji men), the main entrance to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity (Ningshou gong), across changing seasons.

The exhibition uses virtual reality (VR) to bring to life the construction and painting process of the four Corner Towers of the Forbidden City.

With contemporary digital imagery, “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains”, the sole surviving work by Northern Song dynasty painter Wang Ximeng, has been revitalised for the exhibition. Traditional symbols representing good fortune are transformed into flowing light and shadow, immersing viewers in an animated scroll of ancient artistry. In addition, visitors can participate in interactive activities that allow them to prepare delicacies and gain insights into court dining traditions. By using mobile apps, visitors can also experience life in the imperial court and explore Chinese culture and history, such as ancient textile and embroidery techniques.

Guests tour “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience” exhibition.

In conjunction with the exhibition, two Tai Kwun Conversations will be hosted for knowledge sharing and cultural exchange. “Art technology Meets Traditional Culture” examines the application of art technology to historical exhibitions, education and performing arts, while “Conservation and Adaptive Reuse of Chengqiangong” dissects the unique architectural structure and historical evolution of Chengqiangong, highlighting the importance of heritage preservation in maintaining historical and cultural significance.

In May 2024, the Club and the IoP signed the Memorandum of Co-operation “Promotion of Chinese Culture and Arts Tech Talent Development in the Mainland and Hong Kong” with the Palace Museum. The IoP, a charitable organisation established by the Club and its Charities Trust,donated approximately HK$440 million (RMB￥371 million) to promote Chinese culture and values in Hong Kong, the Mainland and worldwide, and to support talent development initiatives in the arts technology and cultural sectors. This collaboration is an important contribution to the development of Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

Visitors can participate in interactive experience activities to gain insights into exemplary Chinese culture and history.

The five-year collaboration includes restoration and conservation of the historic Chengqiangong, which is being transformed into “The Palace Museum Hong Kong Cultural Exchange Hub” to facilitate cultural exchange in art technology and cultural education through exhibitions and programmes. Apart from “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience”, the Club and the IoP are supporting the Palace Museum to launch a number of exhibition and talent capacity building programmes.

The Club has come a long way since its founding as a racing and members club. Over the past 140 years, its partnership with the community has thrived thanks to a unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong. The Club – under the banner “With You. Then. Now. Always.” –has organised a series of celebratory initiatives to mark this milestone and recognise Hong Kong people’s contribution to its mission to act continuously for the betterment of society. For more information, please visit https://campaign.hkjc.com/140/en/

The Club’s support for the exhibition “FLASH! The Palace Museum - A Pop-Up Digital Experience”, like all its charity donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for the community.

The TWGHs “iRun” – The Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon 2026 (iRun) took place today (11 January) along the Central and Western District Promenade and Lung Wo Road. This year, the event, supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, saw a record turnout of over 5,500 runners of varying abilities and their pair-up partners joined the fun while promoting social inclusion.

Over 5,500 runners, including participants of varying abilities and their pair-up partners, participated in iRun 2026 to promote social inclusion within the community.

Among the officiating guests cheering on the runners were HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun, Club Steward Philip Lo and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals the 1st Vice-Chairman York Tseng.

HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun (3rd left), Club Steward Philip Lo (3rd right) and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals the 1st Vice-Chairman York Tseng (2nd left) officiate at the TWGHs “iRun” – Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon 2026.

Club Steward Philip Lo (centre) receives a souvenir from HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun (left), accompanied by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals the 4th Vice-Chairman cum Chairman of Community Services Committee Jason Lee (right).

HKSAR Government Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun (centre), Club Steward Philip Lo (right) and iRun ambassador So Wa-wai (left).

Speaking at the ceremony, Club Steward Philip Lo emphasised that the significance of iRun extends beyond a single day of competition. The initiative provides diverse support to improve participants’ physical health and foster social inclusion. The Club has always placed great emphasis on the community’s needs, with “Health” being one of the strategic priorities of its Charity’s Trust. It consistently supports various organisations, including the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs), to launch initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles and enhance citizens’ overall quality of life.

Club Steward Philip Lo delivers a speech at the starting ceremony of the TWGHs “iRun” – Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon 2026.

Organised by TWGHs and supported by the Trust since 2012, iRun aims to give people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to experience the joy of sports and become more involved with the community. 

A member of the CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team and runner pose for a photo.

This year’s event welcomed participants not only from Hong Kong but also Beijing, Guangdong Province and Macau. Runners with intellectual disabilities were paired with volunteers in a 3km challenge race, with pre-race training sessions arranged to help pairs get to know each other. The winning teams will receive sponsorship to participate in marathons outside Hong Kong, broadening their horizons and boosting their self-esteem.

Club Steward Philip Lo with CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members and runners.

This year, the event once again hosted the 1km “iRun for Family”, giving children aged six to 11 with intellectual disabilities and their families the chance to enjoy sporting fun together. To further promote social inclusion, a new “1km iRun Group” race was introduced to include participants with disabilities such as visually impairment, hearing impairment or those undergoing mental rehabilitation. About 800 volunteers, including members of the Club’s CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team, participated as pair-up runners or helpers to share the joy of running.

CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members and runners receive the trophy for the Corporate Social Inclusion Tournament.

Additionally, the “i-Runners’ Club” provides regular training for participants under the guidance of professional coaches, while “Green Marathon” elements remain integral to the event to encourage waste reduction and recycling, and advocate for environmental awareness.

The Club’s support for iRun, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.

Club Steward Philip Lo with CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team members and runners.