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.

In support of cross‑sector collaboration to advance sustainable development, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, through its Charities Trust, has approved a donation of over HK$426 million to support The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in establishing and operating the HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute. The donation also supports the creation of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professorships, with the aim of bringing together distinguished international scholars from diverse fields to provide global insights into local needs and to transform research findings into practical policy recommendations and solutions for a more liveable and resilient Hong Kong - so contributing to the betterment of society.

Rimsky Yuen, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Steward (left) and Prof Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong (right) officiate at the dedication ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professorships.

The dedication ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professorships was held on 5 May. Attending guests included Rimsky Yuen, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Steward, Prof Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong; Prof Yang Wang, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Institutional Advancement) of The University of Hong Kong; Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of Business School of The University of Hong Kong and three endowed professors: Professor Guojun He, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics; Professor Jeffrey Ng, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Accounting, and Professor Uta Schönberg, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics.

Rimsky Yuen, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Steward (3rd left); Prof Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong (centre); Prof Yang Wang, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Institutional Advancement) of The University of Hong Kong (1st left); Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of Business School of The University of Hong Kong; and the three endowed professors (2nd left): Professor Guojun He, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics (3rd right); Professor Jeffrey Ng, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Accounting (1st right), and Professor Uta Schönberg, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics (2nd right) attend the dedication ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professorships.

Congratulating the four eminent scholars on their appointments, including Professor Roni Michaely, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Finance and Entrepreneurship, who was unable to attend the ceremony, Club Steward Rimsky Yuen said that, with the support of the four endowed professorships, the institute is well-placed to become a world-class knowledge hub, providing actionable insights that can deliver meaningful impact in Hong Kong, Asia and beyond. He added that the Club has supported many groundbreaking initiatives at HKU over the years. This reflects the Club’s long-standing investment in human capital and higher education, and its commitment to nurturing leaders who can propel the city’s economic development and sustain the prosperity of the nation.

Club Steward Rimsky Yuen delivers a speech at the dedication ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professorships.

The HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute aims to become a world-class hub for Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and Sustainability best practice in Hong Kong, Asia and beyond with respect to three core aspects:

1）Research — Create four endowed professorships in the disciplines of economics, finance, entrepreneurship, and accounting. Under the leadership of the appointed scholars, the Institute will foster multidisciplinary collaboration and integrate knowledge with practice and transform top-tier research into actionable solutions.
2）Engagement — Develop a sustainability index, offer consultancy and advisory services, and organise conferences, seminars and international summits to facilitate dialogues and forge cross‑sector partnerships.
3）Education — Curate sustainability related courses and interdisciplinary initiatives to equip forward-looking sustainability professionals.

The Club’s support for the HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute, 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.

Group photo.