Institute of Philanthropy collaborates with Palace Museum to launch “HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan” – bringing digital culture to classrooms across Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland

HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan was officially launched today (10 November), bringing immersive digital cultural experiences to 160 primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland from 2025 to 2028.

HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan enables students to explore the Palace Museum’s artifacts through an immersive and interactive digital experience, introducing them to the richness of traditional Chinese culture and history.

Organised by the Palace Museum in partnership with the Academy of Chinese Studies, HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan is exclusively sponsored by the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP). It is one of the key initiatives under the five-year collaboration between IoP and the Palace Museum to promote Chinese culture and develop arts tech talent in the Mainland and Hong Kong. It follows the success of FLASH! The Palace Museum — A Pop-Up Digital Experience, which opened in January 2025. 

HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law, IoP Deputy Chairman and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Ann Kung and other guests tour the HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan.

Today’s launch ceremony was officiated by HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law; IoP Deputy Chairman and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Ann Kung; Deputy Director of the Palace Museum Wang Yueong; and Chairman of the Academy of Chinese Studies, Professor Lee Chack Fan.

Officiating guests at the launch ceremony for HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan included HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (2nd right), IoP Deputy Chairman and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Ann Kung (2nd left), Deputy Director of the Palace Museum Wang Yueong (1st right), and Chairman of the Academy of Chinese Studies, Professor Lee Chack Fan (1st left).

Speaking at the ceremony, Rosanna Law offered her thanks to IoP for supporting the initiative. Ann Kung said the School Caravan’s immersive and interactive digital experience will enable the younger generation to explore the diversity of the Palace Museum and appreciate the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture. Wang Yueong noted that the initiative reflects the Palace Museum’s commitment to innovation and education.

IoP Deputy Chairman and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Ann Kung delivers a speech at the launch ceremony of HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan.

HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law, IoP Deputy Chairman and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Ann Kung and other guests tour the HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan.

Each year, the School Caravan will visit 30 schools in Hong Kong and 10 on the Chinese Mainland, staying approximately one week at each location. Through high-definition videos, interactive touchscreens, virtual reality (VR) devices and mobile apps, students will explore the Palace Museum’s digital resources — including the acclaimed “Digital Treasures Cabinet” project — designed to foster appreciation of the artistry and design of the museum’s artifacts as well as the richness of traditional Chinese culture and history.

HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan enables students to explore the Palace Museum’s artifacts through an immersive and interactive digital experience, introducing them to the richness of traditional Chinese culture and history.

The School Caravan features two custom-designed, transformable interactive educational experience zones:

The Digital Exhibit Interactive Experience Vehicle offers immersive digital displays within a redesigned container, showcasing traditional Chinese architecture. Students can also explore court attire, digital artifacts, court dining traditions through a rich multi-sensory environment.

The Public Education Experience is shaped to resemble traditional architectural features, offering students the opportunity to explore the construction and painting process of the Palace Museum’s four Corner Towers through VR devices. It also introduces the Palace Museum’s architecture, cultural relics and court life by providing interactive educational content tailored to primary and secondary students.

HELLO! The Palace Museum — School Caravan enables students to explore the Palace Museum’s artifacts through an immersive and interactive digital experience, introducing them to the richness of traditional Chinese culture and history.

The Institute of Philanthropy (IoP) is proud to serve as the exclusive sponsor of “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West”exhibition, which opened today at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The exhibition brings together 106 masterpieces and artefacts from The Palace Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Palace of Versailles and the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Previously staged at The Palace Museum in Beijing in 2025 under the title “Rejoicing in Woods and Springs: A Journey through Garden Cultures in China and the Wider World”, also exclusively sponsored by IoP, the exhibition’s arrival in Hong Kong underscores IoP’s commitment to promoting Chinese culture and values and fostering international cultural exchange.

Guests tour the “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” exhibition.

The exhibition celebrates the beauty and cultural significance of gardens across civilisations. From the grand gardens of Emperor Qianlong and King Louis XIV to the artistry of Claude Monet, Zhang Daqian and Wen Zhengming, visitors can discover how gardens have long been spaces of creativity and leisure.

Guests tour the “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” exhibition.

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR Government; Wang Yuegong, Deputy Director of The Palace Museum; Ann Kung, Deputy Chairman of IoP and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust; Dr Wang Tao, Pritzker Chair of Arts of Asia, Executive Director of initiatives in Asia of Art Institute of Chicago; Professor Desmond Hui, Chairman of the Art Sub-committee of the Museum Advisory Committee; Eve Tam, Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services; and Dr Maria Mok, Museum Director of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR Government; Wang Yuegong, Deputy Director of The Palace Museum; Ann Kung, Deputy Chairman of IoP and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust; Dr Wang Tao, Pritzker Chair of Arts of Asia, Executive Director of initiatives in Asia of Art Institute of Chicago; Professor Desmond Hui, Chairman of the Art Sub-committee of the Museum Advisory Committee; Eve Tam, Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services; and Dr Maria Mok, Museum Director of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR Government, said that this touring exhibition, which began at The Palace Museum in 2025 and arrived in Hong Kong today, connects regional culture of the East and West through historical gardens. The HKMoA, as the grand finale, will exclusively feature a selection of art treasures. The exhibition not only fully showcase the distinctive features of gardens from East and West and the rich cultural heritage from different regions, but also highlights Hong Kong’s vital role as a window for mutual exchange and learning between Chinese and Western civilisations. She added that the country advocates “shaping tourism with cultural activities and promoting culture through tourism”. Culture and tourism have always been highly complemented with each other. With Labour Day Golden Week approaching, she believes the exhibition would attract local art lovers and tourists, as well as boost consumption in the surrounding area. She extended her appreciation to The Hong Kong Jockey Club for its full support, and to the Institute of Philanthropy for its sponsorship, which together enabled the exwhibition to be successfully staged.

Guests tour the “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” exhibition.

Wang Yuegong, Deputy Director of The Palace Museum, said that Chinese gardens evoke the grandeur of mountains, rivers, and the natural world, all within a small space and in pursuit of the ideal. Through this exhibition series, the Palace Museum hopes to foster open, cross‑disciplinary dialogue and collaboration, and to engage all sectors of society in exploring the question of ideal living.

Ann Kung, Deputy Chairman of IoP and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, said that the enduring legacy of Chinese garden art echoes the profound cultural heritage of The Palace Museum. Through this dialogue across time and cultures, she hoped more members of the public could experience the beauty of gardens from the East and West, deepen their understanding of the nation's history and culture, and carry forward Chinese cultural heritage, thereby enhancing cultural confidence and social cohesion.

Ann Kung, Deputy Chairman of IoP and Trustee of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” exhibition.

“Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” is an important part of a five-year collaboration under a Memorandum of Co-operation entitled “Promotion of Chinese Culture and Arts Tech Talent Development in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong” signed between The Palace Museum and IoP. It aims to foster cultural exchange between the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong and to nurture aspiring arts tech talent. The exhibition will offer guided tours for schools, charitable organisations and non profit-making organisations.

Guests tour the “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” exhibition.