Art Museum Precious Ancient Rubbings Selected for the National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books

The Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China announced the fifth collection of the National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books on 24 May 2016 in Beijing. Eight ancient rubbings from the collection of the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) were on the list, all donated by Bei Shan Tang.

This catalogue was proposed by the Ministry of Culture and approved by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It imposes strict selection criteria. The listed materials are of historical, ideological and cultural significance or are rare books written in the languages of ethnic minorities. They should have been written or printed before 1912 and compiled or bound in the traditional manner. The first collection was announced in 2008. The current collection marks the first time that items from a Hong Kong institution have been included.

Begun four decades ago, the collection of the CUHK Art Museum now includes more than 15,000 works of art. World-renowned rubbings from the Museum's collection have been exhibited in Beijing and Japan. The eight selected ancient rubbings for the National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books include:

1. The Stele of Hushan Temple
2. The Stele for Xia Cheng
3. Inscription on the Sweet Spring in the Jiucheng Palace
4. Stele for Li Sixun
5. Model Calligraphies from the Chunhua Era (Chunhua ge tie)
6. Lanting Preface, Imperial Court version with the ling character topped by a shan radical (Yufu lingzicongshn ben) (No.2)
7. Lanting Preface, Qiantang Xu's version (No. 15)
8. Lanting Preface, unknown origin version (No. 63)

To complement the announcement of the fifth collection of the National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books, the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage will host a special exhibition from June to August at the National Museum of Classic Books in Beijing. Of the eight pieces, Model Calligraphies from the Chunhua Era (Chunhua ge tie) and the Lanting Preface, Imperial Court version with the ling character topped by a shan radical (Yufu lingzicongshn ben) (No. 2) will be exhibited.

Call for admission: Chinese Culture Workshop Series by the ICS

The ICS is honoured to receive general support from the GS Charity Foundation to organise a series of workshops to promote Chinese culture. Upcoming Workshops on Classics Studies such as Zhouyi, Zuo zhuan and Shuowen Jiezi will be held from June to August. For detailed workshop information, please visit the ICS website.

Lee Hysan Visiting Scholar Scheme, USC

The USC has admitted the following scholars to the Lee Hysan Visiting Scholar Scheme and provided grants for them to conduct research. All incoming visiting scholars have been invited to give seminars or talks during their stay. For the latest information, please visit the USC website.