The exhibition was curated by Prof. Xu Xiaodong (Associate Director of the Art Museum and the Programme Director of the Research Programme for Chinese Archaeology & Art), Dr Tong Yu (Postdoctoral Fellow of the Art Museum), and Mr Feng Jian.

 

The exhibition took place at Suzhou Museum between 30 September 2020 and 3 January  2021. It was divided into four parts, displaying a hundred sets of exhibits from 25 museums and institutes across Mainland China. 

 

Time and region were the key elements in the first part of the exhibition. The unique features of gold art from a variety of regions, ethnicities, and time were explored by presenting a comprehensive picture of the development of Chinese gold art from the Shang to the Qing dynasties. The functions of gold in society was also investigated. 

 

The second part focused on the cultural exchange between regions and how it was embodied in the art of gold. Imported goods, technologies and the learning elements of art become a way of communication between countries, east and west, and also north and south. It shows a wide range of gold art from the same period, and traces the tradition and evolution of it across different regions.

 

The third part focused on the analyses of the craftmanship of gold, and the last section presented the contemporary adaptation of the ancient gold techniques.

 

This exhibition is one of the outcomes of the research project “The Study on the Ancient Chinese Gold Technologies (2nd phase)”. The research project is sponsored by Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co., Ltd.