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The Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) held the opening ceremony of the special exhibition “National Treasures in CUHK: Rare Rubbings of the Song Dynasty Donated by Bei Shan Tang” on 22 September. Officiating guests included Ms Manda Chan, Director of Leisure & Cultural Services, Hong Kong SAR Government; Dr Lee Chien, Chairman, Bei Shan Tang Foundation; Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, CUHK’s Vice-Chancellor and President; Professor Anthony Chan Tak-cheung, CUHK’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Alumni/Community Engagement & Institutional Advancement); Professor Josh Yiu Chun-chong, Director of the CUHK Art Museum; Dr He Jianfei, Director, Chinese Art and Culture, Bei Shan Tang Foundation; and Dr Peggy Ho Pik-ki, Research Fellow at the CUHK Art Museum, among others. The exhibition will be open to the public from 23 September to 28 December 2025.

At the event, Professor Lo said: “These national treasure-level Song dynasty rubbings generously donated to the Art Museum by the Bei Shan Tang are truly the ‘family heirlooms’ of our University. This year, we are privileged to witness the long-awaited exhibition of these precious works at the Art Museum for audiences in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and beyond. Furthermore, English-language publications on rubbings remain rare in the academic world. This English catalogue, published to accompany this exhibition, will allow these ‘family heirlooms’ to step beyond Asia and showcase the allure of Song dynasty rubbings to Western readers. Rooted in Hong Kong and looking towards the world, CUHK remains steadfast in its mission ‘to combine tradition with modernity and to bring together China and the West’. We will continue to make positive contributions to Hong Kong and the world in both scientific and cultural research, creating meaningful impact across all domains.”

Dr Lee said: “Due to my father (Dr Lee Jung-sen)’s enduring passion for Chinese art and culture, and his steadfast mission to safeguard cultural treasures, these valuable Song rubbings have survived and ascended to national treasure status. They now occupy a place of distinction at CUHK’s Art Museum, epitomising the essence of literati art and exquisite craftsmanship. In a momentous collaboration with the Palace Museum in Beijing during the university’s 2023 jubilee celebrations, these rubbings took centre stage in the special exhibition Rare Rubbings of the Song Dynasty, showcased alongside precious rubbings from the Palace Museum in the Hall of Literary Brilliance. This year marks a special occasion for these national treasures to be exhibited once again at the Art Museum. This exhibition beautifully realises my father’s lifelong aspiration to share the rich tapestry of Chinese history, culture, and art with wider public.” 

CUHK holds the distinction of being Hong Kong’s first institution with collections inscribed in China’s “National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books” (國家珍貴古籍名錄). Its holdings represent the preeminent assemblage of such cultural treasures among local higher educational institutions. The new exhibition follows the resounding success of the 2023 exhibition “Rare Rubbings of the Song Dynasty” (宋拓魅力：碑帖珍本特展), co-organised by CUHK and the Palace Museum, Beijing and sponsored by the Bei Shan Tang Foundation, the CUHK Art Museum proudly presents this new special exhibition. Featuring 20 national treasure-class Song dynasty rubbings from the Bei Shan Tang collection, alongside more than 12 masterpieces of calligraphy and painting spanning the Yuan to Qing dynasties, the exhibition illuminates how these delicate ink impressions inspired generations of literati, shaping Chinese calligraphic traditions through seven centuries of artistic conversation – from antiquity to imperial China’s final golden age.

The exhibition catalogue and educational video are sponsored by the Bei Shan Tang Foundation. This exhibition is divided into three sections – Stelae of the Han and Tang Dynasties: The Evolution of Calligraphy from Ancient Scripts to Classical Styles (2nd-9th centuries); The Lanting Preface from the Collection of the Southern Song Grand Councillor You Si: A Dialogue Across Time (12th-13th centuries); Model Calligraphies Engraved in the Song Dynasty: The Canonisation of the Calligraphies of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi (10th-13th centuries). Exhibits include precious rubbings: Stele of Huashan Temple and Stele for Xia Cheng; two versions of the Lanting Preface, the Imperial Court Version with the Character Ling Topped by a Radical Shan and the Version Collected by the Wang Family of Zhongshan; Wang Xizhi’s works in Model Calligraphies from the Imperial Archives of the Chunhua Era (Quanzhou Version, Volumes 6 to 8 featuring Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy); and Model Calligraphies of the Hall of Brilliance by Mi Fu and Yue Ke. Masterpieces of calligraphy include the work by Deng Wenyuan in the Wuling Anthology, Zhu Yunming’s Early Tang Poems in Small Regular Script, Wang Chong’s Thousand-character Classic in Running-cursive Script and Dong Qichang’s Copy of Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy in Running-cursive Script.

At the ceremony, the catalogue National Treasures in CUHK: Rare Rubbings of the Song Dynasty donated by Bei Shan Tang was also officially launched. In the academic field, there is still a scarcity of English-language publications on rubbings. This English catalogue fills in a gap enables international researchers to gain deeper insights and fosters greater research interest in Chinese rubbings. The publication will promote academic exchange and advance the study of rubbings worldwide. It is available at the Museum’s bookshop and online store.

“National Treasures in CUHK: Rare Rubbings of the Song Dynasty donated by Bei Shan Tang” exhibition

• Exhibition Period: 23 September to 28 December 2025
• Venue: Gallery 3, Art Museum, CUHK

Please download exhibition photos from here