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"Embroidered Identities: Ornately Decorated Textiles and Accessories of Chinese Ethnic Minorities" Exhibition

10 Dec 2013

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) is pleased to present an exhibition of traditional Chinese costumes, baby carriers and silver ornaments drawn from the collection of Mei-yin Lee. This exhibition demonstrates the wealth of colours, techniques and styles found in the on-going traditions of Chinese minority groups. The display is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, and the production of both exhibition and book has been generously supported by the HKU Museum Society in celebration of the Museum’s 60th and Society’s 25^th anniversaries respectively. The exhibition will be held at 1/F T. T. Tsui Building, University Museum and Art Gallery, 90 Bonham Road from the 15 December 2013 to 9 February 2014.

Elaborately embroidered costumes and baby carriers, most of which originate with the Miao, Dong, Shui and Zhuang ethnic tribes of the south-western Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi are decorated with richly coloured, stitched and sewn ornamentations - and sometimes silver applications - indigenous to the particular culture and long-lived traditions they derive from. As some ethnic minorities lack a written script, the symbolism and colour-coding found in their textiles form a visual language that presents an important cultural and anthropological development and heritage still in practice today.

The exhibition opening coincides with the HKU Museum Society’s Members’ Day (14 December 2013, 15:30 – 18:00), and it will present several of the featured embroidered dresses in a life fashion show.

Reception & Fashion Show

Date: Saturday, 14 December 2013
Time: 15:30 – 17:00          HKU Museum Society Member’s Day
           16:30 – 17:00          Fashion show of Chinese Ethnic Minority Dresses 
          17:00 – 18:00          Embroidered Identities: Ornately Decorated Textiles and Accessories of Chinese Ethnic Minorities Opening Ceremony
Place: 1/F, T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU

Public Talks*

Topic - Part 1: Introduction to Chinese Ethnic Minorities with Mei-yin Lee (李美賢)
Date: Saturday, 11 January 2014
Time: 15:00 – 16:30
Place: 1/F, T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU
Speaker: Mei-yin Lee (李美賢) (in Cantonese)

In connection with the current exhibition Embroidered Identities: Ornately Decorated Textiles and Accessories of Chinese Ethnic Minorities, collector Mei-yin Lee will present two talks to enrich the viewer’s understanding and appreciation of the colourful dresses and accessories of this exhibit.

In ancient times, the Han people regarded tribal groups living outside of Central China as barbarians. Who were they? In this first talk, Lee will give an introduction about their history and culture, and how they relate to the present day ethnic minority groups in China.

Topic - Part 2: Embroidered Identities: Ornately Decorated Textiles and Accessories of Chinese Ethnic Minorities with Mei-yin Lee (李美賢)
Date: Saturday, 18 January 2014
Time: 15:00 – 16:30
Place: 1/F, T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU
Speaker: Mei-yin Lee (李美賢) (in Cantonese)

With needles and threads, the women of the Chinese ethnic minorities embroider songs that not only demonstrate their ingenious skills, but also reflect their history, culture, and wisdom towards life. In this second talk, collector Mei-yin Lee will decode the stories hidden behind the colourful patterns that are unique to their heritage and tradition.

*No registration is required and seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. Please visit www.hkumag.hku.hk or call 2241-5500 for more information.

The Museum is located at the University's main entrance on Bonham Road. Its opening hours are from 09:30 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday and 13:00 to 18:00 on Sunday. The Museum is closed on University and public holidays.

This release was issued by UMAG, please contact our Communication Officer:

Miss Elena Cheung                    Tel: 2241 5512          Email: elenac@hku.hk

About The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG)

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of The University of Hong Kong was founded in 1953 as the Fung Ping Shan Museum. Originally established as the Fung Ping Shan Library of Chinese language publications in 1932 in honour of its benefactor, the building became a museum dedicated to collecting Chinese art when the University's libraries consolidated. The museum was renamed the UMAG in 1994 shortly before its new wing was opened to the public in 1996. It is the oldest continuously-operated museum in Hong Kong and has over the past sixty years built up a diverse collection of ceramics and bronzes dating from the Neolithic period to the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), as well as traditional and modern paintings from the Ming dynasty to the twenty-first century.

Chief among the collections are the Museum's ceramics, which show the extraordinary achievements of the Chinese potter from Neolithic period painted pottery jars, to the decorative porcelains of the Qing dynasty. Among the early wares are examples of funerary pottery dating from the Han (206 BC–AD 220) to the Tang dynasties (AD 618–907) that include lead-glazed models and vessels, as well as tri-coloured (sancai) ceramics. Throughout Chinese history, ceramics have been traded and admired outside China. Of these, greenwares, particularly Yue and celadon wares, which were sought after in Southeast Asia and Korea, and the development of underglaze-blue decorated wares (blue-and-white), which were made for the Islamic market and popular in Europe, have been the most influential and are well-represented in the Museum's collection. Of particular note is one of the earliest known examples of underglaze-blue decoration in the form of a small tripod water pot dating to the Tang dynasty. The Museum also has representative examples of wares made by the famous Song kilns such as those of Ding and Cizhou, and mono- and polychrome decorated wares of the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

Other highlights of the collection are the Museum's Chinese bronzes that include ritual vessels dating to the Shang (c.1600–c.1050 BC) and Western Zhou (c.1050–771) periods, and a comprehensive collection of mirrors dating from the Eastern Zhou (771–221 BC) period to the Tang dynasty. The Museum also contains the largest known collection of Mongol period (Yuan dynasty 1271–1368) Nestorian crosses in the world. In addition to its collection of carvings in jade, wood and stone, the Museum also has a small but significant collection of Chinese ink painting dating from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to the present, and twentieth-century Chinese oil painting. 

In addition to these permanent collections, the UMAG regularly hosts exhibitions of contemporary and ancient Chinese and western art. The Museum was originally established as a teaching museum and has maintained this commitment to the University to this day through the teaching of Chinese art and museum studies and by encouraging students to broaden their education through the arts. It also regularly presents non-exhibition related talks and activities that are open to both the University's students and the public. The Museum also endeavours to promote knowledge of Chinese tea culture through its Tea Gallery, which is also open to public.

Membership of The University of Hong Kong Museum Society is open to anyone with an interest in the arts. Members benefit from a wide variety of specially-organised educational events, and visits to museums, galleries and other places of interest. Members also have the opportunity to take part in overseas visits to sites of special cultural interest. All proceeds from the Society go directly to support the Museum and its activities.

Woman’s attire, Yi ethnic minority, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province (Length of upper garment: 90cm). (Collection of Mei-yin Lee)

 Woman’s festive attire Miao ethnic minority
Taigong Town, Taijiang County, Guizhou Province
Length of upper garment: 86cm Width between cuffs: 123cm
Length of skirt: 78cm   Waist: 88cm
Overskirt: 95cm    Waist: 95cm
(Collection of Mei-Yi LEE)

Embroidered cover of baby carrier with moon and banyan tree motifs Dong ethnic minority
Tongdao County, Hunan Province 1950s
Length: 44cm  Width: 44cm
(Collection of Mei-Yi LEE)

Baby carrier embroidered with pomegranate and butterfly motifs
Miao ethnic minority
Guizhou province Republican era
Dimension: 103 x 107 cm
(Collection of Mei-Yi LEE)