Designed by Rocco Design Architects Associates Limited, the Hong Kong Palace Museum is a fresh and contemporary interpretation of traditional aesthetics, drawing inspiration from Chinese art and architecture, as well as Hong Kong’s urban environment. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – Blending art and technology, the Hong Kong Palace Museum has featured a total of 53 multimedia projects with projection mapping installations, interactive and digital exhibits, soundscape experiences and video installations to provide unique experiences for visitors to appreciate traditional Chinese art and culture.

The museum will officially open to the public on July 2 to mark Hong Kong’s 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland.

There are nine galleries at the museum. Seven of them will host thematic exhibitions while the remaining two are devoted to special exhibitions.

Among them is the largest Gallery 2 From Dawn to Dusk: Life in the Forbidden City, where visitors can go back in time to experience court life in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

ALSO READ: HK Palace Museum stands to tell China stories to world

Poetry in motion

One of the multimedia projects showcases the annual tea parties held by Emperor Qianlong in the Palace of Double Brilliance, where he composed poems with his officials. Visitors can listen to the poems at this exhibit.

Rulers in Qing Dynasty also appreciated art and calligraphy. For example, Emperor Qianlong was a big fan of the work of calligraphy master Wang Xizhi. Visitors can try their hand at imitating the emperor’s calligraphy through the interactive exhibits.

In this undated file photo, a visitor tries their hand at imitating Emperor Qianlong's calligraphy through the interactive exhibits in Gallery 2 "From Dawn to Dusk: Life in the Forbidden City", in the Hong Kong Palace Museum. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

At the end of Gallery 2, visitors can watch a projection of Emperor Qianlong’s poem Dream on the ceiling, which he wrote after the death of his wife, Empress Xiaoxian Chun.

Devastated by his loss, the emperor composed more than 100 poems dedicated to her and Dream is one of them.

ALSO READ: Hong Kong Palace Museum special stamps up for grabs

Inspired by the poem, Jeffrey Shaw, chair professor of Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University, and artist Sarah Kenderdine created the multimedia installation Dreamscape.

Jeffrey Shaw, chair professor of Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University, and artist Sarah Kenderdine present Emperor Qianlong's poem "Dream" through their multimedia exhibit in the Hong Kong Palace Museum. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

The installation features a dragon representing the emperor, a phoenix for the empress and two butterflies symbolizing the two lovers.

The artists had also filmed contemporary calligrapher Wang Dongling writing all the Chinese characters of the poem.

 “Without art tech, you would present the poem possibly just as a document. I can take these historical objects and give them a new contemporary digital art tech identity. And in the process of that appreciation, I want people also to return to viewing the original objects with new eyes, with a new understanding,” said Shaw.

This undated file photo shows Jeffrey Shaw, chair professor of Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University. He hopes art technology will help visitors view historical objects with a new understanding. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Another Shaw’s exhibit in Gallery 4 Encountering the Majestic: Portraits of Qing Emperors & Empresses gives visitors the chance to experience the ancestral ritual used to venerate ancestor portraits.

Before leaving, they can pick a costume and create their own imperial portrait.

ALSO READ: Hong Kong Palace Museum to open marking SAR's anniversary

A special storage environment of various cultural relics has been set up in the Hong Kong Palace Museum as they are very fragile and easily affected by temperature, humidity and light. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Protected pieces

The museum’s nine galleries will be presenting 914 treasures on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing, with 166 of them as grade-one national treasures.

A special storage environment for various cultural relics has been set up as they are very fragile and easily affected by temperature, humidity and light.

Hong Kong Palace Museum conservator Lyu Zhichao, who is responsible for the 2D objects, explained that the glass of the display cases prevents UV rays from damaging the objects. There is also a control system to regulate the environment inside the case.

“Different paintings have different conditions. If the humidity is too high, it may cause more mold. But if the humidity is too low, sometimes the paper may crack,” said Lyu.

This undated file photo shows Hong Kong Palace Museum conservators Jessie Liang (left) and Lyu Zhichao, who are responsible for taking care of the 3D and 2D objects respectively. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Another conservator Jessie Liang added that they can check real-time data using an app on their mobile phones.

“We have a mobile phone app which tells us the live condition inside (the showcases). We also have set up (an) alarm. If the environment changes out of range, it will alert us,” said Liang.

READ MORE: HK Palace Museum to open July 2, free admission every Wed

The museum will be open from 10 am to 6 pm every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. It will be open until 8 pm every Friday, Saturday and during public holidays.