Hong Kong Palace Museum Director Louis Ng Chi-wa on Wednesday highlighted the institution's pivotal role in fostering East-West cultural exchanges through strategic international collaborations and innovative exhibitions.

Ng was briefing dozens of journalists from across the nation who are on an eight-day trip to explore developmental achievements in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

Opened in 2022, the museum is the flagship project of the West Kowloon Cultural District, displaying treasures and relics from Beijing’s Palace Museum and many other top-caliber institutions around the globe.

Ng emphasized the museum's unique position in promoting Chinese culture globally while introducing world civilizations to Hong Kong and Chinese mainland audiences.

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For instance, Ng revealed that the museum is preparing an August exhibition of the ancient Mughal Empire in India, in partnership with London's Victoria and Albert Museum, and a jewelry exhibition co-curated with New York's Metropolitan Museum next year.

Having welcomed over 3.2 million visitors since its opening, the museum has borrowed artifacts from mainland institutions and developed traveling exhibitions of its textile and goldware collections for overseas venues, said Ng.

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He added that educational outreach remains central to the museum’s mission, including school partnerships and youth-focused programs aligning with the Global Civilization Initiative, as proposed by the central government in 2023.

The veteran museum director also noted Hong Kong's distinct advantages in cultural diplomacy, including a pool of multilingual talents, understanding of global audiences, and expertise in contextualizing Chinese traditions within world civilizations.

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As Beijing’s Palace Museum marks its centenary this year, Ng stressed the importance of transmitting cultural heritage to younger generations through contemporary interpretations, citing collaborations with digital artists and crossover projects.

Contact the writers at stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com