HKPM's "A Movable Feast": Discover the culinary culture of China

Published : 2025-03-04

Editor︰Ryu

How well do you know about the Chinese food culture? Starting from March 19, Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) will launch the special exhibition "A Movable Feast," featuring over a hundred precious artifacts, showcasing the diverse food culture and lifestyles in China. Let's take a sneak peek!

New special exhibition at HKPM in March co-hosted with the Palace Museum

From delicious food that satisfies all the senses, to table etiquette, philosophical thoughts, and more, all fully demonstrate the profound and extensive 5,000-year Chinese culinary culture. How much do you know about it?

The Hong Kong Palace Museum's special exhibition for March, "A Movable Feast: The Culture of Food and Drink in China," co-hosted with the Palace Museum, will be on display in Gallery 8 from March 19 to June 18.

This special exhibition, "A Movable Feast," co-hosted with the Palace Museum, presenting approximately 110 exquisite works. (Image Source: VCG)

The exhibition showcases over 110 precious cultural artifacts, including 8 first-grade national treasures from the Palace Museum and other extraordinary items from the British Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. It reveals the splendour of Chinese food culture from food utensils and dietary habits to the evolution of traditional customs.

Four sections linking the changes in food culture

The exhibition is divided into four sections, spanning from the Neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty, linking important elements of Chinese culinary culture and offering the audience a feast across time.

The first part, "Crossing from Life to Death," displays ceremonial and burial objects related to food from the Neolithic to the Han Dynasty.

Highlighted exhibits include bronze ritual vessels from the Western Zhou period such as the Zun for Father Ding, demonstrating the importance of transferring food and drink to the afterlife in Chinese beliefs.

Zun (wine vessel) for Father Ding, Western Zhou dynasty (about 1100-771 BCE), bronze.

Rhyton, central Asia or Tibetan Plateau, early 8th century, gilt silver.

Square ding (cauldron) with animal-mask motif, Shang dynasty (around 1600-1100 BCE), bronze.

Model of a pigsty, Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), earthenware with green glaze.

The second section, "Crossing Cultures," showcases large plates, ewers, and other vessels from the Tang and Song Dynasties, highlighting the culinary exchanges between China and Central and West Asia. Key exhibits include the Tang Dynasty Phoenix-head ewer and the stemmed cup with flowers.

Phoenix-head ewer, Tang Dynasty (618-907), earthenware with sancai (three-coloured) glaze.

Stemmed cup with flowers, Tang Dynasty (618-907), gilt silver. It is a first-grade national treasure.

Lobed cup with dragon-shaped handle, Song dynasty (960-1279), jade (nephrite). It is a first-grade national treasure.

Stemmed cup with string pattern, Tang dynasty (618-907), jade (nephrite). It is a first-grade national treasure.

The next section, "Crossing Mountains and Lakes," visitors are transported to recreational banquets of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, appreciating artifacts and playthings from the banquet scenes of that time.

Representative exhibits include the Qing Dynasty court painter Ding Guanpeng's "A Night Banquet at Peach and Plum Garden."

A Night Banquet at Peach and Plum Garden (detail), painted by court painter Ding Guanpeng, Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

Portable box with dragons amid waves, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736–1795), carved red lacquer.

Double-gourd-shaped picnic set, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), containing a bamboo basket, lacquer food containers, silver spoon, and ebony chopsticks.

Finally, at the "Crossing Time" section, cleverly combines ancient and modern scenes and objects through interactive installations, such as a multimedia dining table where one can simulate ordering a meal.

This innovative presentation offers the audience a glimpse into the historical and contemporary development of Chinese culinary culture, bringing the journey of this "A Movable Feast" to a perfect conclusion.

To complement the "A Movable Feast" theme, the Hong Kong Palace Museum will launch a series of activities, including public lectures and food box-making workshops. Please refer to official announcements for more details.