HONG KONG.- The Hong Kong Palace Museum is presenting a new thematic exhibition, “A History of China in Silk: The Chris Hall Collection at the Hong Kong Palace Museum” in Gallery 6 from 1 October 2025 to 6 April 2026. Drawing on the Chris Hall Collection at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, a promised gift to the Museum, this major exhibition features over 100 spectacular Chinese textile treasures dating from the Warring States period (475–221 BCE) to the early 20th century. Placing the development of silk within the broader context of Chinese history, the exhibition celebrates China’s technological and artistic achievements as well as its interactions with the rest of the world over the past three millennia.

In December 2024, the renowned Hong Kong-based art collector, Mr Chris Hall, offered a promised gift to the HKPM: the Chris Hall Collection at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which will be formally donated to the Museum in 10 years, that is 2034. The Collection includes nearly 3,000 works, some of which have been transferred to the Museum since 2024. Internationally recognised for its breadth and depth, the Collection stands among the world’s most comprehensive and significant collections of historical Chinese textiles.

Charting the rich history of Chinese silk with stunning works

Strong yet soft, silk is woven from the fibre produced by silkworms, with a distinctive natural lustre that adds to its appeal. China, long revered as Serica (State of Silk), is not only the birthplace of silk but also remains the world’s largest producer today. Through the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road, Chinese silk was transported to Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world, serving as a vital medium for cultural exchange between the East and the West in ancient times. For more than 5,000 years, silk has composed an illustrious chapter in the history of Chinese civilisation and global cultural interaction. The exhibition “A History of China in Silk” weaves a rich and colourful tapestry of China, its society, clothing culture, and interactions with the world across the ages.

“A History of China in Silk” unfolds chronologically in five sections. The opening section spans from the late Neolithic period to the Northern and Southern dynasties (ca. 3000 BCE–589 CE) and introduces the development of silk production techniques and cultural exchanges along the Silk Roads. The second section presents the flourishing silk arts of the Sui and the Tang dynasties (581–907), highlighting the fusion of the Chinese and foreign elements in technique and decoration. The third section examines silk weaving and decorative techniques in a variety of regions from the Song to the Yuan dynasties (960–1368), including the rise and development of silk tapestry and motifs such as landscapes and animals from northern China, while also highlighting the close ties with West Asia and Europe. The fourth section explores the magnificent religious and court textiles of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The final section focuses on textile production in China’s last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644–1911), when court wardrobe management was perfected and China’s silk export trade boomed.

Highlights from this exhibition include the earliest textile among the exhibits—a piece with facing dragons and phoenixes, and geometric decorations from the Warring States period; a robe with pairs of facing lions in pearl roundels from the Tang dynasty (618–907); a coat with ox-horn dragons from the Ming dynasty; and a large group of Ming and Qing rank badges.