When the Terracotta Army came to Hong Kong
'The publisher of a local leftwing newspaper [Ta Kung Pao], Mr Fei Yi-ming, who was recently elected a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Peking, is to head an eight-member committee to supervise the work on next month's exhibition in Hongkong of
archaeological finds from China ,' reported the South China Morning Post on March 25, 1978. 'In all, 99 items unearthed in 14 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China since 1949 will be on display, according to a press release.'
The South China Morning Post reports on the coming exhibition on March 25, 1978. Photo: SCMP Archives
On April 18, the Post detailed 'some of the wonders of ancient China […] put on show in Hongkong yesterday and among those who went along to see them were the Governor,
Sir Murray MacLehose , and Lady MacLehose. They were attending the preview of the exhibition […] held at the Chinese Export Commodities Exhibition Hall in Star House'.
Governor Sir Murray MacLehose (third from right), Lady MacLehose (fourth from right) and Wang Yeh-chiu (second from right), director of China's Cultural Relics Administrative Bureau, looking at the famed jade suit during the Star House exhibition in 1978. Photo: SCMP Archives
'About a quarter of the exhibits have never been shown outside China before. They include several bronze artefacts of the Shang dynasty and pottery warriors of the
Chin [Qin] dynasty . During the
Shang dynasty (13th century BC), tremendous advancement was made in bronze casting and this is well illustrated by the bronze wine vessels on show.
Advertisement
Three life-size terracotta warriors of the Chin (Qin) dynasty displayed at the Exhibition of Chinese Archaeological Finds held at Star House in 1978. Photo: SCMP Archives
On June 6, the Post reported that 'the 48-day of exhibition of Chinese archaeological finds ended yesterday with record-breaking crowds. A spokesman for the exhibition's organisers said more than 11,800 people viewed the cultural relics yesterday, the highest number for a single day.
'More than 258,000 people have seen the exhibition since it opened on April 18, the spokesman said.
'The entire exhibit will be taken back to China and items will be returned to the many provincial museums from where they came.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
6 days ago
- HKFP
Taiwan President Lai, US State Secretary Rubio vow to ‘never forget' Tiananmen victims
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Wednesday to preserve the memory of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown 36 years ago, echoing rhetoric by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Chinese troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms. The exact toll is unknown but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000 people. China's communist rulers have since sought to erase any public mention of the crackdown. 'Authoritarian governments often choose to be silent and forget history; democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideal of human rights and their dreams,' Lai said in a post on Facebook ahead of an annual vigil in Taipei's Liberty Square. 'We remember the sacrifice of our predecessors, and we know the value of freedom, and we cannot ignore the erosion of global democracy and the rule of law by authoritarian expansion.' China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to seize the democratic island by force. In a rare return to human rights rhetoric, Rubio said Tuesday the 'world will never forget' what happened on June 4 even as Beijing 'actively tries to censor the facts'. 'Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,' Rubio said in a statement. Despite a long Senate career as an outspoken advocate for human rights, Rubio has been more selective as Donald Trump's top diplomat, focusing his rights criticism on US adversaries including China and Cuba. Rubio's predecessors issued statements each year to mark the anniversary of the bloody crackdown. But Rubio's statement had subtle differences — his Democratic predecessor Antony Blinken last year urged China to accept recommendations in a UN-backed rights review and to respect freedoms enshrined in the post-World War II Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rubio did not reference the United Nations, a frequent target of criticism by the Trump administration. 'We remember the June 4 incident not only for the sake of history, but also because authoritarianism still exists,' Sky Fung of Taiwan-based rights group Hong Kong Outlanders told a news conference. 'Reaffirm our commitment' In Hong Kong, a jailed activist began a 36-hour hunger strike on Wednesday, a dogged attempt to individually commemorate the anniversary in a city that once hosted huge public remembrances. Former lawyer Chow Hang-tung used to help organise an annual vigil that drew tens of thousands to the city's Victoria Park. Hong Kong had been the only place under Chinese rule where commemoration of the crackdown was tolerated. Slogans at the candlelight vigil sometimes called for democracy in China and an end to one-party rule. But after huge and sometimes violent protests roiled the city in 2019, Beijing brought in a wide-ranging national security law that has quashed political dissent. The public memorial has effectively been banned and Chow imprisoned, facing a potential life sentence on subversion charges. On Wednesday, AFP journalists saw dozens of police patrolling the district around the park. Over the last few years, activists have been detained for 'offences in connection with seditious intention' around the anniversary. In a social media post, Chow said her hunger strike would 'commemorate this day and reaffirm our commitment'. She called the city's national security officers 'real 'criminals'' and urged authorities to apologise to her over her 'wrongful' imprisonment. 'History tells us that (the apology) will likely take a very long time –- the Tiananmen Mothers have been waiting for 36 years and still have not received an apology,' she said, referring to an activist group made up of families of victims of the crackdown. A video featuring 87-year-old Zhang Xianling, whose 19-year-old son was killed in 1989, circulated online last week. China's authorities have never addressed the group's plea for dialogue around the issue — instead, they have used all means to monitor and wiretap members of the Tiananmen Mothers, Zhang said. 'The lights in Victoria Park may have been blown out by the gales, but the sparks of justice will glow in the hearts of every conscientious person,' she added.
South China Morning Post
31-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
When 6 people were killed at a Hong Kong bus stop in the 1960s
'A young European mother of four, and five schoolchildren were killed yesterday when a ten-foot high concrete wall collapsed on a bus queue during heavy rain in Boundary Street. Sixteen people were injured,' reported the South China Morning Post on June 9, 1966. Advertisement 'The woman, wife of a British serviceman, and the children, aged between 12 and 16, were crushed under tons of masonry as a 50-foot section of the 250-ft long wall crashed on to the pavement in front of the La Salle Primary School. Minutes after the incident, British troops stationed in the area, passersby, firemen and police rushed to the rescue. 'Wall collapse kills six,' reported the South China Morning Post on June 9, 1966. Photo: SCMP Archives 'A British Army wife who lives nearby said she arrived at the scene about five minutes after the tragedy. 'It was dreadful,' she said. 'There was rubble all over the place and people were screaming. I saw children trapped under blocks of concrete. Some of them were horribly crushed. Troops and police were trying to get them out. Some were rushed off in ambulances. I shall never forget that scene for the rest of my life.' Troops, passersby, firemen and police dig through rubble on Boundary Street after a concrete wall collapsed on a bus queue during heavy rain in 1966. Photo: SCMP Archives 'Two Scammell recovery vehicles with heavy cranes were provided by 50 Command Workshop, 28 Squadron Gurkha Transport Regiment , to clear the debris. Within about two hours the last of the injured had been taken to hospital. 'The wall collapsed at about 12.30pm. By 5pm the road had been cleared of rubble and was opened to traffic. The British Red Cross answered an emergency call for blood and rushed 117 pints to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Meanwhile, hundreds of anxious parents jammed the switchboards of newspaper offices, police stations and hospitals with inquiries about the names of the dead and injured. 'Army authorities last night refused to reveal the identity of the dead woman until her relatives in England had been notified.' Advertisement
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Of New York's many Chinatowns, 3 stand out. How immigration shaped them over the decades
Chinatowns are often portrayed as gritty underworlds riddled with prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking. Some of this is rooted in truth, but that unfair depiction is largely the result of rampant xenophobia and cultural ignorance, especially in the West. Advertisement In a series of articles , the Post explores the historical and social significance of major Chinatowns around the world and the communities that shape them. New York has such an established Chinese population that the city is home to multiple Chinatowns. The original, in Lower Manhattan, is one of the oldest and biggest Chinese enclaves in the United States. Pell Street in Lower Manhattan Chinatown in 1979. Photo: Keystone/The neighbourhood's population was estimated to be more than 100,000 at its peak in the second half of the 20th century, mostly immigrants from mainland China's Guangdong and Fujian provinces and from Hong Kong. Advertisement In recent years, however, the neighbourhood's population has dwindled to less than 60,000, according to a report published by New York's Department of Small Business Services.
