Highlights of Past Activities

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, we hosted two special evening events at the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, featuring innovative projection technology that took audiences on a captivating journey through the museum’s history and mission. Participants enjoyed a unique audiovisual experience that made for a delightful evening.

Gentle Smoke of Tea Light Show and "The Sound of Art" Concert

2024.11.23 (Saturday)

6:30pm – 8:00pm

The lawn & façade of Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware

Gentle Smoke of Tea Light Show and galleries walk

2024.11.24 (Sunday)

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Façade & galleries of Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware

Link to video highlights recap: https://www.instagram.com/p/DC83_spPHzZ/

2024.11.23 & 11.24

Venue: Façade of Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware

About the Artist:
XRT is a Hong Kong-based collective dedicated to pushing the boundaries of technology and art fusion, creating invaluable artistic experiences. With a primary focus on extended reality and immersive technologies, the team excels in seamlessly integrating "artificial intelligence" and "machine learning". By transcending the traditional limits of artistic expression, they bring captivating and visionary artwork to life.

Artist Statement:
Tea ware is a remarkable blend of crafts, essential for tea-making and often a canvas of artistic expression. Infused with poetry, calligraphy, seals and paintings, these pieces are transformed from utilitarian tools to vessels for meditative exploration.

As we journeyed through the museum’s history and the stories within the tea ware collections, we envisioned an artwork that reflects the interplay of architecture, history and the artistic realm of tea ware. A light sculpture—a glowing manifestation that shapes meaning in a space—creates a dynamic platform for interaction between the architectural landscape and tea-making tools, intertwining history with artistic expression.

Fun of Collecting (Cantonese)

To complement ‘The Art of Living: Stationery and Tea Accessories of the Chinese Literati’ exhibition, we have invited Dr. Liang Jiyong to share his personal collecting experience and the refined taste of ancient literati. Dr. Liang is an accomplished scholar of calligraphy and painting, guqin and philologian. In recent years, he has been focusing on the relationship between the everyday life and interior decorative items of ancient literati. Based on his collecting experience and understanding of the spirit of the literati, he analysed their elegant life and aesthetics, especially on how to enjoy life as the ancient literati did.

Speaker: Dr. Liang Jiyong (Museum Expert Adviser)

2024.2.24 (Saturday) 3:00pm – 4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu8BKzf__RU

Flavours of Life (Cantonese)

We have invited Mr. Yeung Chun-tong to explain and analyse the literati’s art of living, as displayed in the exhibition. Mr. Yeung has worked in the museum industry since 1974. He has curated numerous exhibitions and hosted many cultural lectures. Following a “vintage” theme, Mr. Yeung discussed the ancient meaning of stationery and accessories to the literati of the Ming and Qing dynasties and learned about the sentiments and tastes of the literati of the time.

Speaker: Mr. Yeung Chun-tong (Museum Expert Adviser)

2024.4.27 (Saturday) 3:00pm – 4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVX4EaUoL-4

(Cantonese)

Supported by the Lo Kwee Seong Foundation since 2018, Lo Kwee Seong Tea Learning Center is a tea culture promotion scheme aimed at guiding Hong Kong secondary school students to learn about Chinese tea culture. Through this scheme, students are expected to develop good personality traits such as concentration, courtesy and amiability through such learning. The Center achieved its target of serving 53 local secondary schools in 2022. The invaluable experience gained over the past three years had been shared at this event. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the six major tea categories and enjoy the different interpretations of the aromatic tea, alongside tea masters and fellow students.

2023.6.10 (Saturday) 2:30 - 5:30pm

Link to activity snapshots online : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ1TTvKoM5E

Traditional Chinese Tea Processing Techniques (Cantonese)

On 29 November 2022, “Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China” was officially inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the general session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). What are the traditional tea processing techniques in China? Why have they become a shared heritage of human civilisation? Professional Tea Taster shared with you at this lecture.

2023.4.15 (Saturday) 3:00 – 4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ZrvN7PTC4

Getting to Know about Chinese Tea Culture (Cantonese)

Through the processing, brewing and appreciation of tea, Chinese have nurtured a peaceful and inclusive mind since ancient times. Tea has lifted the spiritual and ethical cultivation of Chinese people. Being humble and courteous, a love for peace and respect for others - the cultural spirit of the nation – are also epitomized in practices associated with tea culture. Professor Lau Chi-pang, Associate Vice-President of Lingnan University, was invited to share the lively history of Chinese tea culture with you.

2023.5.20 (Saturday) 3:00 – 4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9RIicdpsQ

Tea Therapy for Mind and Body (Cantonese)

Tea drinking can be healthy, relieve anxiety and clear our mind. The healing effect of tea combines our daily life, culture, art and science. How to drink tea correctly? What is tea therapy for mind and body? Tea therapy expert shared with you how to choose a cup of tea for yourself, so as to achieve the healing effect of body and mind.

Speaker: Ms. Chan Siu Mei May (HK Tea Therapist, Tea Appraiser & Tea Consultant)

2023.1.14 (Saturday) 3:00 – 4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://youtu.be/VEIdBF7qQQ0

Getting to Know about Data Tea Therapy (Cantonese)

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the concept of traditional Chinese medicine and wellness has become more common, and this trend has also become popular among the younger generation. With the development of technology and clinical data, the effectiveness and accuracy of tea therapy would become a trend, and Chinese medicine pharmacist told you the story.

Speaker: Mr. So Wai Ming (Associate Member, HK Chinese Medicine Pharmacists Association)

2023.2.18 (Saturday) 3:00 – 4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://youtu.be/2A98IdCPHnI

(Cantonese)

Isn't it a pity if your beloved tea ware has been broken into pieces by accident? The practice of Kintsugi could help you save the broken tea ware with a touch of splendour. In this programme, Ms Anna Leung, the Champion of Open Category of the ‘2021 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters' Competition shared and demonstrated how Kintsugi can turn a broken tea ware into a unique work of art.

2022.10.22 (Saturday) 3:00-4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://youtu.be/NjGkU8RK9Ms

 

(Cantonese)

Ms Anna Leung, the Champion of Open Category of the ‘2021 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters' Competition, expressed her hope for living through her work titled ‘Social Distancing'. In this workshop, the idea of her work has been extended to encourage children to experience that clay could not only be used to fabricate utensils, but could also be used to make wishes and hopes similar to drawing on paper. Parents were welcome to accompany their children to participate and enjoyed the fun of chasing their dreams with clay. The creative works of children were selected and hung on the wishing tree displayed at the museum.

2022.8.13 ∣ 8.20 (Saturday) 2:00-4:00pm

Link to activity snapshots online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HdGmRgypVg

(Cantonese)

"2021 Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters" is an iconic event in ceramic art circle organized by the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware. We have received the highest ever recorded number of entries compared to previous competitions. 13 winners and 96 sets of artworks were selected by a panel of distinguished judges. Do you want to know the adjudication process behind the scene? What characteristics should the entries possess in order to win? Join this event and hear them from the judges and award-winning artists.

2022.6.7 (Tue) 3:00–4:00pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://youtu.be/SulApsyAwYA  

"1847 or 2021?" Travelling in Time Series
The Flagstaff House was the former residence of Commander of the British Forces. In 1846, the first owner Major General D'Aguilar moved in. As time passed, the Flagstaff House was converted into the Museum of Tea Ware in 1984. The New Wing, K.S. Lo Gallery, was built in 1995. In this programme, visitors re-visited the historical scenes and met "Major General D'Aguilar" and the young potter. Visitors could explore more about the history and architecture of the museum as well as some interesting stories of Dr. K.S. Lo's collection together.

Tranquillity in Admiralty – Soul Stretching
In one of the oldest existing Western buildings in Hong Kong – the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, visitors could quietly tour around the building and use their five senses to search for the traces of history. They could also refresh their body and mind through meditation and soul stretching led by facilitator.

Music Tea Gathering – A Cappella & Literature Recitals
A cappella music features vocal performance by a group of people without any musical instruments, presenting different voices in harmony which is like tea tasting, full of rich flavours. In this programme, audiences could enjoy a cappella performances as well as literature recitals with poems about tea culture.

"Qianlong & Tea" Travelling in Time Special Series
Emperor Qianlong enjoyed tea during his six tours to Jiangnan and wrote down a lot of poems related to tea. In this special dramatic guided tour, "Qianlong" travelled in time to arrive at the Museum of Tea Ware of the modern days. Not only did he surprise the visitors by sharing his tea-brewing stories and introducing the tea ware of Qing dynasty, he himself would also be surprised to have a fond encounter with the young tea master Ah-fa.

(Sponsored by Lo Kwee Seong Foundation)

Link to video clip of feedback from participants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ordUgs2fpIM

   

Chinese tea culture is well-established and was promoted in the ancient time by the scholars. Tea gathering became their daily leisure activity. Because of the close relationship between tea and the literary circle in the ancient time, many poems and paintings related to tea tasting are inspired by the Chinese tea culture. In this lecture series, specialists were invited to introduce the lifestyle of traditional Chinese literati, and share their views and insights in Chinese tea culture.

1^st session: The Way of Tea Drinking in Tang and Song Dynasties
Speaker: Professor Cheng Pei Kai (Putonghua)
2021.7.31 (Sat) 3:00–4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyfLgNmKMkc

2^nd session: Discovering Pu'er
Speaker: Dr. Tong Kin Woon (Cantonese)
2021.8.28 (Sat) 3:00–4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtFSWSdu3pE

3^rd session: Artistry of Yixing Pottery
Speaker: Mr. Ip Wing Chi (Cantonese)
2021.9.25 (Sat) 3:00–4:30pm

Link to video recording of the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywEITCRwkik

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Activities