The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority today announced the appointment of Dr Tianlong Jiao to the position of Head Curator of the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM). Dr Jiao will be responsible for developing the museum’s strategic plans in managing its collections, exhibitions and publications. His appointment is effective 16 March 2021.
Specialising in Chinese archaeology and art history, Dr Jiao has over twenty years of curatorial experience in the United States and Hong Kong. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Peking University and his PhD from Harvard University. Prior to his current appointment, he served as the Josef de Heer Curator of Asian Art at the Denver Art Museum from 2015 to 2021, the Head and Curator of Chinese Art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from 2014 to 2015, Chief Curator of Hong Kong Maritime Museum from 2013 to 2014, the Chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Bishop Museum from 2003 to 2013. He also served as faculty or visiting professors at University of Hawaii-Manoa, Xiamen University, Chinese University of Science and Technology, and Shandong University. He has curated many international travelling exhibitions in collaboration with major museums worldwide, including the Palace Museum. He was in charge of the reinstallations of the Pacific Hall at the Bishop Museum and the Asian Art Galleries at the Denver Art Museum. He also conducted archaeological projects in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Hawaii and Honduras. He has authored/co-authored seven books and more than ninety research papers both in Chinese and in English. His book The Neolithic of Southeast China (Cambria Press 2007) was the winner of the 2007 Philip and Eugenia Cho Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Asian Studies.
Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director of the HKPM, said, ‘Dr Jiao’s extensive curatorial background and highly recognised scholarship are extremely valuable to our mission of creating a first-class museum that attracts visitors from Hong Kong and around the world as well as promoting Chinese culture globally. We are very excited to welcome Dr Jiao back to Hong Kong. Our museum will benefit immensely from Dr Jiao’s curatorial leadership and research experience as we work towards the target of opening the museum in mid-2022.’
Dr Jiao said, ‘I am truly honoured to join the energetic curatorial team at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. It is inspiring to see the HKPM is poised to become a world leader in promoting the understanding of Chinese arts and cultures. Hong Kong used to be my home, so I am very excited to be back. I look forward to working with the team to contributing to the success of this prestigious museum.’
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About Hong Kong Palace Museum
Scheduled to open in mid-2022, the Hong Kong Palace Museum is a collaborative project between the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and the Palace Museum. The capital cost of the museum is funded by a donation of HK3.5 billion from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Offering a Hong Kong perspective and a global vision, the museum aspires to become one of the world’s leading cultural institutions committed to fostering the understanding and appreciation of Chinese art and culture, while advancing dialogue among world cultures and civilisations. With a new curatorial approach, the museum will present the finest objects from the Palace Museum as well as Chinese and international works of art from other leading global institutions.
About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on forty hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and cultural events, providing twenty-three hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade
