Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) held its sixth talk in the “Talk of the Metropolis” series today (22 September). Dr Louis Ng Chi-wa, Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, was invited as a speaker to share his experience in planning the Hong Kong Palace Museum on the topic “New Light on the Forbidden City: A Hong Kong Perspective”. The talk was well attended by over 500 participants in person and online.

Dr Ng elaborated on the process of planning and completing the stunning Hong Kong Palace Museum, the concept behind its architectural design, the planning vision, the management of the collections, and the difficulties and challenges along the way. He said he believed that the mission of a museum is not only to preserve and display history, but also to enrich it. Given the technological advances available, Dr Ng advocated the adoption of new technologies and new paradigms for the interpretation of the priceless treasures of the Museum to create a modern Palace Museum with a Hong Kong perspective and to arouse public interest.

Dr Ng is a seasoned museum professional and historian, with over 33 years of experience in arts administration and museum management. He was appointed the first Museum Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum in August 2019. Before that he was the Deputy Director of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR Government, where he oversaw the operations and services of the public museums, performing arts venues, visual arts centres and libraries.

HKMU Council Chairman Ir Dr Conrad Wong Tin-cheung and President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing thanked Dr Ng for his enlightening sharing. The participants enthusiastically asked questions and exchanged with Dr Ng their views on the museum during the question-and-answer session, and found the talk fruitful and inspiring.

To actively engage with the local community and to share knowledge with Hong Kong citizens, all the talks in the “Talk of the Metropolis” series will be broadcast in the University’s weekly “Knowledge for All” TV programme on TVB Pearl. To learn more about the public lecture series or review the past videos, please visit https://www.hkmu.edu.hk/pao/talk-of-the-metropolis/.