2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the Palace Museum. Over the past 36,500 days since its establishment in 1925, the Palace Museum has transformed from an imperial palace into a cultural treasure trove, housing millions of precious artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its architectural design and spatial layout are imbued with the Chinese scholarly wisdom of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the Yin-Yang Five Elements, and the 24 Solar Terms. The 12 Earthly Branches – Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai – are not only used to chronicle years but also mark the 12 (two-hour) periods of a day, the 12 months of a year, and 12 Chinese compass points, reflecting the traditional Chinese understanding of space and time.
Under the theme Palace Museum 36500, this year’s project will be integrated with Arts Tech to explore the Palace Museum as the largest and best-preserved wooden quadrangle architectural complex in China. Through a series of activities including Community Workshops, Exhibitions, Children Creative Arts Tech Camp, and the development of Chinese Culture “Play + Learn” Learning Kits, we aim to introduce people from every walk of life to the concepts of Day and Night, Yin and Yang, the 12 Earthly Branches, the harmony of humanity and nature, the ancient geographical concept of Round Sky and Square Earth, and the spatial and temporal principles of quadrangle architecture.
The Palace Museum, located within Beijing’s Forbidden City, officially opened on October 10, 1925. Its extensive collection originates from the cultural heritage of the Ming and Qing dynasties’ imperial palace.
A prime example of classical Chinese architecture, the Forbidden City’s palace complex showcases the architectural features of the traditional Chinese courtyard (siheyuan). Its symmetrical layout, intricate courtyard arrangements, and meticulous spatial organization reflect Chinese culture‘s profound cultural understanding of space and time.
Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, and organised by Zuni, a series of theatre and art programmes on Chinese culture is in the making.
Through arts-tech theatre performances and activities, music and installations, community workshops and internships, the programme engages people from every walk of life to get closer to Chinese culture and explore our traditions, aesthetics and wisdom.
Zuni Icosahedron retains the final decision-making authority for all matters related to the Jockey Club Learning Chinese Culture through Arts Tech Theatre Programme.
