The “Auspicious Beginning: Spring Festival Traditions in the Forbidden City” exhibition, jointly organised by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Palace Museum, co-organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Macao Foundation and supported by the Macao Daily News, will be opened at MAM at 6:30 p.m. on 16 December. The exhibition will showcase around 120 pieces (sets) of artefacts associated with the Spring Festival traditions and ceremonies of the Qing royal family from the Palace Museum’s collections, offering visitors a joyful imperial feast of Spring Festival culture. All are welcome to visit.

The Spring Festival is the most celebrated traditional festival among Chinese people, and the celebratory activities have acquired profound historical and cultural connotations from its constant evolution in both the imperial court and among commoners. To welcome the new Year of the Rabbit and promote the quintessential Chinese culture, the organisers have specially selected invaluable artefacts pertaining to Spring Festival culture from the Palace Museum’s collections to be displayed at MAM. Centring on the representative celebrations of the Qing court during the festive period, the exhibition is divided into four sections: ‘Auspicious Invocation’, ‘Filial Sacrifice and Imperial Kinship’, ‘Family, Country and the World’ and ‘Winter Recreation’. These sections vividly present the Spring Festival culture in the Forbidden City in different dimensions such as family activities, national rites, rituals and customs. The exhibition will run until 5 March next year with guided tours in Cantonese available in the afternoons on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. MAM is open from 10 am to 7 pm (no entry after 6:30 pm) daily including public holidays and is closed on Mondays. Admission is free.

To give the public a better understanding of the Spring Festival culture in the Forbidden City, a number of extended activities will be held during the exhibition period, including lectures by the Palace Museum experts, guided tours, workshops and prize games. The first lecture by the Palace Museum experts will be hosted on 14 December by Zhan mengxia, associate research fellow and head of the planning team for this exhibition from the Palace Museum, who will introduce the artefacts and the Spring Festival activities they are related to from four different aspects: blessing rituals, family bonds, political affairs, and entertainment. For more information about the exhibition and activity registration, please visit the MAM’s official website at www.MAM.gov.mo.

IC has been strictly following the anti-epidemic guidelines of the Health Bureau and will implement appropriate measures for cultural activities in a timely manner. In cooperation with the epidemic prevention efforts of the SAR Government, all participants must wear their face masks, undergo body temperature checks, present a valid “Venue QR Code” (also known as “Venue Code”) and the “Macao Health Code” of the day, and comply with the anti-epidemic and crowd control measures on-site.