Crowning Glory: The Beauty of Ladies’ Ornaments from Asia and Europe
Liang Yi Museum, Sheung Wan 
Why We Recommend it
The landmark exhibition explores the role women’s clothing and accessories played in the social construction of gender and identity from the late imperial era in China and Japan to the early modern period.
Description
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, Liang Yi Museum has been closed until further notice. Please refer to the official website for the latest updates.
Over 250 exhibits are featured, including objects of everyday use from traditional Chinese furniture associated with the boudoir, Japanese hair ornaments and silver pieces, to textiles from both cultures. The exhibit is a window into the traditional and modern concept of female beauty in the East, as well as its dilution and evolution upon the introduction of Western notions, morals and ideas.
With both Chinese and Japanese societies being deeply rooted in Confucian beliefs, women were limited to being subordinates and to the domestic sphere. Through the exhibited objects as mirrors of aesthetic and cultural progression, we are able to study how people interpret a specific form of culture for their own purposes and everyday self-presentation.
The exhibit opens with paintings and illustrations, including woodblock prints from the renowned series “Mirror of Historical Eras”; and moves on to the heart of the exhibition – a display of selected artefacts include wooden objects, textiles and hair ornaments, used and worn by traditional Chinese and Japanese women from the 17th to the 19th century. A selection of European vanities influenced by Chinoiserie and Japonism are also be exhibited.
Please note that admission is HKD 200 and by appointment only.
Details
When: 17 Sep 2019 - 2 May 2020 Where: Liang Yi Museum – 181-199 Hollywood Road – Sheung Wan
