After the buzz of Art March, Hong Kong’s cultural calendar does not slow down. Instead, it turns towards history. As French May Arts Festival 2026 unfolds, a series of events and exhibitions — including Liang Yi Museum’s Fabergé and Cartier: Rivals, Visionaries, Mastersmiths and Hong Kong Heritage Museum’s interactive exhibition Meet Mona Lisa and Portraying the Renaissance — trace European artistic and cultural legacies through a more reflective lens.
Closer to home, Emperor Qianlong’s Hidden Treasures — a lecture by Hong Kong Palace Museum curator Nicole Chiang — explores how the Qing Chinese emperor’s collecting practices did not reflect his imperial power, but rather to gather information essential to ruling the empire. At the Hong Kong Museum of History, the newly reopened Hong Kong Story exhibition, chronicling the city’s evolution from a small fishing port into a cosmopolitan hub. Collectively, these happenings offer a compelling way to step beyond the contemporary art frenzy and into the narratives that continue to define both Hong Kong and beyond.
20th‑century urbanisation, including the introduction of trams, transformed everyday urban life in Hong Kong – Photo courtesy Hong Kong History Museum
Local histories
After nearly six years of renovation, Hong Kong Museum of History’s newly revamped permanent exhibition, Hong Kong Story, explores the city’s past from ancient times to the present, charting over 6,000 years of cultural evolution. Featuring more than 2,800 artefacts, the show unfolds across key chapters — from early connections with the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong’s role as a cultural entrepôt and vital window to China, through wartime resilience and into its rise as a global metropolis. Immersive displays and reconstructed settings, including neon-lit streetscapes, bring pivotal moments to life, highlighting the city’s enduring spirit and complex identity while tracing the deep historical ties that continue to shape Hong Kong today. Free entry. (1 April onwards at Hong Kong History Museum).
Led by history docent Leung Hau-yeung, French May’s Pokfulam and the French Connection: Béthanie and Pokfulam Farm guided tour uncovers a captivating Franco-Hong Kong heritage tale. Nestled amid lush hills on Hong Kong Island, discover Béthanie — the 1875 Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP) sanatorium with neo-Gothic charm, now part of Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts’ campus — and adjacent Pokfulam Farm, once Dairy Farm’s 1886 milking sheds supplying colonial-era Hong Kong with fresh milk. The tour reveals MEP’s history, architectural gems and the sites’ revitalisation from cowsheds to cultural landmarks. Paid registration required. (1–30 May at Béthanie and Pokfulam Farm).
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- 3D rendering of Mona Lisa – Photo courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum
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- Sheet from the Codex Atlanticus, Page 180 (Details) Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) circa 1514–1515 – Photo courtesy HK Heritage Museum
A classic touch
You might have seen Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre — a glimpse of her faint smile shining through protective glass. But what if you could encounter her even closer, in a fully immersive experience, where fine crackles and brushstrokes come into view? Presented by the Musée du Louvre and the Grand Palais Immersif, and a highlight of French May 2026, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Meet Mona Lisa & Portraying the Renaissance lands at Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Structured into two key sections — Meet Mona Lisa and Portraying the Renaissance — the exhibition pairs digital storytelling and interactive installations with various Renaissance masterpieces and rare loans from prominent French and Italian cultural institutions, including the Musée national de la Renaissance in Écouen and the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. Alongside them, four Leonardo da Vinci manuscripts, works from the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and artist Xu Lei also create a cross-cultural dialogue — echoing Renaissance aesthetics while bridging past and present. Free entry. (1 May to 27 July at Hong Kong Heritage Museum).
The Little Prince and the Pilot exhibition poster depicting legendary writer Antoine de Saint Exupéry – Photo courtesy French May Arts Fest
The French fever does not stop there. In celebration of the 80th anniversary of The Little Prince’s publication in France, discover the man behind the timeless classic — the second most translated book in the world in over 650 languages (after the Bible which is translated in over 3,000 languages). Part of French May 2026, HKU’s University Museum and Art Gallery’s The Little Prince and the Pilot traces Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s life through four thematic journeys: explorer, writer, World War II hero and creator of beloved characters. Featuring original artefacts, manuscripts and tactile installations like VR experience of aviation history, the exhibition offers an intimate look at the story — and storyteller — behind a global literary icon. Free admission. (26 June to 18 October at University Museum and Art Gallery, HKU).
Objets de vertu or small luxury items will be discussed in a talk and special object demonstration on 7 May – Photo courtesy Liang Yi Museum
Majestic treasures
Two captivating happenings centred on imperial and luxury treasures are equally worth checking out. At the Liang Yi Museum, Fabergé and Cartier: Rivals, Visionaries, Mastersmiths stages a dynamic dialogue between two giants of jewellery history. Also part of French May 2026, the show spans the opulence of the Russian imperial court to the sharp elegance of Art Deco in Paris, tracing a dynamic exchange of rivalry, influence and reinvention. A total of 105 masterpieces are spotlighted, including 63 rare loans from Palais Royal and 42 pieces from the museum’s own collection. Highlights include a 1905 Imperial Tsesarevich egg by Fabergé, alongside Cartier’s striking creations such as 1907 dashboard gauges and a delicately crafted orchid — showcasing exceptional artistry, innovation and design. Free admission; RSVP required. (Now until 1 September at Liang Yi Museum).
On 7 May from 15:00 to 16:00, art historians Mathilde Rondouin from L’École and Palais Royal Hong Kong’s Gilles Zalulyan will lead a talk offering fresh insight into the craftsmanship and cultural forces behind these legendary maisons — from rare curiosities to lifestyle treasures, with a special object demonstration. Free entry; RSVP required.
Detail from hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper, The Qianlong Emperor Viewing Paintings by Giuseppe Castiglione and Ding Guanpeng, 1746–c. 1750 – Photo courtesy The Palace Museum, Beijing
Returning to a more local context, Hong Kong Palace Museum curator Nicole Chiang presents a thought-provoking talk at the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong on Emperor Qianlong’s imperial collection. Drawing from her research and recent publication, Emperor Qianlong’s Hidden Treasure: Reconsidering the Collection of the Qing Imperial Household, she reexamines the Qing court’s collecting practices, challenging the notion that they merely projected imperial power.
Instead, Chiang reveals a more complex system of the collection shaped by many specialists, where carefully selected objects were often hidden from view and used to generate knowledge crucial to governance. The talk offers fresh insight into the intellectual and political dimensions of collecting in 18th-century China. (19 May at the Oriental Ceramics Society of Hong Kong).
On 19 May, registration begins at 18:30, followed by the lecture at 19:00 and dinner at 20:00. Business smart attire is required (no denim, sportswear or flip-flops). Paid registration required.