EILEEN CHANG AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: HISTORIC IMAGES AND DOCUMENTS FROM THE ARCHIVES

The exhibition is now extended to 28 February 2021.

On the occasion of the centennial celebration of Eileen Chang’s (1920 –⁠1995) birth this year, the University Museum and Art Gallery, Faculty of Arts and Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) are pleased to present Eileen Chang at the University of Hong Kong: Historic Images and Documents from the Archives from November 18, 2020 to February 28, 2021.

 

Eileen Chang was a major twentieth-century writer and one of the most celebrated former students in the history of HKU Faculty of Arts. She arrived at the university in August 1939 and left without completing her degree in May 1942 during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, after classes were interrupted by the war. Chang began her career as a writer in 1942 shortly after she returned to Shanghai. Two volumes marked Chang’s early literary success in Shanghai: a collection of short stories and novellas entitled Romances (1944) and a book of prose entitled Written on Water (1945). Her “tales of two cities”—Shanghai and Hong Kong—were some of the most endearing narratives in her early literary output, contrasting two urban environments as mirrors and shadows of one another. Showcasing a selection of images and documents from the HKU Archives, this physical exhibition pieces together a narrative that highlights the beginning of an extraordinary literary career. Co-curator of the exhibition, Professor Nicole Huang, Chairperson of the Department of Comparative Literature in the Faculty of Arts said, "As Chang's alma mater and a starting point of her literary journey, HKU and the Faculty of Arts have a responsibility to help preserve her legacy. Heartfelt thanks to the HKU Archives and other collectors, we are very pleased to be able to have this physical exhibition held at the historic Fung Ping Shan Library. Our work will continue and the legacy of Eileen Chang lives on".

 

The physical exhibition takes place at UMAG’s newly refurbished Study Gallery on the ground floor of the historic Fung Ping Shan Building, which opened in 1932 as the Fung Ping Shan Library. While the building today constitutes the old wing of UMAG, as a library it used to hold a wide array of rare and precious Chinese-language books. During the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, many HKU students, including Eileen Chang, were involved in defense and relief work. Chang was lucky enough to be placed in the Fung Ping Shan Library, where, surrounded by books, she felt like “a child in a cake shop” (The Book of Change).

 

Drawn from the HKU Archives and other public and private collections, this exhibition includes Chang’s student records, photographs and personal documents. As a complimentary counterpart to the physical exhibition, a virtual exhibition has also been launched.

 

Visit the virtual exhibition here. 

 

 

Details of the Exhibition
Period: November 18, 2020 (Wednesday) to February 28, 2021 (Sunday)
Opening Hours:
9:30 am – 6:00 pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm (Sunday)
Closed on Mondays, University and Public Holidays
Venue: Study Gallery, G/F Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam, Hong
Kong
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.umag.hku.hk/en/

 

展期現已延至2021年2月28日

適逢今年是張愛玲 (1920-1995) 百年誕辰，香港大學美術博物館、比較文學系及文學院將於2020年11月18日至2021年2月28日攜手呈獻《百年愛玲，人文港大：張愛玲百年誕辰紀念文獻展》。

 

作為20世紀的重要作家，張愛玲亦是港大文學院一位赫赫有名的校友。張愛玲於1939年8月在開學前夕到達香港，其後因戰爭被迫中斷學業，在1942年5月離開香港回到上海。回到上海後，張愛玲不久便開始了她的作家生涯，她的早期作品如《傳奇》（1944）和《流言》（1945）確立了她在文壇的知名度和成就。這場實體展覽展示了港大檔案館的原始檔案紀錄，呈現張愛玲的大學生活以及還原作家早期生活的一些片段。這次文獻展的共同策展人，港大文學院比較文學系教授、系主任黃心村說:「作為張愛玲的母校和她文學創作道路的起步點，港大及文學院有責任協力保存她的珍貴文獻。感謝港大檔案館和其他收藏家的攜手協助，讓我們能在馮平山圖書館舉辦這實體文獻展，展示張愛玲為我們留下的寶貴資產。」

 

這場實體展覽於歷史悠久的馮平山樓地下1樓，新近翻修的展覽空間「博藝軒」舉行。馮平山樓於1932年建成，原用作中文圖書館，當時大樓被命名為馮平山圖書館。時至今日，馮平山樓已成為港大美術博物館的一部份。戰爭爆發後，舊馮平山圖書館被徵用作戰時的防空站，當年張愛玲藉著上工的機會閱覽過不少圖書館的藏書，那一份快樂，「像孩子進了糕餅店」 (《易經》)。

 

是次展覽取材自港大檔案館和其他公眾及私人藏品，展品包括張愛玲的原始學生檔案紀錄、照片和相關文件。作為實體展覽的對應，港大美術博物館同時呈獻虛擬展覽。

 

按此瀏覽《百年愛玲，人文港大》虛擬展覽。

 

展覽詳情
展出日期：2020 年 11 月 18 日（星期三）至 2021 年 2 月 28 日（星期日）
開放時間：
星期二至星期六，上午 9 時 30 分至下午 6 時
星期日，下午 1 時至 6 時
逢星期一、大學及公眾假期休息
地點：香港薄扶林般咸道 90 號 港大美術博物館馮平山樓地下博藝軒
電話/ 電郵：(852) 2241 5500 (一般查詢) / museum@hku.hk
費用：免費入場
詳情請參閱：http://www.umag.hku.hk/tc/