GALLERY | FLOOR 1
Chinese Culture Gallery
Lee Kai Hung
Inspiring empathy and building understanding.
The Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery draws from historical and contemporary links between Manchester and China and a wide range of Chinese perspectives. It offers a diverse and dynamic understanding of Chinese culture. The gallery highlights personal stories of migration, friendships and collaboration to inspire empathy and build understanding.
Visitors can explore a variety of artefacts, artworks and interactive displays that bring these stories to life. From traditional crafts to contemporary creative practice, each object offers insight into the richness of Chinese heritage and its influence today. The gallery is designed for curiosity and reflection, encouraging visitors to pause, explore and engage with the people, ideas and connections on display. Through immersive displays and personal stories, it celebrates cultural links and invites everyone to see the world through new perspectives.
AGE FRIENDLY TAI CHI, IN THE CHINESE CULTURE GALLERY.
Stories from the gallery
Here and Now
Dr Yan Wang Preston’s striking portrait series ‘Here and Now’ plays a prominent role in the Chinese Culture Gallery and explores how the British Chinese community sees itself.
Dragon Robe
Dr Fang Zong, a member of the Museum Visitor Team and Project Assistant on the Chinese Culture Gallery, tells the story of one of her favourite objects. A beautiful dragon robe on loan from Bolton Libraries and Museums.
Gallery highlights
Emperor Kangxi’s birthday scroll
Created for the Emperor Kangxi’s birthday, this magnificent 24-metre scroll depicts a bustling street in the Qing capital Beijing, where people celebrate the Kangxi emperor’s birthday. It captures all walks of life from the Qing empire in stunning detail and is on loan from The John Rylands Library, highlighting the regular collaboration with our sister venue, which is another of The University of Manchester’s cultural instititutions.
Firefighter’s uniform
A powerful symbol of collaboration between Manchester, China and the world. This firefighter's uniform was developed by Professor Henry Yi Li, from The University of Manchester’s Department of Materials, and his team in the EU’s H2020 ETexWeld project to measure heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature and humidity, as well as body motion, impulses, and blood pressure changes.
Milu deer
This beautiful animal tells a heartening story of environmental revitalisation. In the late 19th century, the last herd of Milu deer living in a Chinese imperial park died out. The species, native to the river valleys of China, had become extinct at home. Just a few Milu remained in Europe but the deer bred so successfully here that they were eventually reintroduced to China’s nature reserves.