Hong Kong Impressions: Modern Tourism and the Visual Representations of the Hong Kong Landscape
Curator of the exhibition "Hong Kong Impressions" and editor of the exhibition catalogue Prof. Pedith Chan will give a talk in early November. Join us to know more about her curatorial perspective! 

Speaker: Prof. Pedith Chan (Senior Lecturer, Asian Arts and Cultures, SOAS, University of London)
Date: 9 November 2020 (Monday)
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Language: Cantonese
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Enquiry: eocartmuseum@cuhk.edu.hk

Introduction:
Cultural conventions shaped landscape preferences, perception of landscape, and what historical and cultural meanings and values were attached to landscapes. Hong Kong as a unique place in the world has been frequently painted by artists since the nineteenth century. Fuelled by the rise of tourism in the first half of the twentieth century, specific scenic attractions have been highlighted and become sources of inspirations for artists. This talk looks at the works of art created based on specific scenic attractions of Hong Kong, exploring the correlation between the travel discourse and visual arts. It examines how a specific ideology and landscape perception have been imbued in the travel discourse over time, how the travel discourse shaped artists’ perception of landscape and artistic choices, and in return, how artists’ participation in the travel discourse aestheticised the Hong Kong landscape.

Speaker's Biography:
Pedith Chan is a senior lecturer in Asian arts and cultures at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She received her PhD in Art and Archaeology from SOAS, University of London. Before joining SOAS Chan was an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests focus on the production and consumption of art and cultural heritage in modern and contemporary China. Recent publications include The Making of a Modern Art World: Institutionalisation and Legitimisation of Guohua in Republican Shanghai (Leiden: Brill, 2017), “Picturing Mount Yandang: the travel albums and landscape aesthetics of Yu Jianhua” (The Burlington Magazine, 2020) “Learning from Nature: Modern Tourism and Site-Specific Landscape Painting” (National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2020), “In Search of the Southeast: Tourism, Nationalism, Scenic Landscape in Republican China” (Twentieth-Century China, 2018). She is currently researching the making of scenic sites in modern China.