XN000022-1984-01-26 — Page 5

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1984

LADY YOUDE OPENS TEA WARE MUSEUM

***

MUSEUMS IN WHICH TEA WARES FORM A PART OF THEIR DISPLAY ARE NOT UNCOMMON IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

BUT HONG KONG IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES WHICH CAN NOW BOAST OF A MUSEUM SPECIALISING IN TEA WARE AND ITS HISTORICAL BACKGROUND,

THIS WAS STATED BY LADY YOUDE WHEN SHE OPENED THE FLAGSTAFF HOUSE MUSEUM OF TEA WARE AT VICTORIA BARRACKS, COTTON TREE DRIVE, TODAY (THURSDAY).

LADY YOUDE POINTED OUT THAT THE OPENING OF THE MUSEUM HAS +DOUBLE SIGNIFICANCE+,

+IT MARKS THE RESTORATION OF ONE OF THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS OF HONG KONG, SHE SAID.

+THE AMOUNT OF THOUGHT AND PLANNING INVOLVED IN PRESERVING THE CHARACTER OF THIS 19TH CENTURY HOUSE, AND AT THE SAME TIME CONVERTING IT INTO A MUSEUM WITH ALL NECESSARY MODERN FACILITIES, IS CONSIDERABLE. AND THE ARCHITECT AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED ARE TO BE CONGRATULATED ON A JOB WELL DONE.

+ALSO, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MUSEUM OF TEA WARE IS AN IMAGINATIVE MOVE IN PROMOTING PUBLIC INTEREST IN THIS ASPECT OF CHINESE CULTURE.+

SHE PAID TRIBUTE TO DR LO KWEE-SEONG, A FORMER URBAN COUNCILLOR, FOR HIS GENEROSITY IN DONATING TO THE URBAN COUNCIL HIS PRIVATE COLLECTION WHICH FORMS THE NUCLEUS OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.

ABOUT 500 PIECES OF TEA WARES AND RELATED ITEMS DATING FROM THE WARRING STATES PERIOD TO THE PRESENT DAY ARE ON DISPLAY.

REPRESENTATIVE PIECES INCLUDE THOSE FROM VARIOUS KILNS OF DIFFERENT PERIODS, AMONG WHICH THOSE FROM YIXING ARE MOST NOTEWORTHY.

THE MUSEUM HAS NINE GALLERIES.

TEA UTENSILS OF VARIOUS DYNASTIES ARE HOUSED IN FOUR GALLERIES AND THE WORLD FAMOUS YIXING TEA WARE IS SHOWN IN THREE GALLERIES. THE REMAINING TWO ARE USED AS ORIENTATION ROOMS WHERE VISITORS MAY OBTAIN INFORMATION ON CHINESE TEA, ITS GROWTH AND PREPARATION AND THE MANUFACTURE OF TEA WARE THROUGH THE DISPLAY CF REAL OBJECTS, PICTURES AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.

OLD PHOTOGRAPHS OF FLAGSTAFF HOUSE AND COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL LAYOUT PLANS DRAWN IN 1844 AND 1880 ARE ALSO ON SHOW.

ALSO ATTENDING THE OPENING CEREMONY WERE THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR D.C. BRAY, AND COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, MR HILTON CHEONG-LEEN.

MR BRAY