Tertiary Art Education in Hong Kong: Teaching and Research of Chinese Art History

The history of Chinese art has come through thousands of years. Archeological finds of ceramics, bronze and jade wares, paintings, calligraphy and seal carving have constructed a hallway of artworks that echoes the ancient and the present, in which one builds dialogs with one’s ancestors and gets a glimpse of the wisdom and civilization of the Chinese people. Tertiary art education in Hong Kong could be traced back to the 1950s when the teaching and research of Chinese art history flowed like a stream of spring water into the so-called “cultural desert”. Courses on Chinese art history offered in local tertiary institutions and indigenous research blossomed after the Millennium, conjointly writing the chapters of the history of art and culture. As a receiver and beneficiary of Hong Kong tertiary art education, I would like to sort through and systematically present the courses and research of Chinese art history in the last few decades in Hong Kong, and report the findings in this essay, to express personal gratitude to the pioneers who have paved the way for young dreamers, including myself, who are committed to the pursuit of art.