Chinese symbolism and culture depicted in museum objects and artefacts

About the talk:

China has a rich cultural heritage that stretches back thousands of years, and the use of symbolism is at the heart of Chinese culture. Chinese symbolic culture is prevalent in museum objects, artefacts, and motifs like bats (blessings), deer (prosperity) and peaches (longevity) embody profound meanings beyond mere decoration.

Dr ZONG Fang, a museum professional in Chinese culture, will introduce a range of Chinese motifs featured on
museum objects and discuss their symbolic meanings, from auspicious animals and birds to noble plants and flowers. Dr Fang will also compare the symbolism between Chinese and English cultures.

About the speaker:

Dr ZONG Fang was a Biomedical Academic researcher and tutor (PhD in Medical Science from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden), and is now a Museum Professional, a freelance Consultant and Curator of Chinese Culture, and an Overseas Exhibition Coordinator of Shenzhen Art Museum.

She has been studying museum practice, Chinese culture and art from many cultural institutions and universities worldwide. She has been working at the Manchester Museum over 10 years and has published many articles and blogposts on museum collections and Chinese culture. She was part of the team which developed the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery in Manchester Museum. Due to her extraordinary contribution to the Chinese collection and exhibition, she was awarded an Exceptional Performance Award by the University of Manchester in 2024.

The talk will be held online via MS Teams and a recording of the talk will be made available on this page afterwards.