In the old days, since the medicine was not well developed, health was wealth. Healthy growth of children has become the common wish of every traditional Chinese family, and this was reflected on the traditional children’s clothing. The education team has visited the exhibition “Wearable Blessings: Traditional Chinese Children's Clothing” at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, learning the blessings embraced in different traditional children’s clothing and the countless stories behind it.

Dating from the late Qing dynasty to the Republican period, the exhibition presents more than 200 items/sets of children's clothing, from head to toe. Besides the popular symbolic motifs of health, auspiciousness and wealth, some were embroidered with pictures depicting either drama scenes or moral teaching contents. While most Chinese are familiar with the symbolic motifs, one may still be impressed by masterly sewing skill, and therefore gained a more profound feeling upon the sentiments bestowed on the clothing. In the past, most children’s clothing were sown by family members. Before the children were born, the family has begun to prepare different kinds of clothing and accessories. Parents’ efforts could be translated into how much care for their children, sewing love and also the cultural meanings into their clothes.

The design of traditional children’s clothing can also reflect social norms and customs. In the past, it was common for children from rural villages to wear dudou (an apron liked undergarment) but no pants. Dudou prevents children from exposing their stomach and catching a cold, but it does not wrap around their hips, saving parents from the trouble of washing and replacing pants or diapers; even for pants, some would leave a hole open at the bottom. The exhibition has also shown children’s clothing in the Hoklo (or Hokkien, a cultural-linguistic group originating in southeast China). Since many Hoklo are fishermen, fish, prawns and other marine life are common motifs on their children’s clothing. Hoklo children wear bibs with little bells attached, notifying their location on the boat to the adults in order to be safe.

Starting from November, We All Live in Forbidden City Education Programme and the Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library jointly run the Mali Mali Palace Exhibition, open up a journey starting from a seed to a palace, showing calligraphy alike Chinese architecture, giving blessings through motifs. Join us in search for extraordinary stories in the past and present.

Mali Mali Palace is comprised of exhibition, workshops and guided tours. Exploring Chinese culture through four themes, "Architecture", "The Emperor", "The Royal Family" and "Motifs", Mali Mali Palace encourages students to examine the issues regarding to personal growth, and to discover the beautiful inspirations given by the nature. The workshops and guided tours are hosted by tutors from the education team, through stories and activities we highlight the content for students, encourage self-studies, explorations and thinking, learning history and culture from different angles.

The exhibition is held at the library, from 6/11 to 30/11. After your journey of Mali Mali Palace Exhibition, you may find out more stories from the We All Live in the Forbidden City book series in the public libraries.

Supported by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation (RHFF), the “Forbidden City Children's Programme” (FCCP) has been adopted in three primary schools in Beijing. On the 4th of November, Ms. Yip Tin-pui, the project manager of RHFF, has visited 2 partner schools in Beijing, Experimental Primary School of RDFZ and Primary School of Capital Normal University, observing the workshop of “the Best Palace” and the “Cultural Wall of FCCP” respectively.

On November 2, 2015, the Design and Cultural Studies Workshop (CnC) has introduced two new books, The Forbidden City 100 and The Best Palace learning kit, at the press conference held in the Imperial Palace, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Palace Museum. Representatives from Palace Museum, Forbidden City Publishing House, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation (RHFF), CnC, and the schools participated in "The Forbidden City Children's Programme" (FCCP) had participated the press conference, accompanied by the support of media. Besides introducing the new books, the event also aimed at revealing the achievements on the culture and education promotion.

To introduce the Palace from a new angle, The Forbidden City 100 has depicted 100 pieces of imperial architectures and objects from the museum collection.  Through using light-hearted writings and illustrations, it allows readers to learn not only traditional Chinese Art but also a 600 year-old Palace in a modern way. The book is written by Mr. Chiu Kwong-chiu and his team, coordinated and edited by the Forbidden City Publishing House, proofread by the Palace Museum Ancient Department, and supported by RHFF.

The Best Palace learning kit aims to provide lively and interesting learning materials for teachers and parents to explore the cultural delights of the Forbidden City with children. Along with the launch of the Simpflied Chinese edition of We All Live in the Forbidden City book series, FCCP is founded In 2013, and The Experimental Primary School of RDFZ and the Primary School of Capital Normal University have become our education partners. Given the learning materials and trainning schemes by CnC, teachers are developing teaching practices applicable themselves. In the past two years, FCCP has received recognition and support by many from the education sector.

In the future, FCCP will continue to develop in Beijing and other regions to promote Chinese traditional culture and inspire children.

We All Live in the Forbidden City book series continues to launch English editions!

After launching In the Forbidden City and This is the Greatest place! The Forbidden City and the World of Small Animals last year, we continue working with China Institute in America, launching two new books this year: Bowls of Happiness and What Was It Like, Mr. Emperor? Life in China’s Forbidden City. They have arrived at shelves in October, sharing the delights of Chinese culture with English readers, through the motifs on bowls and the life of the royal family.

For more information of the We All Live in the Forbidden City book series, please visit the following sites:

http://www.walfc.org/

http://fc-edu.org/web/cn/1_2.php

Starting from the new semester, “The Forbidden City Children's Programme” (FCCP) has kicked off at the 3^rd school in Beijing!

Since October, 6 teachers from the Beijing Xinxian Hutong Elementary School have started "The Best Palace" curriculum, leading 20 primary 3 students to explore the Palace and its related stories, and appreciate the blessings and inspirations evolved from the nature.

Beijing Xinxian Hutong Elementary School is one of the oldest school in the neighbourhood. The site of the school was once built a life-time temple of eunuch during Ming dynasty, and it has became a school since 1729.

With the release of “The Best Palace” learning kit, the Beijing Xinxian Hutong Elementary School and the Experimental Primary School of RDFZ have already adopted the teaching materials and the training scheme.

The 1st round application of 2015-16 Mali Mali Palace has finished. Thanks very much for your support! There are still a few time slots available for new applicants, please click here to download the application form for school exhibition; you may view the latest schedule of the activity from here.

Before the exhibition arrives the schools, Mali Mali Palace is making a run at the Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library from 6/11 to 30/12. We are also hosting workshops for students and teachers in the library, travelling to the forest-like palace, meeting the royal members and the officials, and taking beautiful blessings back home. Now, we sincerely invite you to "cast a spell" and enter the Palace with us!

Please click here to download the application form for workshops at the library.

Recently, the education programme has launched a new education event called "Good Chinese Object of the Year" at secondary schools.

Based on the primary education workshop, "1001 Chinese Object", "Good Chinese Object of the Year" aims at exploring the cultural meaning and virtue hidden behind 4 traditional Chinese objects: chair, tea, bowl and chopsticks.

In October 12, the education team has conducted a talk at SKH Chan Young Secondary School sharing with the students about the value and connotation of those 4 objects via different subjects and viewpoints. Meanwhile, many students mentioned the technological products today have become their ideal objects in mind. Through games and discussions, the team, together with students, further extended the explanation of "goodness" and rediscovered the value and meaning of objects besides the functionality.

The talk itself is only a start-up. The students will hold a school event picking their "Good Chinese Object of the Year". Through the process of selection, interpretation and sharing, it’s expected to call students’ attention on traditional values and help them to build up their personal value.

The City University of Hong Kong and National Palace Museum in Taipei co-organize the exhibition to not only reveal and reinterpret the most advanced watercraft in the 19th century - Tong-an ships, but also further explain the maritime of Southern Asia including the story of the rise of the "Pirate King", Cheung Po-tsai in Hong Kong during the period. The exhibition makes use of the forward technology - holographic projection to shorten the distance between the audience and those historical figures such as Jiaqing Emperor of Qing dynasty, Li Chang-geng, Cheung Po-tsai, and let the audience experience those figures’ situations at the time. It also features interactive installations with naked-eye 3D giving participants a journey of fighting with pirates.

Held by the Singapore Mother Tongue Language Learning and Promotion Committees, the 4th Mother Tongue Languages Symposium has started from August 25, 2015. Including a series of promotion booths and workshops, this event worked as a platform for different schools and organizations to introduce their mother tongue teaching materials and methods to educators and parents. Our education team was invited by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning and Singapore Press Holdings to attend the open ceremony and hold a series of workshops. Through this opportunity, we met up with different local Art and Culture education organizations for further exchange and development in Singapore.

Our tutors conduced a parent-child storytelling workshop called "The Best Gift" in which a leading role of the story, Piggy, is seeking a birthday gift for her mother. Throughout the plot, piggy led the participating children discovering different blessed meanings hidden in the daily objects, and learning traditional Chinese culture and its moral values in a relaxed mood.

Besides the Mother Tongue Languages Symposium, we also held "The Best Gift" workshop at the Programme Zone of Library@Chinatown (National Library Board Singapore). The feedbacks from the participating parents were positive. They were pleased that does the workshop not simply deliver a relaxed learning atmosphere but also emphasize moral education to the children.

Acknowledgement: this event is partly supported by the Arts Development Fund of the Home Affairs Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Starting from January 2015, the education team collaborated with a Singapore youth magazine, Thumbs Up, publishing a Chinese culture thematic column to promote Chinese culture in the local community every month. Through the stories about a prince, the columnist led children to explore different growth issues. In August, the education team especially arranged the Little Prince to meet up with the readers in Singapore at a public workshop - "Little Prince in Treasure Hunting" held in Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Centre. The workshop helped children learning how to be a good leader and reminded them to set up and go for their own goal via an activity of designing a stamp.

Besides SPH, invited by Ai Tong School from Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan , the education team also conducted the workshop for a class of Primary 4, letting the students learn more imperial members in the past. SHHK is devoted at promoting Chinese traditional culture education for different age-groups. After the workshop, with 33 teachers from different schools of SHHK, the education team got a chance to exchange viewpoints and experiences about culture promotion, and discuss the possibility of introducing education contents to their schools.

Acknowledgement: this event is partly supported by the Arts Development Fund of the Home Affairs Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Baba House is built in 1920s, a commonly seen shop-house in Southeast Asia. After a careful restoration, the Peranakan shop-house is open in 2008 for public.

One may trace different cultural footprints from Baba House. Just like the shop-house in Hong Kong, Baba House has a narrow frontage and a deep lot, a British urban form accommodated with the tropical regions. On the façade, most Singaporean shop-house has European-styled windows, while ornamentation on the wall varies with different cultural backgrounds. As for Baba House, with little or none structural needs, a tile roof was constructed on the façade at the 1/F level, and sparrow braces were located in the joint of the beam and the column, giving a Chinese touch for its appearance. Inside the house, traditional Chinese furnishing was arranged for the deep and narrow three-storeys space, with an exception in the kitchen. In the past, when a rich merchant from the West or China married a local lady and settled in Singapore, the husband’s cultural background dominate family life and major aspect, such as architectural style and religious beliefs, while the wife’s cultural background tend to expressed in minor details, such as cooking and dressing.

The neighborhood where Baba House locates is a residential area, the shop-houses (with no shops) have developed distinctive features to protect privacy. Unlike the common shop-houses, their low walls on each side extend towards the street, forming a private space, which discontinued the colonnaded footway. It is hard to imagine pedestrians and hawkers are welcomed. At the entrance, Baba house has a pair of latticed doors, which is about three quarters of its front door. In order to facilitate air circulation and lighting while protect the family’s privacy, the front door would be wide open but the latticed doors remain closed during daytime.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has restored the house and showcased a 1920s Peranakan Chinese family life to the public. The house has kept exquisite Chinese household wares, such as ritual use dinner ware, and also western commondities like the Singer sewing machine, the His Master Voice gramophone and more alike. To preserve the feeling of 1920s, restoration was conducted in a very cautious manner, preventing Baba House to look brand new. The wood structures in good condition were either kept or reuse, minimising the use of new bought material. Its strict conservation measures reflect the expectation of the owner and NUS, preserving a heritage that lends insights into Singapore’s history, more than turning it into a tourist attraction.

Acknowledgement: this event is partly supported by the Arts Development Fund of the Home Affairs Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Education Team will visit Singapore and conduct a series of public workshops at various venues in late August again. Our tutors will share some stories and delights of Chinese culture with the local children there. Meanwhile, our audience will follow a little pig to seek “The Best Present” revealing different good wishes buried in forest; and then, they will listen to the story of “Little Prince in Treasure Hunting” joining with the little Prince in an adventure of treasure seeking. Last but not least, a series of extended learning activity will further help children unlocking their creativity and discovering their good virtues in life. Stay in touch with us for the latest events!

The following is the information of workshops in Singapore:

August 29: Mother Tongue Language Promotion (Session 1, Session 2)

August 30: Programme Zone in library@chinatown

Acknowledgement: this event is partly supported by the Arts Development Fund of the Home Affairs Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

People often just perceive Ch'an practice as Buddhist meditation which must take place at a remote temple, an unmoved sitting posture or even a slower paced lifestyle, etc. Does any of the above truly represent Ch'an practice?

The education team, together with the members from the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation and the CnC, joined a programme called "One-day Mediation" held by Dharma Drum Mountain at their activity centre in Sai Ying Pun. Meanwhile, the master of Dharma Drum Mountain and his volunteers introduced the practitioners the philosophy and method of Ch'an practice for balancing body and mind.  Apart from knowing the basic concept, the practitioners were able to experience different kinds of Ch'an practice such as Sitting Ch'an, Eating Meditation and Tea Ch'an, learning how to relax, and enhancing the power of self-knowing and self-correcting.

During the programme, the master mentioned "Ch'an" is a practice aiming at regulating and being aware of one's body and mind. When one focuses his mind on the action of breathing or moving, and reminds himself: "body at meditation hall, mind also at meditation hall", he will gradually calm down himself and leave all the burdens behind. People who live in a busy world would easily neglect their own mind. The process of Ch'an practice let the practitioners rediscover themselves as detailed as chewing habits or walking gestures. This programme provided the participants not only an opportunity to settle down and talk to their own mind but also a peaceful day to enjoy and recharge themselves both mentally and physically. 

Starting from ancient times, Chinese science and technology has kept developing and improving human's lives significantly. At the period between the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing, many foreign missionaries brought in a series of scientific instruments to China that not simply created a scientific integration between west and east but reached a record high of scientific and cultural exchanges. Organised by the Hong Kong Science Museum, "Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court" Exhibition has presented about 120 exhibits in 8 themes, including paintings, astronomy, mathematics, measurement, medicine, weapons, clocks and watches, and articles for daily use. Via the diverse collections of exhibits, audience can further comprehend how those western scientific instruments influenced the development of science in China at the time.

The education team, together with the members from the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation and the Design and Cultural Studies Workshop Limited, joined a toured guide held by Ms. Chan Shuk-man, Paulina (Curator - Exhibit), to learn about the scientific accomplishments in China and the West during the Ming and Qing dynasties.  Through Ms. Chan's explaination, our tutors realized that did the instruments not only represent a certain period of scientific knowledge of human beings but also recorded many historical and cultural incidents which are worth for further investigation. Moreover, the exhibition also provided various interactive installations that helps audience to experience the actual operation of the instruments and understand the scientific principles behind them.

Please click the following link for the details of "Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court" Exhibition.

In succession to the thematic exhibition – "Bon Bowl" and a series of education workshops held in Hong Kong Public Library (HKPL) at 2013, the education team is invited to meet with the general public again in the “Summer Reading Month” event of HKPL this year.  Aiming at leading children and parents to rediscover the caring thoughts contained in ordinary objects, our tutors will conduct a series of children workshop called “1001 Chinese Objects” at the Hong Kong Central Library on both July 25 and August 8. Please click here to learn more about the activity and its application method.

Supported by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, our Education Programme, together with Wah Yan Cultural Foundation (WYCF) and Chu Kuang Cultural Services Centre (CKCS), will donate the book series of "We All Live in The Forbidden City" to the schools at the mountainous natural region of Northern Thailand.

Volunteers of WYCF and CKCS have been striving for cultivating the children and uplifting the education standards in Northern Thailand for long time. The education team is looking forward to share the delights of the Chinese culture to the local children and teenagers, who are suffering from poverty and lack of education. Through this opportunity, the Education Programme invited Hong Kong students to participate at an event called "Book Donation to Northern Thailand – Sending Warm Wishes from Hong Kong" in which each student has to write/draw a postcard with respectful and caring thoughts towards the children in Northern Thailand. The filled postcards will be sent along with the book series. This event aims to let students in Hong Kong and Northern Thailand encourage each other.

In order to let more readers learn about the Chinese culture via the book series of ‘We All Live in Forbidden City’, the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation (RHFF), together with the Design and Cultural Studies Workshop Limited (CnC), decided to organize a series of book donation activities for different Chinese readers in different regions. Meanwhile, the CnC team invited an experienced volunteer of "Share the Warmth in Northern Thailand" Charity Project, Mr. Tsang Sing Ming (TVB communications deputy director), to share various educational issues of Chinese language schools in Northern Thailand.

There are about a hundred thousands of Chinese people living in the mountainous natural region of Northern Thailand. In fact, they were those being abandoned in Northern Thailand and Myanmar at the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Until today, in despite of facing many tough living issues and the shortage of education resources, they still insist on learning in Chinese and using traditional Chinese to study the Chinese culture.

Through the activities of book donation, the team looks forward to share cultural delights and the joy of reading with the local children and teenagers, while delivering our care and respect. 

Please click here to visit Wah Yan Cultural Foundation.

Recognized by American readers, the English edition of In the Forbidden City has won the 2015 Parents’ Choice Gold Award. The book reveals multiple layers of the palace in great detail to adults and older children, while younger children take the pleasure from looking for the tiny cat wondering through the pages.

Parent's Choice Foundation is a nonprofit organization, believing that kids learn inside and outside of the classroom. In every year, the foundation honors the best material for children from books, movies to toys, etc. For the complete book review, please visit the following website: http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=33632

If interested in knowing the book series of We All Live in Forbidden City, please visit: http://fc-edu.org/web/cn/1_2.php

Recognized by American readers, the English version of This is the Greatest Place! The Forbidden City and the World of Small Animals has won the 2015 Parents’ Choice Recommended Seal. Meanwhile, the adorable illustrations and thoughtful fold design of the book successfully makes the presentation of traditional Chinese culture be delightful and lively to the overseas readers.  

Parent's Choice Foundation is a nonprofit organization, believing that kids learn inside and outside of the classroom. In every year, the foundation honors the best material for children from books, movies to toys, etc. For the complete book review, please visit the following website: http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=33501&StepNum=1&award=aw

If interested in knowing the book series of We All Live in Forbidden City, please visit: http://fc-edu.org/web/cn/1_2.php

Through introducing 'How Are You, Forbidden City?' workshop and the book series of 'We All Live in The Forbidden City ', the education team intended to let more children and teenagers in Beijing recognize the Forbidden City.

At this time, the education team visited the International Montessori School Of Beijing and held workshops for grade 3 and 4 students.  Even the students there were in different cultural backgrounds, they all felt so interested in Chinese culture.  They were active and enthusiastic. Some of them who know more about the Forbidden City suddenly became 'little mentors' and told stories to the others. After the activity, the team and the school members also took the chance to exchange ideas about the content and teaching format of the workshop each other.

On the other side, the tutors also held 2 public workshops at Page One Bookstore (China World Mall Branch) and One Way Street Bookstore (Aegean Branch) respectively. Meanwhile, a few students from the Experimental Primary School of RDFZ took up the role of presenters, together with other tutors, conducted a workshop at Page One Bookstore. Indeed, these 'little presenters' have already spent a lot of time on preparation. They kept practicing themselves besides running rehearsals with teachers. In the end, their outstanding performance successfully aroused the attentions from audience. This new attempt was not only providing tutors a unique teaching experience but also displaying a learning result of 'The Forbidden City Children's Programme' to the public.

China Science and Technology Museum is the major national science museum in China. Through providing various exhibits and experimental activities, it helps enhancing scientific knowledge of the general public. To cater for different age-groups, the museum is divided into two separate sessions, Children's Scientific Amusement Park and regular main exhibition hall, displaying different aspects of scientific world to audience.

During the trip, our tutors mainly focused on studying the display arrangement of contents and installations at Children's Scientific Amusement Park.  In fact, in order to gear up the spirit of discovery among children and explain the profound scientific theories in simple language, the installations and exhibits were enhanced with many interesting elements such as genuine-articles, animations, etc. Moreover some of the installations also allowed the target audience to experience via a series of sensory stimulation and interactive activities. They gave a strong impression to those children who never have the related knowledge before.

In each day, the stuff there would conduct 2 sessions of experiment leading children to learn some common scientific theories of everyday life. For example, do you know why the MTR passengers need to stand behind the yellow while waiting trains? It’s because it can prevent the passengers being drawn away from the platform by the impulse of moving train. Indeed, there are a lot of scientific theories existing in our daily lives. Once having a spirit of discovery or curiosity in mind, we will explore more in the future!

Beijing is not only the capital of China today but also the capitals of Jin dynasty, Yuen dynasty, Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. As a city, Beijing has history stretching back 3,000 years.  The education team visited the Beijing Capital Museum for 2 exhibitions  'Ancient Capital • History and Culture of Beijing' and 'Folk Customs in Old Beijing'.  Through reviewing the historical development and cultural aspects of Beijing, we understood more about the city in general. Besides learning from the display methods, we also expected to explore more cultural substances behind the exhibits.

The education team visited Shijia Hutong Museum to further explore the living style of traditional folks in Beijing.

Shijia Hutong Museum was a redevelopment project held by China government and the British Prince’s Charities Foundation (PCF). The project aimed to conserve and rebuild Shijia Hutong’s Courtyard 24 into a form of museum in order to introduce living space of Beijing Hutong to the public.

The museum displayed a series of city planning drafts from different periods of time giving audience a chance to learn more about the historical development of Hutong. Shijia Hutong’s Courtyard was originally a place that many literati and famous people, such as the writer Ling Shu-hua, were living in. Through exhibiting those famous people’s old photos and letters, the audience was able to review their stories again. In order to reappear the previous living style, the museum collected a lot of old tiles for rebuilding the courtyard; on the other side, displayed a series of 50’s and 70’s everyday objects including chairs, tables, kettles, bicycles, sewing machine, etc. in the venue.

Starting from 2014, the Primary School of Capital Normal University has become one of the education partners of 'The Forbidden City Children's Programme' (FCCP). The whole school from principal, teachers to students, are fully supporting the programme. In order to let more students reach out to the programme contents easily, the team especially designed a display, called cultural wall of FCCP, mounted on the long corridor of the school.

The director of Design and Cultural Studies workshop Mr. Chiu Kwong-chiu led the members of CnC and tutors of FCEO to visit the school and gave thanks to the vice-principal Ms. Li Xiao-hui and teachers for their supports and devotions on the programme.

The cultural wall of FCCP depicted different contents of 'the Best Palace' workshop including 'the Most Exquisite Nature', 'Growing up Good Sentiment', and 'Little Animals at the Central Pavilion'. These contents suggested different notions such as 'the relationship between palace architecture and nature', 'the greatest wish', 'the fullest devotion', 'disturbution and cooperation' and 'the duties of imperial family members and servants' respectively.  On the other side, the other 2 topics, 'Nature’s Blessing' and 'Blessings Everywhere' helped students to explore different blessing meanings hidden in traditional Chinese architecture, objects and costumes, etc.

Some teachers explained that it was the 1st time making use of such format to display teaching contents and the students did feel especially interested in. Besides displaying the content, the teachers there believed that those students who have taken the lessons of 'The Forbidden City Children's Programme' can be the tour guides for others. This arrangement could increase students' sense of achievement; on the other side, encourage students seeking more knowledge by their own. Together with the teachers of 'The Forbidden City Children's Programme', we look forward to leading more students to enjoy their studies.

At the last 2 units of 'The Forbidden City Children's Programme' in the Primary School of Capital Normal University, the teachers led a group of students to the Forbidden City for field study. The education team from Hong Kong took the chance to join in a guided tour with them.

Starting from the Meridian Gate, the students have kept searching a pair of marble pillars, called hua biao, which they have learnt from class or textbook before. On the other side, during the visit in the Imperial garden, when the students heard the legend about an old cypress being ennobled due to that it became a shading tree for the Emperor during his trip to Jiang Nan, they were highly concerned if the shading tree was with the Emperor finally. Surprisingly, those children who are in needs of care also considered if anyone would accompany the Emperor.

'What would the children still remember after the field trip to the Palace?' the team wondered. Because of that, our tutors especially designed an activity called 'Extremes of the Palace' encouraging students to recall the most impressive feeling/thing in the Palace. At the result, including hundred-year-old trees, plants with unique branches, etc., the participating students have depicted different impressions in drawing. Their teacher mentioned that they used to have the topic about old trees in art class but the students ended up finished the artworks based on reference photos. Through this event, not only did the students see the old trees in person but also deepened their understanding and feeling of tree; moreover, they felt easier to perceive the close relationship between nature and imperial architecture. By observing their artworks, we could further understand their interests and create more appropriate workshops to them in the future.

The “Mali Mali Palace” touring display aimed to share the traditional Chinese culture with the entire school students and teachers through integrating the content with various academic subjects. By the end of April 2015, this education event has been held for over 4 thousand students and teachers at 7 primary schools in Hong Kong. Besides providing workshops to students, the team has also prepared a guided tour to explain every detail of the exhibits to teachers. It’s expected that teachers would lead their students to the exhibition and carry extended learning activities according to different grades/academic subjects. For instance, the teacher Ms Lai from one of the participating schools - P.L.K. Chong Kee Ting Primary School, invited the students, who joined the event, to share their learning experiences in the morning assembly. Due to the school teachers’ high involvement in the event, this special “Palace” was finally opened up for more students to learn the traditional Chinese culture in a joyful atmosphere.

We expect that the “Mali Mali Palace” touring display will reach out to more schools sharing more fun facts to students and teachers in the future. It now remains a limited amount of time-slots for display.  If interested in joining this event, please click here to download the information sheet and application form.

For details about the “Mali Mali Palace” touring display, please click here.

Starting from March 14, The Hong Kong Museum of Art holds an exhibition called “The Wonders of Bamboo: Chinese Bamboo Carving”, displaying a fine collection with over hundred pieces of Chinese bamboo carving sculpture donated by Dr Ip Yee (1921-1984). The CnC team was grateful that the Museum of Art curator Raymond Tang conducted a guided tour especially for us, leading the team to reveal different stories behind the exhibits and to comprehend Dr Ip Yee’s thought in promoting bamboo carving as well.  

Bamboo is commonly found in China. It is not only a food source but also a unique material to produce daily utensils and fuel. In Ancient China, bamboo was used for scrolls and writing tools. In terms of cultural aspect, bamboo was a popular subject among Chinese literati and its symbolic meanings created a profound impact to the Chinese culture. For instance, one can find that bamboo was referred as one of the “Four Gentlemen” and one of “Three Friends of Winter” in Chinese literature. Since bamboo carving became an Art in the late Ming dynasty, bamboo art products were getting popular. During Qing dynasty, many fine bamboo sculptures were being produced and adored by literati, bureaucrats and rich merchants. Through Tang’s explanation, the team was able to appreciate different Chinese bamboo Art in different periods of China and get inspired to think of bamboo’s value in terms of traditional craft via learning the techniques of bamboo carving.

A series of historical photos leads you to reveal different aspects of old Hong Kong.

The special event – “HONG KONG.psd”, co-organized by Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH), the Hong Kong University Master of Arts in Chinese Historical Studies Alumni Association (MACHSAA) and Design and Cultural Studies Workshop (CnC), through revealing 10 pieces of old photos provided by Moonchu Foundation, has showcased the social outlook and lifestyles of Hong Kong in the past.

The event included exhibition, talk and voting activity. In order to encourage young people to know more about Hong Kong history and local culture, the organizers also gathered a pool of secondary school students from different schools working as tour-guides for the exhibition held at HKMH. Before the exhibition started, they especially invited the Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong University Master of Arts in Chinese Historical Studies Alumni Association, Mr Ma Koon-yiu, to give a training session on the 10 historical photos to the students enhancing their understanding of the stories behind those photos.

The education team is grateful to take part on the training session to learn the stories about those photos and the techniques of being a tour-guide. As a tour-guide, one needs to deliver accurate information, but also explore related stories connected to the daily lives of the audience. The students are both tour-guides and audience. Via this event, the organizers are expecting the students could gain a sense of belonging to the historical culture of Hong Kong.

Anyway, we all look forward to the students’ good performance at the event. 

For details about the event, please visit www.hkpsd.org.

Proposed by an American magazine, Foreword Reviews, In the Forbidden City has been nominated for Best Young Adult Nonfiction at 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards finalist.  In every year, the magazine would pick out the best books among independent publishers, university presses and self-published authors. The award activity has lasted for 17 years. The winners this year will be announced on June 26 at the American Library Association conference. 

If interested in reading the full list of nominees, please enter to the following URL:
https://indiefab.forewordreviews.com/finalists/2014/young-adult-nonfiction

If interested in learning more about the book series of We All Live in The Forbidden City, please enter to the following URL:
http://fc-edu.org/web/en/1_2.php

The latest thematic workshop – "1001 Objects" , has been sharing interesting stories about "Tea, Chair, Bowl and Chopsticks". To learn more about the Chinese objects to enrich the workshop, the education team joined a guided tour called "Classical Elegance and Traditional Craftsmanship – Chinese Furniture & Culture" at QiSiMu: Chinese Classical Rosewood Furniture.

All the furniture there was made by huanghuali rosewood. Did each single masterpiece not only present with the traditional Chinese craftsmanship but also retained and gave play to the beauty of the original patterns and color-tones of the wood. The guided tour explored the development of traditional Chinese furniture, the comparison among different kinds of furniture and, the characteristic & crafting technique of Ming style & Qing style furniture. The tour-guide encouraged our team members to try on and even disassemble some furniture there.

The furniture with different forms and shapes has different characters. Their characters become profound when there is personal contact. Take chairs for example, when you sit on a chair, you would naturally adjust your body, and hence your mentality accordingly. When your arms rested on the armrests, you could imagine yourself dressing in a dignified ancient Chinese robe, sitting upright on the furniture. The tour guide mentioned that downsizing of traditional furniture is a significant change to cater the living space today. When the furniture has reduced to a certain size its function would also be converted to be another. For example, a miniature clothes-hanger would become a display-stand of jewelry or ink-brush.

Besides the delicate wooden furniture, the tour guide did challenge our tutors with some little wooden gadgets. With a preset order and combination, different parts of the gadget could firmly lock up each other. Through reassembling the parts, one could see how magical it was.

The impact of culture is not limited to geographical boundaries.  In ancient time, the frequent exchange activities, in terms of economy, religion and politics, among countries made the Chinese culture leave the traces in different parts of the world. Today, thanks for the exchanges among different museums that grant us a glimpse of different cultures in the world.

The education team tutors, together with the other members from RHFF and CnC, visited the “Dunhuang-Untold Tales, Untold Riches” Exhibition. In fact, the study and preservation of Dunhuang cultural relics were highly being concerned these years. Though most of the exhibits were not genuine, the imitations of colored sculpture, wall-painting and caves looked very real and natural to us. Apart from learning the importance of Dunhuang in the development of religion, art and culture in the past, our tutors were impressed by the hard-work and enthusiasm the Chinese/foreign scholars have put on studying, preserving and promoting Dunhuang.

Russian territory extend across the Northern Asia and Eastern Europe. The royal members of Russia came from different countries and their diplomatic activities were actively frequent, reflected by the architecture of Tsar’s Village and the decorations in the palace. The "Treasures from Tsarskoye Selo, Residence of the Russian Monarchs" exhibition held by the Hong Kong Museum of History exhibited over 200 genuine relics not only giving us a glance at the living style of Russian monarchs but also recalling us the relationships between Russia and the other countries. 

Besides our tutors' alma maters, "Back to Alma Maters" would also visit other schools. Recently we held a session at the Christian Alliance H.C.Chan Primary School sharing the delight about learning the Chinese culture. Through telling different stories of the Palace, the Forbidden City was revealed in various perspectives, and therefore explored the relationships between the Chinese culture and different academic disciplines.

With just months to go before graduation, the P6 students will encounter more academic disciplines in the future. Different knowledge in different disciplines does gear up students to grow and find their own interests.  We expect the students, along with enthusiasm in learning, will go back to their alma maters, not only to share the learning experience of the Chinese culture and but also to give thanks to their mentors.

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Thematic workshops had been carried out entirely by tutors, from content development, teaching material design to teaching duty. In the future, in order to cater the need of students, we look forward to collaborating with local schools for developing a series of education activities/teaching content.

Along with the development of a new workshop - “1001 Chinese Objects”, the education team invited FSFTF Fong Shu Chuen Primary School for a collaboration to enhance the overall content and format of the workshop. The tutors first started developing the content and teaching material of the workshop; thereafter, the school teachers based on the developed content conducting the workshops themselves with students via their profound teaching experiences.

The principal (FSFTF Fong Shu Chuen Primary School) Tai Shun-yau said the cooperation was very meaningful, balancing between content and teaching method, it helped drawn the students’attention to Chinese culture. Given supports from the principal, the teachers, Leung Nga Kwan and Wong Wai Yee, led 5A class to complete a 4-sessions workshop during September to November 2014. Meanwhile, learning from their treasurable comments and experiences, the team finally developed and launched the new workshop - “1001 Chinese Objects”in December 2014.

To thank for the support from the school, the head of Education (CnC) Ma Kin-chung, together with the tutors, visited the principal and teachers of the school for an exchange meeting, discussing about the previous co-operation format, workshop design and education activity, etc. We look forward to having more collaborations in the future based on this solid experience.

In order to promote Chinese culture in Singapore, the education team collaborated with a Singapore youth magazine, "Thumbs Up", for publishing a column related to Chinese culture in the magazine.  The collaboration will last for a year.  From January 2015, though writings and visual images, we have started leading the young readers to the Forbidden City one time a month, visiting the prince and his family members, and going through different issues that the prince was facing during his learning period.

For details, please visit the following URL: http://www.zbcomma.sg/archives/12477

The touring exhibition - Mali Mali Palace has been officially held at school!

The themes of the activity are related to Chinese architecture, imperial family members and traditional ornaments. Through using animation, sizeable displays and interactive installations, the exhibition presents a series of stories buried in the Palace in a more 3-dimensional way to students and teachers. It makes the student hall become like a “little Palace” that allows for visiting. Along with the touring exhibition, in order to enhance students’ understanding on the subject matters, our tutors will also hold either education workshop or guided tour, at schools for different purposes.

Will we come to your school next time?