Corporate News

Jockey Club helps bring Roman history exhibition to Hong Kong

06/07/2016

Over 110 artefacts from museums and cultural organisations in Italy including Rome, Naples and Pompeii will be on display at the Hong Kong Museum of History from tomorrow until 29 August in a fascinating exhibition called The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum Roman Navy and Pompeii, which explores the naval dominance of the Roman Empire and its role in rescuing victims of the volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79.

Today (7 June) Club Steward Mrs Margaret Leung was joined at the opening ceremony by Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah; Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong and Macau Antonello De Riu; Managing Director of exhibition co-presenter Contemporanea Progetti Professor Eugenio Martera; Managing Director of exhibition co-presenter Expona Dr Alex Susanna; Chairman of the History Museum Advisory Panel Stanley Wong; Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Raymond Fan; and Museum Director of Hong Kong Museum of History Belinda Wong.

Mrs Leung told the guests that LCSD was a long-time partner of the Club and had been organising The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series of exhibitions since 2013. “This successful partnership, funded by a donation of over HK$78 million from our Charities Trust, is now in its fourth year,” she said.

Mr Lau thanked The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its continuous support over the years in promoting arts and culture in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is the first stop of the exhibition’s world tour, and its two-month stay here with some 110 exhibits is being funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.  Highlight exhibits include jewellery made of gold, precious metals and stones; silverware; statues; marble reliefs; artefacts recovered from shipwrecks; and stunning full body casts of Pompeii victims.

With the donation of the Trust, multimedia programmes and 3D animation displays will be available to teach visitors about the development of Roman maritime navigation, as well as the formidable force of the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. Various educational and other supporting activities are also being organised. For further details of the exhibition and related programmes, please visit: http://hk.history.museum/en_US/web/mh/exhibition/current.html.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series is a partnership between the Club’s Charities Trust and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Launched in 2012/13 with annual funding of up to HK$17 million, it supports two to three major exhibitions each year, all of which are complemented by educational programmes. A previous Series hit was the record-breaking Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs, extremely popular Studio Ghibli Layout Designs: Understanding the Secrets of Takahata and Miyazaki Animation and the three well-received exhibitions which held last year, The Rise of the Celestial Empire Consolidation and Cultural Exchange during the Han Dynasty, Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court and The Radiant Ming 1368-1644 through the Min Chiu Society Collection.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.

Club Steward Mrs Margaret Leung says LCSD is a long-time partner of the Club and has been organising The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series of exhibitions since 2013.
Club Steward Mrs Margaret Leung says LCSD is a long-time partner of the Club and has been organising The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series of exhibitions since 2013.

Club Steward Mrs Margaret Leung (3rd right) is joined at the opening ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum - Roman Navy and Pompeii by Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah (4th right); Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong and Macau Antonello De Riu (4th left); Managing Director of exhibition co-presenter Contemporanea Progetti Professor Eugenio Martera (3rd left); Managing Director of exhibition co-presenter Expona Dr Alex Susanna (2nd right); Chairman of the History Museum Advisory Panel Stanley Wong (2nd left); Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Raymond Fan (1st right); and Museum Director of Hong Kong Museum of History Belinda Wong (1st left).
Club Steward Mrs Margaret Leung (3rd right) is joined at the opening ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum - Roman Navy and Pompeii by Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah (4th right); Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong and Macau Antonello De Riu (4th left); Managing Director of exhibition co-presenter Contemporanea Progetti Professor Eugenio Martera (3rd left); Managing Director of exhibition co-presenter Expona Dr Alex Susanna (2nd right); Chairman of the History Museum Advisory Panel Stanley Wong (2nd left); Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Raymond Fan (1st right); and Museum Director of Hong Kong Museum of History Belinda Wong (1st left).

Group photo.
Group photo.

Photos 4/5: Officiating guests tour The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum - Roman Navy and Pompeii exhibition.
Photos 4/5: Officiating guests tour The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum - Roman Navy and Pompeii exhibition.


Photos 6/7/8/9: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum - Roman Navy and Pompeii exhibition.
Photos 6/7/8/9: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum - Roman Navy and Pompeii exhibition.




Other Corporate News