Museums and Campus Ecology

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Comprehensive Information Database · 05 Campus Module

The CUHK campus is both a seat of teaching and research and a hillside city "dotted with museums and ecology." This article records the principal exhibition venues on campus — the Art Museum, the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change, the University History Gallery — and the ecological fabric of a campus stretching from mountain to sea, with the Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium at its core. Facts first, traced to local sources. The individual buildings housing these venues are covered in 〈Campus Buildings and Landmarks Directory〉; this article concentrates on collections and functions.

# 1. The Art Museum: The Core Exhibition Venue of the Institute of Chinese Studies

The Art Museum is CUHK's most significant exhibition venue, dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and display of Chinese cultural artefacts.

• Establishment and affiliation: According to Wikipedia, the Art Museum was founded in 1971 and is affiliated with the Institute of Chinese Studies^※, and is one of Hong Kong's public museums (per Wikipedia: Art Museum).
• Location: According to Wikipedia, the Art Museum is located inside the Institute of Chinese Studies on CUHK's University Mall^※ (the University Mall area) (per Wikipedia: Art Museum).
• Collection: According to Wikipedia, the collection spans categories including archaeological finds, calligraphy and painting, ceramics, jades, lacquerware, and seals^※. Notable holdings include Song dynasty rubbings of steles, works by celebrated calligraphers and painters from the Song to Qing dynasties, Yixing zisha stoneware, ancient seals, and the Sheng Xuanhuai archive (per Wikipedia: Art Museum).
• Development: According to Wikipedia, the Art Museum set up restoration, mounting, photography, and carpentry workshops in 1977, and established the Friends of the Art Museum in 1981^※ (per Wikipedia: Art Museum).

# 1.1 The New Wing (2025)

According to Wikipedia, the Art Museum's new wing opened on 21 March 2025^※, housing the Lo Kwee-seong Gallery and the Lee Ho-woo & Lo Yin-kwan Gallery. The wing was designed by architect Rocco Yim and features a cantilevered structure with fair-faced concrete exterior walls. The opening exhibition, 'Transient Echoes — Art and Culture of Late Ming Jiangnan', was co-organised with the Shanghai Museum (per Wikipedia: Art Museum).

# 2. Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change

According to Wikipedia, the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change is located on the 8th floor of Yasumoto International Academic Park and opened on 16 December 2013^※. It is the world's first museum dedicated to climate change (per Wikipedia: Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change).

• Origin and funding: According to Wikipedia, the museum was established under CUHK's 'Jockey Club Initiative Gaia', funded by a grant from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust^※ (per Wikipedia: Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change).
• Collection: According to Wikipedia, the museum houses exhibits collected from around the world by explorer Rebecca Lee^※. Its permanent exhibition introduces polar climates and environmental technologies (per Wikipedia: Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change).

The museum is also a physical showcase of CUHK's sustainability efforts; for relevant context see 〈Campus Buildings, Landmarks, and Sustainability〉.

# 3. University History Gallery

According to CUHK Library records, the CUHK History Gallery was originally established as the 'University Gallery' for CUHK's Golden Jubilee in 2013 and renamed 'CUHK History Gallery' in 2022^※. It is located on the ground floor of the University Library and presents the history of CUHK through hundreds of precious photographs, artefacts, and multimedia resources (per CUHK Library: University Gallery). Additionally, individual colleges maintain their own history galleries or exhibition corners (such as the New Asia College History Gallery and the Shum Choi-sang United College History Museum); see the respective college entries for details.

# 4. Campus Ecology: A Landscape Between Mountains and Sea

Perched between mountains and sea and with extensive vegetation cover, CUHK constitutes an ecological environment quite distinct from the flat urban areas below. According to the CUHK English website, much of the campus is covered in greenery, and the grounds feature pavilions, a medicinal herb garden, sculptures, award-winning architecture, and natural scenery^※ (per CUHK English: Campus).

# 4.1 Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium

The core institution for campus ecological research is the Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium.

• Affiliation and naming: According to CUHK records, the herbarium is affiliated with the School of Life Sciences and is named after the botanist Professor Shiu-Ying Hu^※ (per CUHK CPR: Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium).
• Holdings: According to CUHK records, the herbarium houses approximately 38,000 plant specimens, most of which were collected and organised by Professor Hu herself^※ (per CUHK CPR: Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium).
• Digitisation: According to CUHK records, the herbarium is driving the digitisation and computerisation of its existing collection to establish a database searchable via the internet^※, and maintains plant-focused websites such as hkflora.com (per CUHK CPR: Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium).

# 4.2 Waterscapes and Ecological Spots

• Lake Ad Excellentiam: Located on the lower tier of Chung Chi College, Lake Ad Excellentiam is the campus's most notable waterscape (for its naming and the two bridges, see 〈Campus Buildings, Landmarks, and Sustainability〉). It also serves as one of the habitats for campus waterfowl and aquatic plants.
• Tolo Harbour Waterfront: The lower campus faces directly onto Tolo Harbour, providing a vantage point for sea views and coastal ecology.