HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) has announced an ambitious and richly layered exhibition lineup for 2026, unveiling nine new exhibitions that bring together national treasures from the Forbidden City and masterpieces from some of the world’s most renowned museums. Spanning Chinese imperial art, global jewellery, Eastern Orthodox icons, Buddhist masterpieces, contemporary digital works, and ancient Egyptian artefacts, the programme promises a year-long journey through history, culture, and creativity.

At the heart of the 2026 programme is HKPM’s ongoing dialogue between China and the world, tradition and innovation, and heritage and contemporary expression. Four major thematic exhibitions are jointly organised with the Palace Museum, while three headline special exhibitions are co-presented with international partners including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Guimet–National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris, and Russia’s State Tretyakov Gallery. Two further exhibitions spotlight Hong Kong’s creative voices and collectors, reinforcing the Museum’s role as both a global and local cultural platform.

Continuing the success of its opening exhibitions, HKPM deepens its strategic partnership with the Palace Museum in Beijing through four major thematic shows, many featuring grade-one national treasures making their first appearance in Hong Kong.

Opening in June 2026, The Forbidden City and the World: Cultural Encounters places the imperial court within a global context. Featuring over 150 objects produced in China, Asia, and Europe, the exhibition explores diplomacy, trade, science, philosophy, and craftsmanship across the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties revealing the Forbidden City as a vibrant hub of cultural exchange.

Design takes centre stage in Contemporary Design in Dialogue with Palace Display, opening in September 2026. Focusing on the Qing dynasty’s imperial workshops, the exhibition examines how court art was designed, produced, managed, and displayed. Hong Kong designers and artists collaborate on the exhibition’s curation and presentation, offering a fresh, contemporary lens on imperial aesthetics.

Court life unfolds across the seasons in Qing Court in Four Seasons: Life and Culture of the Imperial Household, opening in November 2026. Featuring nearly 200 exquisite objects, the exhibition explores how emperors aligned daily life, rituals, diplomacy, agriculture, and leisure with the rhythms of nature, offering an intimate portrait of imperial life throughout the year.

Celebrating the Year of the Horse, Heavenly Horses: Masterpieces from the Palace Museum opens in March 2026. Featuring nearly 100 horse-themed paintings from the Yuan dynasty to the 20th century, the exhibition examines imperial and literati traditions, as well as the dialogue between Chinese and Western painting styles.

Three major special exhibitions bring extraordinary world cultures to Hong Kong audiences. One of the year’s highlights, Treasures of Global Jewellery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Body Transformed, opens in April 2026. Making The Met’s debut in the Greater Bay Area, this dazzling exhibition showcases around 200 jewellery masterpieces from six continents, spanning nearly 4,000 years. From ancient adornments to contemporary creations, the exhibition explores how jewellery transforms the body and reflects identity, belief, and status across cultures.

In October 2026, Windows into Heaven: Religious Art Treasures from the State Tretyakov Gallery offers a rare opportunity to encounter Eastern Orthodox art. Featuring around 100 painted icons and gemstone-encrusted works dating back nearly a millennium, the exhibition traces the spiritual, artistic, and narrative traditions of Orthodox Christianity.

Closing the year, Cultural Exchange and Buddhist Art along the Silk Roads opens in December 2026. Jointly organised with the Guimet–National Museum of Asian Arts, the exhibition presents nearly 150 masterpieces, including sculptures, gold objects, textiles, and glassware, charting the transmission of Buddhism and the evolution of Buddhist art from Afghanistan to China, Korea, and Japan between the 1st and 10th centuries.

HKPM continues to champion Hong Kong creativity through two distinctive exhibitions. Myth into Art: Fantastic Animals in the Digital Realm, opening in May 2026, features multimedia installations by Hong Kong artists inspired by mythical creatures from Chinese architecture and folklore. Using innovative technologies, the exhibition explores cultural heritage through the lens of contemporary society, nature, and the digital world.

Meanwhile, Joyful Encounters: The Art of Wong Kwan Shut marks Hong Kong’s first major survey of the renowned calligrapher, painter, and collector. Drawing from a significant donation of over 60 works to the HKPM, the exhibition highlights Wong’s artistic journey and the close relationship between collecting and creation.

The blockbuster exhibition Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums remains on view until 31 August 2026, following a hugely popular opening that has already attracted more than 75,000 visitors. Featuring 250 extraordinary objects from seven major Egyptian museums—including recent archaeological finds from Saqqara—the exhibition will continue to anchor city-wide learning programmes and cultural events throughout 2026.

Reflecting on the year ahead, Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, said “The 2026 lineup showcases the HKPM’s commitment to deepening public appreciation of Chinese art and culture and its dialogue with world civilisations. By strengthening partnerships with leading international cultural institutions, connecting the traditional with the contemporary, and exploring the Palace Museum’s rich collection in new light, we will continue organising exhibitions that inspire curiosity, spark cross-cultural dialogue, and cultivate an appreciation of cultural heritage in a fast-changing world.”

With imperial treasures, global masterpieces, and cutting-edge digital art all under one roof, the Hong Kong Palace Museum’s 2026 exhibition programme firmly establishes Hong Kong as one of Asia’s most dynamic cultural destinations.

The Hong Kong Palace Museum’s New Exhibitions in 2026:

Exhibition	Opening date
“Heavenly Horses: Masterpieces from the Palace Museum” (working title)	20 March 2026
“Treasures of Global Jewellery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Body Transformed” (working title)	15 April 2026
“Myth into Art: Fantastic Animals in the Digital Realm” (working title)	13 May 2026
“The Forbidden City and the World: Cultural Encounters” (working title)	3 June 2026
“Joyful Encounters: The Art of Wong Kwan Shut” (working title)	24 June 2026
“Contemporary Design in Dialogue with Palace Display” (working title)	30 September 2026
“Windows into Heaven: Religious Art Treasures from the State Tretyakov Gallery” (working title)	21 October 2026
“Qing Court in Four Seasons: Life and Culture of the Imperial Household” (working title)	4 November 2026
“Cultural Exchange and Buddhist Art along the Silk Roads” (working title)	9 December 2026

Please visit the Museum’s website for more details.