'A Passage to Jao Tsung-i — Fusion of Art and Scholarship', a wide-ranging exhibition focusing on Professor Jao Tsung-i, an internationally renowned scholar as well as an accomplished artist, will be held at the Exhibition Gallery of the Hong Kong Central Library from 14 December until 4 January 2007.

Part of a series of initiatives celebrating the 90th birthday of Professor Jao, this exhibition, jointly presented by the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole of The University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Public Libraries, takes viewers to a journey towards a greater understanding of Professor Jao, his works and achievements through his scholarly works, paintings and calligraphy, poetry, rare book collections, photographs, manuscripts and qin collections.

As a sinologist and artist of international renown, Professor Jao has devoted his lifetime to promoting Chinese culture through academic research and artistic creation. A versatile scholar, poet, calligrapher and painter, he contributed to every field of humanities, including archaeology, literature, history, philology and musicology. Even at the age of 90, he is still energetic and active in art creation and academic research.

Whether it is painting or calligraphy, Professor Jao never repeats himself. A highlight of the exhibition is the inclusion of over 200 items of Jao's paintings and calligraphy, including birds-and-flowers figures and landscapes as well as his monumental calligraphic work of the Heart Sutra. Many of them are nurtured by his profound grasp of Chinese classic tradition and a vision of international perspective.

Born to a literati family, Professor Jao started his academic studies at an early age and is well versed in a diversity of academic disciplines. Many of his scholarly works are pioneering while his poetical works demonstrate his mastery in different Chinese literary genres. Both will be showcased in the exhibition which also depicts Jao's days as lecturer and researcher in various universities and countries. Not to be missed are his collections of rare books, qin and scores on display.

A pamphlet on Professor Jao and his works on display will be available for free distribution while two tie-in talks conducted in Cantonese will also be held on 22 and 23 December in the Lecture Theatre of the Central Library.

For enquiries, please call:
2921 0285 (Hong Kong Public Libraries) 
2241 5598 (Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, The University of Hong Kong)