Hong Kong Palace Museum Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Islamic Civilization Center
The HKPM hosted a special talk to introduce Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage and its cultural exchange with China.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) has announced its partnership with the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) yesterday (20 July), to foster bilateral cultural exchange, enhance mutual understanding, and facilitate strategic collaborations across exhibitions, research, and professional training and development.
The MOU was signed by Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director of the HKPM and Dr Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan at the HKPM. The signing ceremony was also attended by Betty Fung, Chief Executive Officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and Dr Farhod Maksudov, Director of the Anthropology Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. After the signing ceremony, the HKPM hosted a special public talk to foster deeper cultural exchange between Uzbekistan and China. This marks the first cultural exchange event in Hong Kong following a business delegation visit to Uzbekistan in early June 2026, which was led by John Lee, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Conceived in 2017 as part of a presidential initiative and opened to the public in March 2026, the Islamic Civilization Center is the world’s largest centre of Islamic culture and a multi-functional cultural complex that serves as an international hub for science, culture, and learning. It seamlessly integrates the richest treasures of pre-Islamic and Islamic heritage of Uzbekistan with modern digital technologies and academic research. The Center’s unique collections demonstrate the centuries-long development of Islamic civilisation in Uzbekistan through the lenses of culture, science, education and upbringing, and enlightenment.
In conjunction with the signing ceremony, the HKPM hosted a special public talk titled “Window into Uzbekistan’s Heritage──Islamic Civilization Center”. This session invited leading voices from Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage sector to explore the country’s breathtaking architectural and cultural wonders, including the monumental “Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan”, that reshapes the narrative of Islamic art and history.
H.E. Farhod Arziev, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China, delivered opening remarks at the talk, followed by remarks by Nicholas Ho, Commissioner for Belt and Road, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government, and Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director, Hong Kong Palace Museum. The distinguished panel speakers include Dr Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, Dr Farhod Maksudov, Director of the Anthropology Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Dr Rustamjon Djabborov, Scientific Secretary of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan.
This MOU marks the HKPM’s second partnership established with an Uzbek cultural institution in just one and a half month. On 4 June, the HKPM signed an MOU on cultural cooperation with the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan during a business delegation visit to Uzbekistan led by John Lee, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Both museums will co-curate exhibitions to be hosted at their respective venues in late 2028, marking the first comprehensive showcase of Uzbekistan’s magnificent culture in China. Concurrently, the HKPM plans to bring treasures from its own collection, including ancient Chinese gold and silk artefacts, to Uzbekistan, establishing a two-way cultural dialogue.
Established in 1876, the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan is one of the oldest museums in Central Asia. Housing a magnificent collection of over 300,000 artefacts, the museum stands as an invaluable treasure trove for our understanding of Central Asian civilisation and the historical cross-cultural exchanges along the Silk Routes. Masterpieces from its collection have previously been exhibited at the Musée du Louvre in France and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in Germany.
Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director of the HKPM, said, “Much like China, Uzbekistan is an ancient civilisation boasting a long history and profound cultural heritage. As the core hub of the ancient Silk Road, it served as a vital link connecting China with Eurasia, facilitating thriving trade and vibrant cultural exchanges. The Museum will collaborate closely with the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan to actively promote cultural exchange and cooperation between our institutions, fostering mutual learning between the Chinese and Uzbek civilisations. We plan to host more programmes on Islamic civilisation and cultural heritage in Hong Kong, and to present exhibitions and learning initiatives on Chinese culture in Uzbekistan. The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding marks the HKPM’s second partnership with a major cultural institution from Uzbekistan. Through these landmark partnerships, the HKPM aims to spearhead further exchanges and collaborations with museums across Central Asia, actively supporting the nation’s Belt and Road Initiative while reinforcing Hong Kong’s strategic position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.”