The Chinese National Art Exhibition, held once every five years, showcases outstanding works of art from all corners of the nation by accomplished and influential artists. The 9th Chinese National Art Exhibition, initially presented in 1999, is of particular importance as it was the last one to be presented in the 20th century. The exhibition encompassed works of art in various media and genres, including traditional Chinese paintings, oil paintings, prints, watercolours and gouaches, lacquer paintings, illustrations and comics, sculptures, as well as design, a new category that included works from the fields of graphic, product, fashion and interior design.


To celebrate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum had collaborated with the Chinese Artists' Association to co-present the current show featuring over 100 selected award-winning works from the 9th Chinese National Art Exhibition. The exhibition provided a chance for visitors to understand recent social and artistic developments on the mainland, as well as a context to re-examine Hong Kong's cultural identity under 'one country two systems'. A series of educational workshops was organised, where the visitors were invited to participate in the discussion and voiced their own thoughts and feelings on the exhibition and the question of cultural identity.