Arts, Culture and Heritage All Categories Arts, Culture and Heritage Education and Training Elderly Services Emergency and Poverty Relief Environmental Protection Family Services Medical and Health Rehabilitation Services Sports and Recreation Youth Development

The Club has been a long-time supporter of arts and culture in Hong Kong. One of its many initiatives is The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series, a partnership between the Club’s Charites Trust and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Launched in 2012/13 with annual Trust funding of up to HK$17 million, it supports two to three major exhibitions each year, all of which are complemented by educational programmes.

The latest event, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Mare Nostrum – Roman Navy and Pompeii is now open to the public at the Hong Kong Museum of History, showcasing over 110 artefacts from museums and cultural organisations in Italy including Rome, Naples and Pompeii. Running between 8 June and 29 August,  this fascinating exhibition explores the naval dominance of the Roman Empire and its navy’s role in rescuing victims of the volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79.

Hong Kong is the first stop of the exhibition’s world tour.  Highlight exhibits include jewellery made of gold, precious metals and stones; silverware; statues; marble reliefs; artefacts recovered from shipwrecks; and stunning full body casts of Pompeii victims.

The Trust’s donation has ensured that multimedia programmes and 3D animation displays are also available to teach visitors about the development of Roman maritime navigation, as well as the formidable force of the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. In addition, various educational and other supporting activities are being organised. For further details of the exhibition and related programmes, please visit: http://hk.history.museum/en_US/web/mh/exhibition/current.html.

Past exhibitions in The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series have been very well received by the Hong Kong public. They include the record-breaking Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs, the extremely popular Studio Ghibli Layout Designs: Understanding the Secrets of Takahata and Miyazaki Animation and the three well-received exhibitions held last year, The Rise of the Celestial Empire – Consolidation and Cultural Exchange during the Han Dynasty, Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court and The Radiant Ming 1368-1644 through the Min Chiu Society Collection.