HKMU launches the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature & the "Beyond Distance: Half a Lifelong Friendship of Eileen Chang, Stephen Soong, and Mae Fong Soong" Exhibition

— A new chapter in literary heritage with free public guided tours by appointment

HONG KONG, Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, 20 November, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) launched the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature ("the Museum"), located in its campus library, and presented the inaugural exhibition "Beyond Distance: Half a Lifelong Friendship of Eileen Chang, Stephen Soong, and Mae Fong Soong". The exhibition features more than 120 precious manuscripts and relics from renowned Chinese writer Eileen Chang and her close friends, Stephen Soong and Mae Fong Soong. The museum is now open to the public, offering free guided tours by appointment. This marks a significant milestone for HKMU in the research and preservation of modern Chinese literature and demonstrates the University's steadfast commitment to safeguarding Chinese cultural heritage.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Dr Roland Soong and his elder sister Mrs Elaine Soong Kingman, administrators of Eileen Chang's estate, Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing, HKMU President, and Prof. Charles Kwong Che-leung, Vice President (Administration and Corporate Development) and Convenor of the Exhibition Taskforce. Over 200 guests from the academic, literary, publishing, higher education, and hospitality and tourism sectors, including Ms Ann Hui On-wah, a renowned film director and an HKMU Honorary Doctor of Letters, attended the ceremony to witness this significant milestone.

Spanning approximately 1,900 square feet, the Museum is located in the Stanley Ho Library on HKMU's main campus. Its inaugural exhibition "Beyond Distance: Half a Lifelong Friendship of Eileen Chang, Stephen Soong, and Mae Fong Soong" features correspondence, original manuscripts and relics from Eileen Chang and the Soong couple. The exhibition aims to deepen public understanding of the three individuals' contributions to modern Chinese literature and offer new perspectives for research related to Eileen Chang.

Addressing the ceremony, Mr Cheuk said, "The Museum of Modern Chinese Literature and the thematic exhibition launched today have fully demonstrated Hong Kong Metropolitan University's belief and persistence in fostering a learning atmosphere, enhancing knowledge levels, and strengthening academic research. I hope that the museum will lay a solid foundation for the university to further develop its expertise in arts, culture, and creative industries, and make greater contributions to building Hong Kong into an international East-meets-West arts and cultural exchange centre. This donation to the university is the largest batch of exhibits about Eileen Chang in the Chinese-speaking world, bringing to Hong Kong valuable literary assets that will enable the public to delve into Eileen Chang's creative process, personal life and thoughts and further understand her contributions to Chinese literature."

Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing reiterated the University's gratitude to the Soong family for their generous donation. He stated that the University regards the preservation of literary heritage as one of its fundamental missions and continues to deepen appreciation of Chinese culture through various activities and engagement with different sectors. He emphasised that the invaluable donation laid the foundation for the Museum's establishment. "By leveraging advanced digital technology and creativity, the HKMU team of staff and students has recreated scenes of encounter and friendship between Eileen Chang and the Soong couple, as well as key moments in literary history," he said. "They have also produced animated short films that bring excerpts from Eileen Chang's novels to life. By seamlessly integrating traditional literature with modern interactive art, they have skilfully bridged the gap between time and space."

Prof. Lam stressed that in keeping with the donor's spirit of selfless sharing and commitment to public engagement, HKMU will offer free guided tours of the Museum to both local residents and visitors to Hong Kong. This initiative aligns with the Government's "Tourism is Everywhere" campaign. Dedicated to preserving and sharing Chinese cultural heritage, the University aims for the Museum to become a "must-visit destination", a popular photo spot in the city, a hub for enthusiasts to explore Chinese literature, and a magnet for creative minds from around the globe.

Dr Soong, an administrator of Eileen Chang's estate, expressed his and his sister's deep appreciation for seeing the valuables of their parents and Eileen Chang being carefully curated and made accessible to the public, enhanced by the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. He thanked the HKMU team for their professional efforts in transforming the private collection into a public treasure. "We are thankful for having entrusted these treasures to a trustworthy guardian, and we hope the Museum will welcome more visitors in the future and become an important resource for nurturing literary appreciation, as well as a cultural tourism hotspot and a spiritual oasis," he said.

The exhibition has recreated the Soong family's living room, where cultural luminaries often gathered for exchanges and elegant gatherings, and where Eileen Chang and the Soong couple engaged in conversations about literature. Employing advanced 3D scanning technology, the HKMU team produced a 360-degree panoramic image of the living room in its original state, and the collected imagery was transformed into a realistic 3D digital twin model, which was then incorporated with actual furniture donated by Dr Soong. The exhibition is thus a recreation blending virtual and physical elements.

By integrating traditional literature with contemporary interactive art, the exhibition showcases HKMU's bold innovation as a university of applied sciences, transforming ideas into reality. It also highlights the potential of technology in preserving and revitalising cultural heritage.

Earlier this year, HKMU received a generous donation of approximately 17,000 manuscripts and relics from Dr Roland Soong and Mrs Elaine Soong Kingman, representing the largest collection of Eileen Chang and the Soong family materials in the Chinese-speaking world.

To preserve these valuable documents and support relevant research, HKMU's School of Arts and Social Sciences and the University Library have employed digital humanities research methods to establish an archival database and digital image repository. The "Eileen Chang Special Collection" and the "Stephen Soong and Mae Fong Soong Special Collection" are now available, with selected documents accessible via the HKMU Library's "Modern Chinese Literature Collection" platform (https://repository.lib.hkmu.edu.hk/mcl/). Plans are underway to gradually expand the digital collection, making it available to local and overseas scholars, researchers and the public. Looking ahead, the Museum plans to curate special exhibitions that explore various themes and aspects of modern Chinese literature.

The Museum's inaugural exhibition is now open to the public and visitors to Hong Kong by appointment. Members of the public can register for a visit appointment via the museum website: https://museum.lib.hkmu.edu.hk/ 

Download the exhibition leaflet: 4f6163_680c5e4760a848e383d0ec3e47a52692.pdf

 

source: Hong Kong Metropolitan University