Zhao Qiang, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sino-Portugal Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Science of Cultural Heritage Conservation under the Ministry of Science and Technology (Belt and Road Joint Laboratory) and a local expert in cultural relics, has been selected for the “Taihe Visiting Scholar Fellowship Program” organized by the Palace Museum, marking him as the first scholar from Hong Kong and Macao to be included in the project.
The “Taihe Visiting Scholar Fellowship Program” selects outstanding scholars from museums, universities and academic institutions, inviting them to conduct research at the Palace Museum under sponsorship and funding senior researchers and outstanding young scholars from the Palace Museum to go outside mainland China for academic exchanges and research. Since August 2022, the program has been highly regarded by overseas museums, universities and academic institutions. In this new round, 4 scholars were chosen, including Zhao Qiang, with the other three coming from the UK, Italy and Malta respectively. Over the past two years, 12 scholars from institutions such as the University of Cambridge (UK), Heidelberg University (Germany), University of Wisconsin (USA), Cleveland Museum of Art (USA), National Gallery of India and French Academy of Sciences had been selected for the program.
Zhao Qiang expressed gratitude to the Palace Museum for its care and recognition of scholars from Hong Kong and Macao, mentioning that he will go to the Conservation Department of the Palace Museum for academic exchanges and research in the second half of this year. As a Ph.D. and postdoctoral researcher trained at CityU, Zhao Qiang has been deeply engaged in cultural relics research, specializing in authentication of ancient calligraphy and paintings, Buddhist artifacts, art theory, art market studies, and scientific conservation of cultural heritage. He has integrated his learning and practical achievements at CityU into academic research, publishing 18 professional books and over 30 papers in prestigious international academic journals.
