University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong

University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong Review

Chinese harp music and a faint smell of incense float through its peaceful rooms. The small but excellent collection of Chinese antiquities includes ceramics and bronzes, some dating from 3,000 BC; fine paintings; lacquerware; and carvings in jade, stone, and wood. There are some superb ancient pieces: ritual vessels, decorative mirrors, and painted pottery. The museum has the world's largest collection of Nestorian crosses, dating from the Mongol Period (1280-1368). These belonged to a heretical Christian sect who came to China from the Middle East during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

There are usually two or three well-curated temporary exhibitions on: contemporary artists who work in traditional mediums are often featured. Don't miss part of the museum: the collection is spread between the T.T. Tsui Building and the Fung Ping Shan Building, which you access via a first-floor footbridge. The museum is out of the way—20 minutes from Central via Buses 3A, 23, 40, 40 M, or 103, or a 15-minute uphill walk from Sheung Wan MTR—but it's a must for the true Chinese art lover.