Traditional Chinese culture treasures the earthly world as the anchor for life, placing great emphasis on preserving health and attaining longevity. To this day, Chinese communities place great importance on birthday celebrations. Celebrating a birthday is not only a blessing for family members or friends, but also holds deep significance in strengthening bonds within families and friendships. The s hou (longevity) character symbolises longevity, health and well-being, while the auspicious symbols seen during birthday celebration etiquette and on the birthday gifts carry a variety of traditional ethical values, folk beliefs, and customs. This concept of celebrating birthdays extends even to the celestial deities, with traditional festivals dedicated specifically to the birth of deities. Through participation in rituals, incense offerings, processions, and Cantonese opera performances in thanksgiving to the deities, worshippers embody the festive spirit of deities and mortals rejoicing together.
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum presents this special exhibition themed on the longevity culture of China. Featuring about 100 selected precious items from the collections of museums under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, including longevity hangings, calligraphy, paintings, porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, birthday banquet attire, Cantonese opera costumes, ritual items for deity birthdays and objects commemorating Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s anniversaries, complemented by historical images, videos, and multimedia programmes, and a recreated traditional Chinese restaurant’s ‘Dragon and Phoenix Banquet Hall’ setting, the exhibition presents the rich cultural content of folk birthday celebrations from multiple perspectives.