Cover The Chris Hall Collection, pledged as a gift to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, encompasses nearly 3,000 historical Chinese textiles spanning three millennia. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
The Chris Hall Collection, pledged as a gift to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, encompasses nearly 3,000 historical Chinese textiles spanning three millennia. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
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Veteran collector Chris Hall talks about pledging nearly 3,000 Chinese textiles and his antique-filled Peak residence to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and how ancient craftsmanship can captivate a new generation
When art collector Chris Hall attends a black-tie gala awash in dark tuxedos, or steps into a room with an austere, bare-walled interior, he does not see modern sophistication, but a stark lack of effort.
“I am horrified by minimalism,” the 74-year-old says, speaking to Tatler by video call from his purple-walled study, complete with full, artfully organised wooden bookshelves. “I think it is boring. If you’ve done nothing, you’ve got minimalism.”
For Hall, a Hong Kong-based accountant who has spent over four decades acquiring one of the world’s most comprehensive private collections of historic Chinese textiles, colour and intricate decoration are essential expressions of human culture. Decrying the monochrome palette of contemporary men’s fashion, he light-heartedly describes himself as being on a “one-man campaign to restore the natural order”.
“When you look at nature, the male of the species is magnificently adorned—people look at the peacock, not the peahen,” he quips. “But Homo sapiens has got things completely wrong. It is the ladies who are colourful and the men who, quite frankly, are boring.”
Above Hall has spent over four decades acquiring rare Chinese textiles. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
Hall has spent over four decades acquiring rare Chinese textiles. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
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Hall points to a set of historic Japanese firemen’s jackets in his personal collection as exemplifying this notion. Seemingly understated and plain grey on the outside, they are lined with extraordinary, vivid paintings of samurai and mythical beasts on the inside.
“You have to turn the jacket inside out to appreciate the beauty; it would be nice if men would show their colourful sides on the outside, rather than keeping them trapped inside,” he says.
By collecting—and donating—an accumulation of objects that celebrate ancient craftsmanship, Hall hopes to encourage society to reveal the artistry hidden beneath modern conformity. This commitment to vivid living heritage sits at the heart of his collaboration with the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM). He has pledged nearly 3,000 rare Chinese textile works spanning three millennia—from the Warring States period (475–221 BC) through the Tang (618-907), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties to the early 20th century—gifts which will elevate the 328,000 sq ft art hub into a centre for Chinese silk scholarship.
Hall began transferring his collection—featuring exquisite Ming and Qing rank badges, religious tapestries, and rare Tang dynasty Sogdian-style silks—to HKPM in late 2024. The donation will be completed over a ten-year period.
Above Hall’s collection highlights how rich, expressive artistry can be hidden beneath modern conformity. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
Hall’s collection highlights how rich, expressive artistry can be hidden beneath modern conformity. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
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Yet Hall’s ambitions for conservation extend far beyond standard museum displays. In an unprecedented move for Hong Kong, he has arranged to bequeath his personal residence on The Peak, and the entirety of its contents, including antique furniture, maps and art, to the HKPM after his death.
Inspired by Britain’s National Trust, which preserves historic properties alongside their original furnishings and relies on community volunteers to welcome visitors and serve as guides to the property, Hall hopes to pioneer a new conservation paradigm in the city.
“When the HKPM takes over my flat with the original contents, it will be the first building in Hong Kong to be preserved with its original contents,” Hall explains. “It will establish a precedent ... so that Hong Kong people can appreciate cultural heritage not just in museums, but outside them.”
Read more: Warp and weft: inside Hangzhou MixC’s avant-garde installation inspired by Chinese textiles
This desire to bring heritage into public spaces has also inspired recent experimental activations, such as the Weave the MixC initiative at a luxury shopping complex in Hangzhou. The exhibition featured interactive digital displays of Hall’s collection, alongside a steel wire installation by artist Yang Song, which reinterprets ancient silk weaving wisdom through a contemporary lens.
Above Hall will bequeath his Peak residence to the museum upon his passing, pioneering a National Trust-inspired conservation model in Hong Kong. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
Hall will bequeath his Peak residence to the museum upon his passing, pioneering a National Trust-inspired conservation model in Hong Kong. (Photo: courtesy of HKPM)
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Complementing this public outreach is a partnership between HKPM and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Their Joint Chinese Textile Centre combines the museum’s curatorial expertise and the university’s strengths in design, fashion and textile technology, and uses Hall’s collection as a springboard for education, innovation and research.
For museum director Louis Ng, Hall’s vision aligns with HKPM’s mission to redefine how heritage is experienced. “Cultural heritage shouldn’t just be artefacts or objects shown inside glass cases,” Ng says.
Ng, a distinguished historian who previously served as the deputy director of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, notes that with the average age of HKPM visitors hovering at 33, there is an appetite among younger audiences to engage with traditional aesthetics through a modern lens, fuelled in part by mainland China’s guochao movement, which is characterised by national pride and the embrace of Chinese culture.
“We need to give new life and new definition, and support engagement, so people find meaning in such legacy.”
Cyril Ip is the Features Editor at Tatler Hong Kong, where he shapes digital strategy, curates long-form features and drives trending cultural coverage across multi-platform digital experiences. He writes about culture, society and self-development. Having lived and worked across Hong Kong, mainland China and the UK, he brings a multifaceted background that spans media, music and publicity—including a four-year tenure as a culture and diplomacy journalist at the South China Morning Post.
