Enlightening Pursuits 螢窗高致

The pursuit of knowledge and wisdom by ancient Chinese scholars manifested itself in various forms beyond the imagination of people in today’s society. At the time when ancient scholars’ “ears are shut to what goes on outside the window and are single-mindedly focus on the classics”, the ideal state of their austere existence was the pursuit of intellectual enlightenment and spiritual fulfillment. One can imagine, any objects in their studios would reflect only their simple but elegant taste. The exhibition “Enlightening Pursuit” features over 150 scholar’s objects that have been assembled by Mengdiexuan over years. It is a collection based on personal preference for simplicity, love for certain art form and designs. The article and all the entries in this catalogue are written by Professor Sun Ji.

「囊螢映雪，懸樑刺股」是中國古代文人勤學苦讀的典範。在那個「兩耳不聞窗外事，一心唯讀聖賢書」的年代，文人生活較單純所追求的是學問、是形而上的境界，書齋的陳列和用品，大都反映了文士清雅為主的品味。《螢窗高致》這展覽所展出的150多項文房用品，是夢蝶軒多年來點點滴滴累積而成的一部份。收藏著重簡約、雅淡和趣味，沒有華麗的宮廷文玩。本展覽圖錄由中國國家博物館孫機老師惠賜鴻文，並撰寫展品說明。