How Hong Kong’s PMQ is offering fresh perspectives on culinary traditions

The ‘Treasured Recipes’ exhibition by Michael Lui Ka-chun showcases influential cookbooks and other interesting pieces of gastronomic literature

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Two of the books featured in PMQ Taste Library x Word by Word Collective “Treasured Recipes” summer 2026 exhibition. Photo: Handout

Published: 12:30pm, 23 Jul 2026

We live in an era when food is celebrated more than ever. The number of restaurant awards is at an all-time high. Thanks to the internet’s amplifying effects, a single review, professional or not, can generate headlines and effects previously unimaginable. Chefs are the new rock stars. Millions of food-related posts flood social media channels every day.

Yet the culinary culture behind this frenzy is often ignored or cynically deployed as fluff (“This dish is inspired by my grandmother…”) in the pursuit of awards or sales. For more than 10 years, PMQ Taste Library has acted as an antidote to the noise.

Located in the PMQ creative hub, the library opened in 2015 and houses more than 2,000 books on global culinary traditions. Now, after more than a decade, the institution is launching a guest curator initiative to help offer fresh perspectives.

Inside PMQ Taste Library’s “Treasured Recipes” exhibition. Photo: Handout

The series begins with publisher Michael Lui Ka-chun’s exhibition, “Treasured Recipes” – running through August 30 – which showcases more than 20 influential cookbooks, magazines and other interesting pieces of gastronomic literature.

With a shared grounding in the printed page, both Lui and PMQ Taste Library founder and writer Craig Au-Yeung emphasise the relevance of this collaboration. In an era when meals can be mere social-media fodder and this morning’s likes are forgotten by lunchtime, they insist that a traditional exhibition like this retains profound meaning.

How Hong Kong’s PMQ is offering fresh perspectives on culinary traditions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The ‘Treasured Recipes’ exhibition by Michael Lui Ka-chun showcases influential cookbooks and other interesting pieces of gastronomic literature

The ‘Treasured Recipes’ exhibition by Michael Lui Ka-chun showcases influential cookbooks and other interesting pieces of gastronomic literature