How to get Ubuntu to display unicode supplementary characters?

Solution 1:

The comment about the missing glyphs is correct.

I installed additional font packages, namely AR PL fonts Ukai & Uming:

sudo apt-get install fonts-arphic-uming fonts-arphic-ukai

and now I can get most (though not all) of the characters displayed correctly.

There maybe better font packages out there but that's the best answer I have come to the conclusion of at this time.