Museums in Hong Kong

As interest in Hong Kong's pre-colonial heritage soars, the number museums in the island state has increased dramatically. Hong Kong's outstanding range of art collections includes ancient Chinese works spanning several dynasties. Museums in Hong Kong house fascinating pieces of centuries-old jade, ivory, textiles, sculptures and paintings.

European paintings and sculpture of the Renaissance, baroque, and modern periods are also on show.  

Sheung Yiu Folk Museum

Experience the Hakka lifestyle from the mid-19th Century in the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum that is located at Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail. Once a fortified Hakka village, the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum today houses an excellent collection of typical Hakka furnishings. This accurately preserved building and its rich collection offers a unique insight into Hong Kong's history. It is open on Mondays, Wednesdays to Sundays, from 9am to 4pm.
Tel: +852 2792 6365
Website: www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Located at 1 Man Lam Road, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is devoted to preserving Hong Kong's history, arts and cultural heritage. The museum, located in Sha Tin, features a permanent exhibition on the New Territories, a gallery devoted to the history and performance of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong and a Discovery Gallery of natural and cultural history, including toy making.

The museum also includes the T.T.Tsui Gallery of Chinese Arts, the Chao Shao-an Gallery displaying Professor Chao Shao-an's works along side other contemporary masters, and the Hong Kong Community Art Gallery, which displays work by non-professional artists such as students, the handicapped and senior citizens. The Chinese Culture Gallery exhibits fine and decorative arts loaned from other museums and theme galleries display a wide variety of artistic styles including traditional Chinese wood block prints and Hong Kong comics. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays except Fridays & Public Holidays from 10am to 6pm.
Tel: +852 2180 8188
Website: www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk

Hong Kong Railway Museum

This small, picturesque museum is a must for all railway enthusiasts. Located in the old Tai Po Market railway station in 13 Shung Tak Street, which first opened in 1913, the station is now an historical monument. Its exhibition of Hong Kong's rail history includes photographs, old coaches, samples of track and a full-size model of an electric train compartment. It is open on Mondays, Wednesdays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm.
Tel: +852 2653 3455
Website: www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk

Sam Tung Uk Museum

Sam Tung Uk Museum offers a fascinating insight into Hong Kong's past. Sam Tung Uk, which means "three-beam dwelling", is a restored 200-year-old rural walled village and the 2,000-square-metre museum includes an ancestral hall, two rows of side houses, an exhibition hall and a lecture hall. It houses displays of period furniture, handicrafts and agricultural equipment. It is open on Mondays, and Wednesdays to Sundays including public holidays from 9am to 5pm.
Tel: +852 2411 2001
Website: www.lcsd.gov.hk

Hong Kong Museum of History

This museum showcases Hong Kong's broad and dynamic history. Great efforts have been made in collecting, conserving, processing, studying and displaying cultural objects which are related to the archaeology, history, ethnography and natural history of Hong Kong and South China. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm.
Tel: +852 2824 9042
Website: www.lcsd.gov.hk

Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum

Housing a 2,000-year-old tomb, the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum is one of the most fascinating in Hong Kong. The site of a four-chambered Han tomb discovered in 1955, the gallery features 58 items that were excavated during the construction of the Lei Cheng Uk Resettlement Area. Research into the calligraphy and content of the inscriptions on tomb bricks has lead historians to believe the tomb was built between AD 25-220. The tomb is the earliest preserved architecture in Hong Kong and was declared a gazetted monument in 1988. It is open from Mondays to Wednesdays, and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm.
Tel: +852 2386 2863
Website: www.lcsd.gov.hk

Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware

Located at 10 Cotton Tree Drive in Hong Kong Park, the Flagstaff House, itself a historical treasure, houses some of Hong Kong's most prized collection pieces. Flagstaff House was originally the home of the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces, and today is Hong Kong's oldest surviving colonial building. This whitewashed gem is a protected historical monument. The core collection of the museum, teaware donated by a local collector, the late Dr K. S. Lo, focuses on ornate oriental teaware. It opens from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 5pm.
Tel: +852 2869 0690
Website:  www.lcsd.gov.hk

Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

This museum is a branch of Hong Kong Museum of History. It features history of coastal defence in Hong Kong from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the current day. It is open from Mondays to Wednesdays, and from Fridays to Sunday.
Tel: +852 2568 1500
Website: www.lcsd.gov.hk

Hong Kong Racing Museum

The Hong Kong Racing Museum's eight galleries and showcase cinema tell the success story of horseracing in Hong Kong. Beginning in the 1840s, the museum traces the sport's history through to today's state-of-the-art, hi-tech racecourses and phenomenal, record gambling turnovers. Learn about famous trainers and jockeys, what makes a champion horse and how the Sha Tin Racecourse was built on reclaimed land. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays.
Tel: +852 2966 8065
Website: www.hkjockeyclub.org

Law Uk Folk Museum

Delve into the lifestyle of the traditional Hakka people and you'll be amazed by the rich cultural heritage they brought to Hong Kong. Sited in a 200-year-old Hakka village house, the Law Uk Folk house has been converted into a furnished period house displaying rural furniture and farm implements. The traditional cultures of Hong Kong and the Hakka people are also featured in an exhibition gallery connected to the house. There's also a permanent exhibition showcasing Law Uk's restoration process and history. It is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays.
Tel: +852 2896 7006
Website: www.lcsd.gov.hk

Police Museum

Located at 27 Coombe Road, the Hong Kong Police Museum showcases the history of the Hong Kong Police Force (formerly the Royal Hong Kong Police Force) from its inception in 1844 to today. It is open from Wednesdays to Sundays.
Tel: +852 2849 7019
Website: www.info.gov.hk

Hong Kong Arts Centre Pao Galleries

Located at No 2 Harbour Road, the Pao Galleries are a wonderful showcase for contemporary art. Maintaining a broad focus, the gallery displays works from major international artists in various media. The Hong Kong Arts Centre Pao Galleries also regularly features exhibitions of paintings, photography, crafts and design produced by local Hong Kong artists.
Tel: +852 2582 0200
Website: www.hkac.org.hk

Hong Kong Film Archive

Located at 50 Lei King Road, the Hong Kong Film Archive was established to preserve films and related materials. You’ll find a cinema, an exhibition hall and a resource centre, all equipped with the latest technology to resurrect the glamorous films of the past. The Archive is sharing its impressive collection with the public, so that the heritage of Hong Kong cinema can be preserved and appreciated. It is open from Mondays to Fridays.
Tel: +852 2739 2139
Website: www.lcsd.gov.hk

GOWEALTHY.COM © 2010
For comments: editor@gowealthy.com