The Hong Kong Museum of History: Permanent Galleries Overview
The Hong Kong Museum of History is one of the best free attractions in the Pearl of the Orient.
All images by Ced Yong (The Scribbling Geek)
Take a Journey Through Hong Kong's History
I love Hong Kong. While small, there is just so much to see, do and feast on in this vibrant metropolis.
Among the many free attractions that the city offers, the Hong Kong Museum of History is hands-down one of the best, too. Strolling through the permanent galleries is like taking a compelling journey across several hundred million years, a time travel trip showcasing the best of Hong Kong culture and heritage.
The experience never fails to fascinate and thrill me. If you make the effort to visit, I’m certain you will feel the same way.
Entrance to the museum.
Basic Visiting Information
The Hong Kong Museum of History has eight permanent galleries, or exhibitions, spread across three floors. Presented chronologically, these are:
- The Natural Environment
- Prehistoric Hong Kong
- The Dynasties: From the Han to the Qing
- Folk Culture in Hong Kong
- The Opium Wars and the Cession of Hong Kong
- Birth and Early Growth of the City
- The Japanese Occupation
- Modern Metropolis and the Return to China
Address and Opening Hours
The museum itself is located at 100 Chatham Road South in Tsim Sha Chui, which is a short walk from either Tsim Sha Chui or Hung Hum MTR Stations.
- On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, the museum is open from 10 am to 7 pm. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the closing hour is extended to 9 pm.
- On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the museum closes at 5 pm.
- The museum is closed on Thursdays and the first two days of the Chinese New Year. It will only be open on Thursdays if it’s a public holiday.
Update: The permanent galleries are still undergoing renovation as of 2023. While this happens, an exhibition named Recreating a Classic: The Best Features of the Hong Kong Story presents an abridged version of the permanent display.
The following write-up was written using images and pictures taken in 2017.
Galleries 1 and 2: Natural Environment and Prehistoric Hong Kong
What is your impression of Hong Kong? Is it that of a densely populated city-state with a bewildering variety of architecture?
Well, no one would fault you if you feel so. However, know that the ex-colony is actually still home to large swaths of undeveloped land, with mankind having inhabited the area since antiquity, too.
The first two permanent galleries of the museum introduce the natural and geographical heritage of Hong Kong, as well as offer glimpses of how life could have been in prehistorical days. Of note, stepping into these galleries is itself quite a thrill. One moment, you’re in the brightly lit ultramodern foyer. The next, you’re surrounded by atmospheric displays and ambient bird chirpings.
It’s like a sudden trip back in time.
Kowloon was the final refuge of the last Southern Song Dynasty Emperor.
Gallery 3: The Dynasties: From the Han to the Qing
This gallery could be confusing for visitors unfamiliar with Chinese imperial history. There were so many Chinese dynasties, many of which played a part in Hong Kong’s population development.
In a nutshell, though, the story is that Hong Kong was once a borderland of the Chinese empire, as well as a refuge for disposed royalty. When going through the displays, take a moment to reflect on the shifting fortunes of Hong Kong, too. What was once a remote village in olden China is nowadays the most famous, most glamorous gateway into the Middle Kingdom.
Had you forecasted this in medieval times, most likely, you’d have been regarded as insane.
Gallery 4: Folk Culture in Hong Kong
The folk culture in Hong Kong Gallery is probably the one that visitors spend the most time in. Lined with magnificent exhibits each displaying a slice of culture from Hong Kong’s four main ethnic groups, this gallery packs the most dazzling visual bits of Hong Kong culture into one chamber.
From the towering bun towers of Cheung Chau to majestic Chinese religious effigies, to the reconstruction of a typical Hakka family dwelling, visiting this gallery is akin to experiencing the whole of Hong Kong Chinese heritage all at once.
In my opinion, visiting the Hong Kong Museum of History just for this gallery is reason enough. Needless to say, selfie lovers will have an unforgettable time here too.
Gallery 5: The Opium Wars and the Cession of Hong Kong
Following the “fun” parts of Hong Kong's history and heritage is the solemn segment. The fifth permanent gallery is devoted to the story behind the cession of Hong Kong to the British Empire, an episode still considered one of the most humiliating moments in Imperial Chinese history.
To provide visitors with a complete understanding, this gallery also details the development of sea routes prior to the disastrous Opium Wars. This is information crucial to understanding why the British Empire wanted a new outpost in Southern China.
To share, during my latest visit, I encountered a group of students listening to their teacher’s narration while gathered around the figure of Lin Zexu. What was going on in their young minds then?
In my case, it was how grim the world was but a century and a half ago. It’s also a reminder that everyone, regardless of nationality, should work together to prevent such times from returning.
Galleries 6 and 7: Birth and Early Growth of the City, and the Japanese Occupation
While I wasn’t born in Hong Kong, I am Chinese Cantonese by ethnicity, and so strolling through this gallery always sparks conflicting feelings in me.
Undoubtedly, British Colonial rule benefitted Hong Kong in many ways, the foremost of which is the transformation of the Cantonese outpost into the modern mega-city it is today.
Yet, British ownership of Hong Kong was also, through and through, a military trophy. One for a series of wars still considered by the Chinese to be the most humiliating in modern times.
Was British Colonialism a Good or Bad Thing?
I always ponder about this while going through Gallery 6 and standing amidst the incredible reconstructions of colonial period shops, teahouses, panoramas, etc.
As for the gallery on the Japanese Occupation, it is similar to those in other museums in Southeast Asia. Nonetheless, for visitors unfamiliar with WWII in East Asia, this gallery would be an enlightening experience.
It also reminds us that several decades of blood and tears lie beneath Hong Kong’s modern and glamorous façade. What the city enjoys today was not easily achieved.
Gallery 8: Modern Metropolis and the Return to China
This gallery features the sights most familiar to foreign visitors nowadays, i.e., the representative aspects of Hong Kong life best known to the world.
If you’re a fan of Hong Kong culture, I’m sure you will experience warm and fuzzy feelings when viewing the retro posters, comics, and so on. As for visitors who are unfamiliar, I believe this gallery would still charm as, like the preceding ones, much love and thought have gone into the conceptualization of the displays.
Lastly, this gallery contains a great introduction to Hong Kong broadcast entertainment in the form of an eight-minute movie. As a Hong Kong Wuxia drama fan, I have always been thrilled by this feature, in spite of the many times I’ve watched.
© 2018 Ced Yong
