Name (English): Hong Kong Museum of History
Name (Chinese): 香港歷史博物館
Category: Music, Arts & Museum
Phone Number: +852 27249042
Address (English): 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Address (Chinese): 尖東漆咸道南100號
Address Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/LVrJrdhqdHeK9FUL6
Address longitude and latitude: 22.30191747392267, 114.17733754690079
Nearest MTR Station: Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station Exit P2
Nearest MTR Station Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/6jDQ5VqjXb2QkK8q7
Nearest MTR Station longitude and latitude: 22.2974354780351, 114.17611733894032
How far from the nearest MTR Station: 10-minute walk from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station Exit P2
Opening Hours:
MON 10:00 – 18:00
TUE Closed
WED 10:00 – 18:00
THUR 10:00 – 18:00
FRI 10:00 – 18:00
SAT 10:00 – 19:00
SUN 10:00 – 19:00
Budget (per person): 10HKD (entrance fee)
Recommended Time to Visit: 10:00-18:00
Accessibility Note: easy access
The Hong Kong Museum of History is a must-go for history lovers and those interested in the complex history of 7.4 million people compressed in this tiny city. Established in 1975, the museum of 7,000 m2 includes eight galleries spanning over two floors.
The exhibition starts from 400 million years ago in the Devonian period that explains the geological and botanical history of Hong Kong, demonstrating artifacts of pottery, bronze and a reproduction of one of eight rock carvings discovered at a beach. The third part starts from the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), about how the Pearl River Delta was developed and how Han people migrated from Central China to the Southern Guangdong province, which includes Hong Kong.
The fourth exhibition focuses on the grassroots folk culture of four ethnic groups in Hong Kong. Visitors can step onto a life-size replica of a junk boat in which the Tanka, or ‘those who live on water’, resided. The Cantonese Opera reconstruction is a must-see, where one can admire the glittering costumes and flamboyant jewelry worn by performers to this day. The fifth exhibition discusses a turning point in Hong Kong’s history – British colonization after the Opium War. Visitors can understand the sea routes between Europe and Asia, and the mercantile activities that brought Hong Kong its international business status. In the sixth gallery is a fascinating reconstruction of colonial Hong Kong, where you can walk down an old street lined with traditional shops, like a tailor’s shop, pawnshop, and herbal clinic, etc, displaying the exciting variety of services and products pre-war. It also introduces Dr Sun Yat Sen, known as the Father of modern China, as he brought an end to the Qing dynasty. The last gallery traces the terrible history of the Japanese invasion, an infamous dark age known to locals as ‘three years and eight months. One can empathise with the horrific circumstances Hong Kongers lived through during the occupation through artifacts and photographs. The exhibition comes to an end with the postwar development of the city and the changes in its economic and social climate up to the handover from Britain to China.
Of course, the story is far from over. For example, the museum gloss over how the rise of China and its diplomatic relationship with the US resulted in the eventual handover of Hong Kong, how Margret Thatcher negotiated an outcome with Deng Siu Ping and the birth of the One Country Two Systems principle, how June 4th, 1989 has changed Hong Kong forever and many of us got second citizenship somewhere else in the world.
This picture shows how the Hong Kong Museum of History glosses over what happened on June 4th, 1989 in China.
Perhaps history is indeed written by the victors, but you do not have to be educated by the victors as well. The Hong Kong Free Tour is a walking tour about the alternative Hong Kong history after the Second World War – how Hong Kong evolved from once a British Crown Colony to a Chinese city, all from the perspective of the locals who have been through the period. If you are seeking knowledge, this is the tour for you.
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