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Hong Kong Heritage Museum will soon become one of the important landmarks of Hong Kong. Combining the traditional Chinese courtyard design and the state-of-the art architectural technology, the Museum is so unique and outstanding from all the other buildings situated along the Shing Mun River. Moreover, featuring a diverse range of exhibitions and programmes, the Museum will definitely be a must-to-go place for local people as well as overseas visitors.

Occupying a gross floor area of 28,500 square meters, the Museum is the largest of its kind in Hong Kong. It is also the 13th museum managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The Chief Curator of the Museum Mr Yim Shui-yuen noted that the Museum had a mission of preserving and interpreting the cultural heritage of Hong Kong, and had a special focus on providing educational services to the public.

Mr Yim said: "The former Regional Council approved a set of guidelines to develop the museum services under its charge and endorsed the establishment of a museum in Sha Tin in February 1991.

"In July 1991, representatives from the Architectural Services Department and the former Regional Services Department visited several museums in the United States and Canada, aiming at gaining first-hand knowledge of the architectural features and operating structures of museums in different countries and developing a well-researched plan for the new museum project.

"Final approval to the museum project was given in February 1995 and the construction of the building, which was designed and supervised by the Architectural Services Department, took four years and was completed in 1999.

"Officially named 'The Hong Kong Heritage Museum', the Museum embarked on exhibit fabrication in August 1999. The Museum costs about 870 million dollars and was scheduled to open to the public from December 17, 2000 onwards," said Mr Yim.

The museum complex houses 12 galleries with a net exhibition area of about 7,500 square meters. Of the 12 galleries, six are permanent exhibition galleries, namely, the Orientation Theatre, the New Territories Heritage Hall, the Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall, the Children's Discovery Gallery, the T.T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art and the Chao Shao-an Gallery. The other six galleries are thematic galleries which will regularly feature temporary exhibitions on local culture as well as exhibitions loaned from and organised with other museums overseas.

There will be six thematic exhibitions to be staged to mark the inauguration of the Museum, namely, "Hong Kong Comic World", "The Art of Chinese Traditional Woodblock Printing", "Art + 01 - A Digital Exploration", "The Art of Living in the Future", "Happy Birthday, Emperor Qianlong" and "Hong Kong Home: Multi-stories".

Mr Yim noted that in order to give the visitors a new experience of visiting the Museum, they adopted lively, dynamic and interactive approaches to present different kinds of exhibitions. In addition, reconstructed scenes and buildings are installed inside various galleries, allowing the visitors to experience the social and cultural aspects of daily life of Hong Kong in different periods.

"Take, for example, the Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall, one of the permanent galleries. This gallery reconstructs a shed theatre with a typical backstage display, which enables the visitors to sense and to understand how the actual performances were produced.

"The 'Hong Kong Home: Multi-stories' exhibition, one of the six inaugural thematic exhibitions, is another example. Featuring vivid presentations of early village life in the New Territories, 'Tang Lau', interior designs in 60s' studio settings, the resettlement estates, private housing estates, as well as modern interior designs, the exhibition demonstrates lively the changes and development of interior designs that have been prevalent in Hong Kong at different times and across different social classes," said Mr Yim.

The Children's Discovery Gallery is also one of the major attractions that counts. With most of the exhibits specially designed for children aged 4 to 10, the gallery offers a fun ways for kids to learn about the wonders of nature, discover the mysteries of archaeology and experience some sweet memories of Hong Kong.

The Museum also houses other facilities, such as theatre, seminar rooms, education studios, gift shop and cafe, which allow visitors to get the most out of their visit to the Museum.

Located at 1 Man Lam Road in Sha Tin, the Museum is a mere 15-minute walk from Shatin or Tai Wai KCR station. Public transportation accessible includes bus numbers A41, E42, 72A, 80M, 86,89, N271, 280P and 282.

The Museum opens from 10 am to 6 pm from Tuesday through Sunday (except Friday). It opens from 10 am to 9 pm on Fridays and closes on Mondays as well as the first two days of the Chinese New Year.

For further details, please visit the Museum's website at www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk or call 2180 8188.

End/Monday, December 4, 2000

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