Jointly presented by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the China Manned Space agency and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the China Manned Space Exhibition will be staged at the Hong Kong Science Museum (HKScM) and the Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH) from December 1 to February 18 next year with free admission.
      
     Addressing the opening ceremony at the HKScM today (November 30), the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, said that this exhibition gave a comprehensive and systematic account of the thirty-year journey of China's manned space development. It was hoped that the exhibition would arouse the interest of Hong Kong people, especially that of the younger generation, in space science, and inspire them to pursue their space dream through building a solid foundation of knowledge in the field of innovation and technology. Mr Chan pointed out that the country was recruiting the fourth batch of astronauts where Hong Kong candidates had entered the final round of the payload specialists recruitment, and that it was testimony to the country’s great importance and recognition bestowed upon Hong Kong. He looked forward to seeing Hong Kong people contribute to the country's aerospace endeavours in future.
      
     Other officiating guests today included Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Ms Lu Xinning; Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR Mr Fang Jianming; Deputy Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Major General Zheng Guoyue; Deputy Director of China Manned Space Agency Mr Lin Xiqiang; astronauts Mr Liu Boming, Ms Wang Yaping, Mr Chen Dong and Mr Zhang Lu; the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung; and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu. Key commanders and designers of the manned space programme also attended the ceremony.
      
     The exhibition is divided into two zones, which will be staged respectively at the HKScM and the HKMH. About 30 groups of exhibits are on display. The exhibition area at the 1/F Main Lobby of the HKMH centres around the history of China's manned space development, providing visitors with an insightful look into the extraordinary thirty-year journey towards the goal. The exhibition area at the 2/F Exhibition Hall of the HKScM displays remarkable engineering achievements and exciting prospects for future development. Highlighted exhibits include the Shenzhou spacecraft return capsule, a intravehicular space suit, a model of the space station, various carrier rocket models such as Long March-2F, Long March-7, Long March-5B, and models of the new-generation manned spacecraft and lunar lander.
      
     For details of the exhibition, please visit hk.science.museum/en/web/scm/exhibition/cmse.html, or call 2732 3232 for enquiries. Please note that the opening hours of the HKMH will be specially adjusted during the exhibition period to align with those of the HKScM. Details are as follows:
      
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 10am - 7pm
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: 10am - 9pm
Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year
Closed at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve
December 31, 2023: closed at 9pm
(To echo the Night Vibes Hong Kong campaign to promote night activities, the two museums will extend the opening hours to 10pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (except December 24 and 31) until January 1, 2024.)

Ends/Thursday, November 30, 2023
Issued at HKT 17:40

NNNN