Leisure and Cultural Services DepartmentLeisure and Cultural Services Department
Museum Service
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) runs 15 museums and 2 other art spaces, each one unique in its focus. Broadly, these museums cover art, history and science. Our vision is to offer inspiring experiences to be enjoyed by all.
(A) Museums
1. Hong Kong Museum of Art
Established in 1962, Hong Kong Museum of Art is the first public art museum in the city with custodian of various art collections, representing the unique cultural legacy of Hong Kong's connection across the globe. By curating a wide world of contrasts, from old to new, Chinese to Western, local to international, with a Hong Kong viewpoint, we aspire to refreshing ways of looking at tradition and making art relevant to everyone, creating new experiences and understanding.
Location
10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/home.html
2. Hong Kong Heritage Museum
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum presents a unique mix of history, art and culture in a great variety of programmes that cater for the wide-ranging interests of the public. Designed both to entertain and to enlighten, our lively and informative exhibitions and activities offer a kaleidoscopic array of cultural and educational experiences for our visitors. The museum houses six permanent galleries - Hong Kong Pop 60+, the Jin Yong Gallery, the Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall, the T.T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art, the Chao Shao-an Gallery and the Children's Discovery Gallery - as well as six thematic galleries that regularly host exhibitions showcasing the diverse cultures of Hong Kong and the world. Situated besides the Shing Mun River, the museum is always worth a visit during holidays and weekends.
Location
1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/highlights.html
3. Hong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Museum of History originated in the City Hall Art Gallery and Museum. It was founded in 1962 and was renamed the City Museum and Art Gallery in 1969. In 1975, it was split into the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Museum of History. The latter was initially housed in rented premises in Star House, Tsim Sha Tsui. In 1983, it was relocated to a temporary site in Kowloon Park, and in 1998, it was moved to its present premises on Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui.
The permanent home of the Hong Kong Museum of History is housed in a new building constructed at a cost of HK$390M and funded by the Hong Kong SAR Government. It is a comprehensive state-of-the-art museum designed by the P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd., based on the architectural concept of Mr E. Verner Johnson. The new Museum and the neighbouring Science Museum together form a museum complex of a harmonious appearance and colour scheme.
Location
100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.history.museum/en/web/mh/index.html
4. Hong Kong Science Museum
Since its opening in 1991, the Hong Kong Science Museum has been providing educational, inspiring and interactive experiences focused on advancements in science and technology. It also serves as a distributed network linking other science and technology museums/organisations throughout Hong Kong and the surrounding region.
Location
2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.science.museum/en/web/scm/index.html
5. Hong Kong Space Museum
Strategically located by the seaside in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Hong Kong Space Museum commenced its construction in 1977, with Mr. Joseph Ming Gun LEE of the Public Works Department serving as the chief architect. Inaugurated in October 1980, the Hong Kong Space Museum is the first local planetarium dedicated to the popularisation of astronomy and space science. Its unique egg-shaped dome renders the museum one of Hong Kong’s most renowned landmarks.
Location
10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.space.museum/en/web/spm/home.html
6. Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence
Opened to public in 2000, Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence (MWRCD) is a military museum. The Museum is converted from the hundred years' old Lyemun Fort on a headland 64 meters above sea level overlooking Lyemun Pass.
The MWRCD reopened to the public from 24 November 2022, after a major revamp. The revamped permanent exhibition showcases the history of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the changes in Hong Kong’s coastal defence and military affairs from the Tang Dynasty to Hong Kong’s return to the Motherland. Multimedia elements, innovative presentation methods and a thematic approach are injected in the revamped permanent exhibition and the historical trail of the museum to narrate the unique story of Hong Kong's military history and coastal defence.
Location
175 Tung Hei Road, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.waranddefence.museum/en/web/mcd/about-us.html
7. Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
Dr Sun Yat-sen was a world-renowned revolutionary who devoted his entire life to overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and setting up the Republic of China. His achievements were recognised and admired not only by the local and overseas Chinese, but also by the global community. Dr Sun had a close relationship with Hong Kong, where he received his secondary and university education. Hong Kong was also the cradle of his revolutionary thoughts and uprising plans.
Opened to public in 2006, the Museum gives a comprehensive overview of the life and career of Dr Sun, and Hong Kong's vital role in the reform movements and revolutionary activities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum highlights Dr Sun's intimate connections with Hong Kong, so that local citizens and overseas tourists alike will be able to reminisce about the activities of this great Chinese statesman.
Location
7 Castle Road, Mid-Levels, Central, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.drsunyatsen.museum/en/web/sysm/home.html
8. Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
Specialising in the collection, study and display of tea ware, the branch museum at Flagstaff House features at its core the generous donations of Dr K.S. Lo (1910-1995), which include many fine examples of the famous Yixing teapots.
Built in the 1840s, Flagstaff House originally served as the office and residence of the Commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong. It was converted to the Museum of Tea Ware in 1984, with a new wing, The K.S. Lo Gallery, added in 1995. Alongside its exhibitions, the Museum holds regular demonstrations, tea gatherings and lecture programmes to promote ceramic art and Chinese tea drinking culture.
Location
10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong (inside Hong Kong Park)
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/opening-hours.html
9. Hong Kong Railway Museum
Situated in the town center of Tai Po Market, the Hong Kong Railway Museum is an open-air museum converted from the old Tai Po Market Railway Station. Erected in 1913, the station building features the pitched roof of traditional Chinese building. It was declared a monument in 1984, refurbished and opened as a museum in 1985.
The outdoor area of the museum features a narrow gauge steam locomotive, two diesel electric engines, historical coaches, trolleys and semaphores for visitors to get in touch with railway relics.
Location
13 Shung Tak Street, Tai Po Market, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/en/web/hm/museums/railway.html
10. Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery
The fireboat Alexander Grantham went into service in 1953. Before being decommissioned in 2002, it served as the flagship of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department's fireboat team, responding to fire alarms and conducting rescue operations both in Hong Kong's waters and along the shoreline. The Alexander Grantham was built by Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Co. Ltd. and, as well as an enduring witness to the history of Hong Kong's sea rescue services, it is also a testament to the achievements of Hong Kong shipbuilding in the 1950s.
Given the profound historical significance of the Alexander Grantham, the Hong Kong Museum of History acquired the fireboat for its collections, refitting it into the purpose-built Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery and opening it to the public in 2007. At the gallery, a number of unique firefighting artefacts has been showcased, offering a wealth of information displayed in multimedia formats to enhance the visitors' understanding of marine rescue work in Hong Kong.
Location
Quarry Bay Park, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.history.museum/en/web/mh/about-us/fireboat-alexander-grantham-exhibition-gallery.html
11. Law Uk Folk Museum
Once the site of several Hakka villages, the original rural setting of Chai Wan has been transformed by urban development in the last few decades. Today, the memory of these Hakka villages is preserved in Law Uk (uk is Cantonese for "house"), a village house named after its original owner, a Hakka family whose Chinese surname is phonetically transliterated as "Law". The house's history can be traced back to over 200 years ago, when the Law family built it during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) in the Qing dynasty. Law Uk was declared as a historical monument in 1989. It is preserved as the sole remaining architectural example of its kind in Chai Wan.
Law Uk is a typical Hakka village house. The house's interior is symmetrically arranged around the main hall. On the sides there are bedroom and work area with lofts. In front of the hall is a light well with kitchen and store room on both sides. To give viewers the ambience of how the interior would have looked and how the original inhabitants would have lived, the house is furnished with village furniture, utensils and farming implements selected from the Museum's collection.
Location
14 Kut Shing Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.history.museum/en/web/mh/about-us/law-uk-folk-museum.html
12. Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum
The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb was discovered in 1955 when the Government was levelling a hill slope at the Lei Cheng Uk Village for the construction of resettlement buildings. According to its structure, inscriptions on the tomb bricks and tomb finds, it is believed that the tomb was built in the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD). The tomb was declared as a gazetted monument in 1988 and is preserved permanently thereafter. Though it is closed to the public for conservation reasons, visitors can still have a glimpse of the interior of the tomb through the glass panel at the entrance passage.
The exhibition hall was built adjacent to the tomb. In addition to the display of pottery and bronze wares excavated from the tomb, there is an exhibition namely "Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb" on display. Texts, graphics, photos, maps, videos and models are used to introduce the geographical situation, discovery and structure of the tomb.
Location
41 Tonkin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://hk.history.museum/en/web/mh/about-us/lei-cheng-uk-han-tomb-museum.html
13. Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre (located at Sam Tung Uk Museum)
Sam Tung Uk is a 200-year-old Hakka walled village that was declared a monument in 1981. It was converted into the Sam Tung Uk Museum and open to the public after restoration in 1987.
The symmetrical layout of the Sam Tung Uk Museum resembles a chessboard with an entrance hall, a middle hall and an ancestral hall in the central axis. With four individual dwellings in the centre, the premises are completely walled in by rows of houses on each side and at the back.
In 2016, Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Centre was set up at the Sam Tung Uk Museum as a display and resource centre to enhance the public's understanding and awareness of ICH. To offer an enriching and inspiring visiting experience, it underwent a large-scale exhibition revamp in late 2020. The revamp works have been the largest ever since the inception of the Hong Kong ICH Centre.
Location
2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://www.icho.hk/en/web/icho/sam_tung_uk_museum.html
14. Sheung Yiu Folk Museum
Located inside the scenic Sai Kung Country Park, the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum was originally a Hakka village built in the late 19th century. The village and its neighbouring lime kiln were gazetted as monuments in 1981. After it was restored, the village was opened as a museum in 1984.
Location
Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail, Sai Kung, New Territories, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/en/web/hm/museums/sheungyiufolk.html
15. Hong Kong Film Archive
The Planning Office of the Hong Kong Film Archive was formed in 1993 to preserve and promote Hong Kong cinema. Its permanent home, a 7 200 square meter building with facilities like a mini-cinema, an exhibition hall, a resource centre, collection vaults and restoration laboratories, opened in 2001. The Archive acquires materials mainly through donations, which are catalogued and made accessible to the public. It organises film programmes, exhibitions and publishes books to raise awareness of Hong Kong's cinematic heritage.
Location
50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/home.html
(B) Art Spaces
1. Oi!
Oi! is an art space located in the North Point community which is popular among the public. Its name links the ideas behind it with its location: Oi! sounds similar to the address in Cantonese and conveys a call for people's attention while providing a platform where they can realise their dreams in art.
Oi! includes a historic building complex opened in 1908. It was a yacht club clubhouse that was located on the waterfront in North Point at the time. Following land reclamation work in the 1930s, the buildings were initially converted into staff quarters for the Government Supplies Department and later into a storage facility for the Antiquities and Monuments Office. After it was allocated to the Art Promotion Office for revitalisation and restoration, the red-bricked Grade II historic building complex with tile roof was renamed as Oi!, which was opened to the public in 2013.
In order to provide more space to inspire and increase imagination, Oi! has further expanded in 2022, in which an adjacent outdoor space has been integrated with the original premises. The new extension provides both outdoor and indoor spaces to host a wide variety of art exhibitions and community-engaged activities that encouraging the public to enjoy the environment and to ignite creative ideas.
Location
12 Oil Street, North Point, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://www.apo.hk/en/web/apo/oi.html
2. Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
Located at the top of Hong Kong Park, the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre (vA!) is housed in Cassels Block, which was built in the first decade of the 20th century as an extension of the British Army's Victoria Barracks to provide married quarters for officers. The barracks were handed over to the government and incorporated in the Hong Kong Park project in 1985. A new wing with a glass canopy was added when Cassels Block was converted into vA!. The Centre was opened in 1992.
Constructed in a cascade down the hillside, the Grade I historic building originally comprised four three-storey quarters with a brick, limewashed façade and a triangular gable in an ancient Greek style between the blocks. The east and west sides featured open colonnaded verandas typical of the Edwardian Classical Revival style.
vA! is an open, multi-directional art space that emphasizes art education, research, and exchange. Equipped with specialist equipment, the venue features exhibition space and a vibrant creative atmosphere.
Location
7A Kennedy Road, Central, Hong Kong
You can access the full content about the venue in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese: https://www.apo.hk/en/web/apo/va.html