Hong Kong Museum of History
As a sip a cup of tea in the executive lounge of Kowloon Shangrila Hotel, the fogs blanketed the top floors of the sky scrapers across the Victoria Harbour. The sky was dark and dim. It was another gloomy day in Hong Kong and the weather was just perfect for a museum visit. My mom and I decided to visit the Hong Kong Museum of History since the reviews in tripadvisor rave about it.I really like the location of Kowloon Shangrila since every tourist spot in Kowloon is walkable within 5 to 20 minutes. After a 15 minute good walk from our hotel, passing through the busy streets in Tsim Sha Tsui, we finally reached the Hong Kong Museum of History.
The Hong Kong Museum of History is one of the best museums in Asia I’ve been to. The collections are very rich, displays are realistic and the entrance fee only costs a measly HKD10.00 (USD1.30). I was amazed with the different stones showcased as some already existed a couple of centuries back. The replicas ranging from people to houses and boats look very realistic. There are also multiple theaters inside the museum where you can watch the story of Hong Kong’s transformation from a former colony to a tiger economy. I’ve been to museums in Singapore a few years back and they charge an arm and leg, the Hong Kong Museum of History is bang for the buck.
This Hong Kong Museum is strongly recommended by ASIATRAVELBUG. Normally, first time Hong Kong visitors skip this place but I can tell you this place is a gem in Kowloon. How I wish I discovered this place way before. The museum is very huge. We explored the place for 2 hours but we weren’t able to finish all floors. If you are going to drop by here, I suggest you to allot half day to learn the history and transformation of Hong Kong. I think that non-Asians will appreciate the museum much more since it offers an authentic blast-from-the-past Chinese experience.
Here are the colorful masks inside the museum, I love the strong attention to detail!
This is the typical Chinese prayer ritual scene, with fruit offerings, paper money and incense by the table.
The dragon dance is a common scene not only in Hong Kong, but across all Chinatowns around the world during Chinese New Years.
It was also cool to see how weddings were like in Hong Kong a hundred years back. The brides were carried in wood enclosure adorned with red fabric to their wedding place.<
This is my favorite spot in the museum, right in the center where a huge replica of a Hong Kong Junk Boat can be found. These junk boats were used by Hong Kongers to fish and it’s interesting to see that there’s a bed inside the boat replica. If you are adventurous enough and want to have the modern junk boat experience, you can try Aqua Luna by the Victoria Harbour.
The photos above only show a very small fraction of the museum. I really enjoyed this place more than any other museums in Asia I’ve been to. So go see Hong Kong Museum of History yourself! This museum will not disappoint.
After exploring the Hong Kong Museum of History, we had a dimsum lunch in the nearby Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. Their raddish cake is a must try! You can see my full review of this restaurant in my Hong Kong Food Trip blog series.
Go to:
- Hong Kong Travel Itinerary 4D/3N
- Hong Kong Day 1: Hong Kong Airport Arrival and Airport A21 Bus to Tsim Sha Tsui
- Hong Kong Day 1: Kowloon Shangrila Hotel, Chao Zhou Restaurant, Nathan Road, Aberdeen Fishball and Noodle Restaurant
- Hong Kong Day 2: Octopus Card, Nan Lian Garden, Chi Lin Nunnery, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Avenue of Stars
- Hong Kong Day 2: The Peak and Mak’s Noodle House
- Hong Kong Day 3: Hong Kong Museum of History, Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant
- Hong Kong Day 3: Kowloon Park, Spring Deer Restaurant, Symphony of Lights and Avenue of Stars
- Hong Kong Day 4: Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden, Shang Palace, Airport Express from Tsim Sha Tsui to Hong Kong Airport
- Hong Kong Food Trip – Cafe Kool and Shang Palace at Kowloon Shangrila (Part 1 of 3 – Food Splurge)
- Hong Kong Food Trip – Aberdeen Restaurant, Spring Deer, Chuk Yuen (Part 2 of 3 – Mid Range Dining)
- Hong Kong Food Trip – Mak’s Noodle, Yoshinoya, Chao Zhou, Kai Kee Noodles (Part 3 of 3 – Cheap Eats)
- Macau 3D/3N Itinerary using Free Bus Transfers
- Macau Day 1: Macau Arrival and Venetian Macau
- Macau Day 2: Senado Square and Saint Paul Ruins
- Macau Day 2: Solmar and Wynn
- Macau Day 3: Sands Buffet, City of Dreams
- Macau Day 3: Exploring Venetian Hotel, Venetian at Night
- Macau Day 4: Venetian Check Out, Fat Siu Lau, MGM
Leave a Reply
Leave a reply