This is a very interesting museum on Hong Kong food culture. I recommend this to anyone who is…read morevisiting Hong Kong or even locals who want to relive their collective memories and learn more about old Hong Kong food culture. To visit the museum, you must register on their website. Each session lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes. On the website, it says there is a guided tour but in fact the guided tour was only 15 minutes long. There is an 8-min long 3D video talking about the history and development of Tao Heung Group. I wasn't too impressed by the video but the short commentary by the guide was very interesting and you could learn a lot of things about local food culture. I just wish the commentary was longer and that they provided English version so that I could recommend to my non-Cantonese speaker friends. I like how they have setups of a Dai Pai Dong, a street hawker stall and the old school style Chinese tea house where you can take many pictures. They also have exhibits of old furniture and machines donated by restaurants that have shut down. Wanna know how much it costed to have a meal at The Peninsula in the 60s? They have the menu from back then! I'll leave it here for you to explore on your own. It's not a big museum but definitely worth a visit. It's just about a 5-min walk from the Fo Tan station.

A very much underrated museum…read more Railway has been an integral part of the life of a lot of people, especially on the Kowloon side. Despite the fact that the original KCR (Kowloon-Canto Railway) served less people and had less stations than her little brother underground, they certainly had a much longer and richer history (KCR started operating since 1910, MTR started operating since 1979), and this place is a perfect spot for showcasing a snippet of it. The museum was the original Tai Po Market Station, as you could see the main part of the station entrance was preserved. It somehow shows the significant of the old stations, as there are only four stations in the whole KCR system that haven't changed their the locations nor names in the last 100 years. One of the other notable change was the Kowloon station, which was originally located at the Clock Tower you can see now in TST. Now other than walking on the railway and pretending you are in Taiwan, you can also hop on to some of the old, discommissioned trains. Some were meant to be coal-powered, and some were meant to be diesel-powered (me think). I do remember that when I was young (like VERY young, okay?), KCR replaced all the trains to be powered by electricity. But I was so confused (remember? I was young!) why the hell you'd like to have 電器化火車 (as in, "household appliance-ified" trains) which it actually meant 電氣化火車 (railway electrification system). Oh boy. I could totally imagine my kids would ask why do we even call it 火車 (like, "fire car"). Anyway, you are free to take pictures here, exceptional for events, commercial purpose, or wedding. I'm sure the "wedding" part was added later on as it was a overly popular place to take wedding pictures, and people practically affect the normal operation of the museum.

The Hong Kong Railway Museum is the site of the original Tai Po Market Station, built in 1913…read more When the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) went from 'choo choo' to 'swoosh' in 1983, Tai Wo and Tai Po Market station opened up to the north and south of this site, thus making it redundant as a working station. (Historical note: the KCR went 'doot doot' in 1997.) Now, the site is for people like me who love a bit of history, and who love their locomotive 'choo choo' trains. And it's all free! To be honest, the site looks a little fake because everything is restored in its full, vibrant colour, including the entrance of the station which is designed with the Chinese temple architecture. I guess I prefer a little more of the 'crumbling walls and cobwebs' history, but it was good fun walking down the old railway tracks in the open-air. The exhibition room has examples of train tickets and models of the KCR train, including a ticket office that has been restored and refurnished so you can see how it all was back in the day. It won't take you more than an hour to get around the whole museum. It does seem a bit strange that this relatively untouched piece of railway history is rather isolated from other tourist attractions, so I'm not sure how one could make a day of it. Being right next to a hectic local Tai Po street market, you could do a little food market shopping after, I guess? Or you could walk another 15 minutes to Man Mo Temple (in Tai Po). I guess Tai Po in itself is full of other less-touristy stuff to do, but if you're around the area, this little gem might be worth checking out.

My second review in Hong Kong happens to be another establishment concerning history through the…read moreeyes of artists, this time with an emphasis on music, film, and literature. If you are familiar with any of Hong Kong's offerings over the years, a visit to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a must. To get there, ride the MTR to Che Kung Temple station and take Exit A. It was a rainy weekday in mid-May when I visited. Clear signages showed the path towards the museum, a large, somewhat imposing orange and red-bricked building. The exhibit I wanted to check out first was "Timeless Diva - Anita Mui" which showcased a collection of records from the famed songstress, a number of which were autographed. Other items on display included a selection of her concert outfits, magazine covers, and a rotation of video clips showing her singing prowess, quick-witted banter, and diverse acting chops. At one point, an announcement was made for the opportunity to watch a documentary on Sam Hui. It turned out to be a delightful, self-narrated autobiography of the man's childhood days playing around Diamond Hill, the Hui brother's comedic endeavors, and the inner workings of his mind when composing songs. Did you know the opening of "半斤八兩" was inspired by Eagles' "One of These Nights"? After the movie, the large exhibition of music and film was next door. One recorded conversation on display worth mentioning was a talk regarding the current state of Hong Kong pop compared to that of K-pop, our current generation's obsession. As for the other parts of the museum, the "Jin Yong Gallery" consisted of all the wuxia author's literary works readily available to pick up and read as well as beautiful illustrations of the characters. Naturally, Bruce Lee's exhibit was magnetic and powerful, which included personal photographs throughout his life as well as his teachings. There was also an emphasis on 3D models of his likeness for an immersive experience. Didn't really impress me too much, but I did appreciate the intent. There was a lot to explore and plenty I probably missed by lingering too long on select areas. I spent a whole afternoon here and would gladly do it again.

If you're into pop culture, this is the museum to visit!! Honestly HK has so many museums, each…read morewith its own flavor, but this museum features topics/themes that people are more familiar with such as HK's entertainment industry history, Bruce Lee, Jin Yong's popular martial art stories, Cantonese opera, and others. As a museum nerd, I was drawn by a visiting exhibition on ancient Chinese women and their daily life (as most history records focus on men). Although tucked in the northern New Territories in Sha Tin area, this museum is actually accessible by 3 different MTR stations and other minibus/buses. It was actually so much bigger than I thought! Loved how everything had great descriptions (in both Chinese and English). Tickets are pretty cheap and definitely worth it because I could easily spend 2-3 hours here!

This is quite a unique space in such a bustling city. This pet friendly shopping center has…read morerestaurants, souvenirs shops, pet supply stores, and other small retailers. The Mills was an escape from the giant centers with name brand stores. This place was transformed from what was the old textile factory. It even has a textile museum that's free of charge! However, it is a bit hard to find but it's definitely a must see if you visit this place. We also loved the play space on the 4th floor which charges by the hour. The place was pretty empty on a Thursday which was a nice escape from the crowds. Only downside is there weren't a lot of shops to walk through.

Love how HK has all these restored/remodeled historic buildings that are now turned into super…read moreartsy places! Formerly a textile factory, the Mills is no other and houses many little cute shops, galleries, and I believe a museum/exhibition type place. It was about a 20 min walk from the MTR. I loved the overall vibes and aesthetics (aka great for cute pics) but the stores were definitely a little pricer. It definitely reminded me of PMQ or the newer Central Market but felt that the signs were not as clear than the others. Would recommend if you are into arts, looking for a specific gift for someone, or just exploring new places to go!

Small, but well loved neighborhood temple with unique coiled incense hanging and wafting through…read morethe air. There's a small public outside courtyard, smaller inner courtyard with incense shop and reception, and three different altars. Two other people were doing devotion while I was there, a lady was washing the floor, and a man was attending the reception/shop. I almost missed it because the pedestrian street has so many things that could easily distract you and make you miss it if you aren't looking for the simple white arch along the alley.

Temples can often be overkill to those of us from the Western world, because it is simply unknown…read moreand abundant in this area of the world. But I believe with three "Man Mo" temples around Hong Kong and the SAR, this one is a worthy stop if you find yourself in the area. Because it is in Tai Po, it is void of tourists and quaint. It feels very local and peaceful. It was built in 1891 and was declared a historical monument in 1984. More so than other temples I have seen, this place is very well taken care of. The small courtyard was so exceptionally clean and manicured. The temple is also small and dedicated to the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo). We were the only two people there, other than the one man who was attending the temple reception desk. This temple is located about mid way down Fu Shin Street, which is a small market street for shopping (less tourist trinkets and more designed for locals) and also around the corner from the Railroad Museum.

The Sam Tung UK Museum was significant in architecture and history. And it showed the Hakka culture…read moreand history through the objects, the video clips and so on. We can find some opinions of the visitors towards this museum. According to most of the visitors, the Sam Tung UK museum is worth to visit as it presenting the Hakka history and cultural. Most of them praised the exhibition there was "great", "excellent" and they enjoyed the visiting and also, stated that they would come again and encourage their friends to come here as the exhibition was "informative". Moreover, the exhibition and also the museum itself can let the visitors know more about the development of Tsuen Wan and Hakka culture, for example, a visitor has stated that the video clips and the displays made him know more about the Hakka culture such as the Hakka women, the traditional Hakka snacks and the architecture characteristic of Hakka people. The Sam Tung UK museum was a place to display the Hakka culture and history because Sam Tung UK itself was the heritage for the Hakka lived in the past. However, there were some limitations in presenting the Hakka culture. The Government should make some changes to eliminate those weaknesses. Also, the exhibition such as the Rice agricultural was displayed since 2008. It should be changed to another and thus to catch the attention of more visitor. It stills a good place for us to connect the history and culture of Hakka. When I have visited here, I really had that feeling. It is so amazing and I feel great to connect the history here.

One thing: it is not a barrier free building. I am having surgery on my knee in the summer and…read moreclimbing down stairs (not up, ironically), is a challenge. No elevators for 3 floors. The replica ships were not nearly as impressive as the artwork, some as much 100+ years old. These ship and dockside workers had a tough life and it is well documented and indexed here. A Christian Church runs a coffee shop in the top floor. My hubby loved the boat replicas. For me, I was the artwork which h blew me away.