The Hong Kong Museum of History is a fantastic public institution in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon,…read moreright next to the Hong Kong Science Museum. They currently have a captivating special exhibition called The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence (Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province). Alongside it, they are showcasing their newly revamped permanent exhibition, the "Hong Kong Story". We honestly couldn't believe that admission is completely free! It is absolutely worth a visit! The experience was incredibly educational for my daughters, helping them gain a deep understanding of Hong Kong's history and its various periods of development. At the same time, walking through the exhibits provided a wonderful trip down memory lane for me, bringing back old memories of growing up in Hong Kong. I was actually surprised to learn that many of my local friends had never visited this place. After I highly recommended it to them, they all went and thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent about two hours exploring the galleries, and it's clear the curators put an immense amount of effort into the displays. I highly recommend this museum to both locals and tourists alike!

What a great experience, I hey have done this well! The exhibitions are modern and engaging. The…read morestaff are courteous and friendly. You can spend hours here learning about all the history.

I have to admitted... I loved this museum. I went to the museum with my 4 year old and we had a…read moreblast! We spent over 3 hours having fun. We went on a Thursday morning and there was a large group of school kids touring the museum. They were very organized and polite. We did not mind, we appreciated the interaction with other kids. The museum has multiple floors and manny exhibits. Some of our favorites was the electricity exhibit, telecommunications and home technology. However, the 3 floor exhibit is specially built for young children. They have a large construction site role play where kids build houses or buildings.They use foam walls and pretend cranes. It has a capacity of 25 kids and they limit the amount of time each kid spends playing in this exhibit; rewardless, this was my daughters' favorite exhibit. Do not miss this museum specially if you have children, they will love it. If you go on Wednesdays, cover charge is free.

If I were a child, I'd gladly come here. But alas, I am not…read more Being an adult doesn't allow you to play with the attractions due to the amount of children in the vicinity. It's neat to learn about things when you read them and interact with them, but there are just way too many children running around and pushing for a turn at a driving simulator. You would think the Science museum would be much more fun than the History museum, but I guess being an adult changes your mind set. Other than that, it's neat to walk through at least. There's a "World or Mirrors" which encompasses a bunch of mirrors and some illusions, there are some photos of Hong Kong, simulators, and other neat science experiment-like stuff. Come on Wednesdays for free!

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 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.

This was actually the first time I visited this, and while I may have know about it when I was last…read morehere, something like 10 years ago, I never got around to visiting it. It is pretty cool though, and there are two main rooms, one that deals with space flight, and the idea of going to Mars (which will be difficult since Mars doesn't have a magnetic field so the whole idea of terraforming it is a pipe dream) is there, as well as a lot of information on Chinese space exploration. The other room deals with the solar system. It is pretty much just lots of fancy displays, and some interesting science things (such as how heavy a 1kg block is on different planets). They also have shows, but they cost extra.

We're in Hong Kong visiting and decided to come here to visit the Hong Kong Space museum. For $10…read moreHKD admission fee it was definitely worth a visit. My boys had a great time exploring and so much to see and do. It's nice and cool inside on this humid hot summer day here. You get to learn so much about the space well, hence the name space museum. I highly recommend this place for the amount of money and education. My kids had a great time!

What's better than finding a museum to visit on a rainy day? Finding a FREE museum to visit!…read more The Hong Kong Museum of Art was the perfect place to escape the rain, with multiple floors of both permanent and rotating art exhibits. The museum contains a wide variety of styles, from modern art installations to 17th century Cantonese porcelain. Our favorite exhibit was the calligraphy display. Every room and floor had multiple staff members for security and to answer any questions. Once we had had our fill of the incredible pieces, we enjoyed the harbor views at the back of the building. Definitely worth your time when you're in HK!

The HK Museum of Art is one of the best museums to visit. It has a good size collection of classic…read moreand modern art. We especially loved the representation from local artist, amazing pieces capturing the history and richness of Hong Kong's past. The exhibits were well laid out and not overwhelming and offered a distinct and engaging experience. We also found out that the museums in HK are totally free thanks to an endowment. We would have paid for admissions tickets but it's really nice that they make art free for all. The next time you're in HK in the TST area, I highly recommend paying a stop at the Museum of Art.

An outstanding historical and culinary experience in Hong Kong!!! If you have some history here and…read moreenjoy seeing it presented well - you've got to drop in here. The museum is very well done and the coffee shop is one of the best I've visit in all of HK!!!!

I've visited this exhibit twice in my life now (more than a decade apart) and would go back with…read moreothers who want to learn more about Dr. Sun Yat Sen. The location is sort of difficult to reach as it is high up the hill especially if you have mobility issues or other restrictions that prevent walking easily. There is basically no other way to get here but by foot (of course after being either dropped off by taxi nearby or from the MTR Station at Central). The location used to be a mansion owned by a dear friend of Dr. Sun Yat Sen but had been bought and renovated to be a place of history dedicated to and in the memory of the father of China. The exhibit is staffed well by very knowledgeable personnel who are able to answer any questions you may have during your self-guided tour. The building spans a few floors and there is an elevator inside as well as the stairs so you can explore at your own pace. It is well air-conditioned and there is so much to learn about Dr. Sun Yat Sen's life from his very beginning as a child to how he became a doctor and a political leader, and to his death. If you're a history buff, I think it is a well-rounded and enjoyable experience. There is a video room that takes roughly 20 minutes to watch and has a handful of seats which is great to take a rest at before heading back on the streets. There are also well-maintained restrooms on the ground floor. Best of all, this remains free to the public. No photo or video is allowed inside the property.

The museum in my opinion was "so-so" as it pertains to the historical information and installation…read moreregarding Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Mostly photographs and informational displays with stories and words (probably not as good as other museum installations I have seen on Dr. Sun Yat-Sen in Taiwan or elsewhere), plus a few items of clothing, a short video and such. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen installation is on the top floor. The restored building dating back to 1914 that houses the museum was really quite special. I am glad when I see Hong Kong or private entity saves historic buildings like this. It is a former residence that is a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles. They show a 10 minute video on the restoration that was involved. It really is a beautiful building and for $10HKD, worth a pop into see.

This is now the second time that I have been to the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. I subscribe to…read moretheir e-mail info and they send out all the great news about upcoming exhibitions, installations, events, workshops, cultural movies, etc. that they have going on at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Located across the road from the Conrad hotel and around the bend from the British Consulate (or at least I think that is what that is), this is a great place to check out. The front desk staff has been super welcoming and friendly on my two visits and I was impressed with the art exhibitions we were able to see both times (Yoshitomo Nara and Bat Cave). The exhibition space is not large, so don't have the expectation that it is large like a multi-level museum. It is more like a one wing, one floor of a museum in size. Both exhibitions were also reasonably priced. The Bat Cave I saw today was $30HKD. This place not only showcases art, but has events, has a restaurant, has a history being a fortress of amunition back in the day, is an architecturally cool building to wander around, has feature films from time-to-time and also has a little gift shop. This is kind of a happening place!

Asia Society Center is definitely one of the rare successful cases in building conservation in Hong…read moreKong, a secluded sanctuary. Formerly being Victoria Barracks and Explosives Magazine that dates back to 1843, it is a Grade 1 Heritage site (highest) and was revitalized by the renowned Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Architects from New York. Exterior of the old military structures are mostly recovered, with minor alternations to improve weather tightness and allow air-conditioning. They are given a new use inside, housing exhibition spaces, lecture /theatre hall, etc. All new additions are less than three floors (you don't need to climb stairs that exhaust you), keeping the original horizontality of the place. You can see rail tracks in brown brass colour inscribed into the outdoor ground, which are the remains from the old magazine, for ease of transportation of the ammunitions by carts over rails. The green and grey tones of the stone used for the new building exudes a calming, almost meditative quality to the space. Connectivity between the scattered barracks and storage huts is enhanced by covered walkways echoing the 'heritage rail tracks', and especially by the newly added double-deck walkway, tying in the whole complex, the low and high block, the new and the old. Strolling through the building is like meandering through a series of routes with both permanent and temporarily installed artworks strategically placed along the way, reminding me of the experience of passing through a Suzhou Garden. I wonder if it is part of the inspiration for the designer? I particularly love the treatment of the upper deck of the walkway, where there is a lowered strip of bench seating along the edge. This allows you to stop anywhere along the way, and have a seat to savor in the view down at admiralty and even out to the sea over some of the rooftops. For the Center you can enter mostly for free except for some periodic special exhibitions (though I mostly go there for walks to enjoy the building itself instead), and if you feel like a drink, there is Ammo, a small yet refined bistro in the new block. (A stunner in interior design! For which I would have a separate review.) ( A little side note: Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Architects is the firm who designed the American Folk Art Museum in New York City right next to MOMA which, sadly, is to be demolished and make way for an extension of the MOMA, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) who's the designer behind the vibrant Highline Park in NYC. The decision is such a pity, even though I have much respect for DS+R as well... )