Hong Kong Museum of History

The Museum of History in Tsim Sha Tsui East holds the main public collection covering the natural history, archaeology, ethnography and social history of Hong Kong, and for two decades its permanent exhibition, The Hong Kong Story, walked visitors through everything from the geology of the territory to reconstructed streets of shophouses, a fishing junk and a traditional Punti and Hakka display. That gallery closed in 2020 for a long redevelopment and reopened on 1 April 2026 as a new permanent exhibition of ten galleries with over 2,800 exhibits, free to enter; accounts written between those dates describe a museum with its main display shut. Temporary exhibitions run alongside and are often strong.

History

The museum was established by the Urban Council in July 1975, when the City Museum and Art Gallery of 1962 was split in two. From 1975 to 1983 it was housed in a rented space of 700 m2 in Star House, in 1983 it moved to a temporary home in Kowloon Park, and in 1998 it moved again to its permanent building on Chatham Road South, opposite the Science Museum (Wikipedia, Hong Kong Museum of History).

Highlights

• The Hong Kong Story - the permanent exhibition reopened in April 2026, with ten galleries and over 2,800 exhibits.
• Ethnographic material - Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo collections.
• Natural history and archaeology - the territory before the city.
• Temporary exhibitions - a changing programme alongside the permanent display.

When to go

Year round. Two to three hours. Closed Tuesdays. The permanent gallery reopened in April 2026.

Before you go

The permanent exhibition that reopened in April 2026 is a new display, so descriptions of the old Hong Kong Story no longer match what is shown. Some temporary exhibitions are ticketed. The building is dated.

Nearby

The Science Museum is adjacent; Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront lies west.

Key facts