Hong Kong Science Museum

Science museum in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Science Museum

香港科學館

Exterior view

Location within Hong Kong

Established| 18 April 1991; 34 years ago (1991-04-18)
Location| 2 Science Museum Road Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Hong Kong
Coordinates| 22°18′04″N 114°10′39″E﻿ / ﻿22.301021°N 114.17751°E﻿ / 22.301021; 114.17751
Type| Science museum
Accreditation| Asia Pacific Network of Science & Technology Centres (ASPAC)
Visitors| 1,125,000 (2016)[1]
Director| Karen Sit
Curator| Paulina Chan
Ronne Yuen
Kelvin Chung
Architect| Palmer and Turner
Public transit access| Hung Hom station
Website| hk.science.museum
Hong Kong Science Museum

Traditional Chinese| 香港科學館
Simplified Chinese| 香港科学馆
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Xiānggǎng Kēxuéguǎn
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization| Hēung góng fō hohk gún
Jyutping| Hoeng1 gong2 fo1 hok6 gun2

The Hong Kong Science Museum is a public science museum in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong, located next to the Hong Kong Museum of History.

## History

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The Hong Kong Science Museum was first conceived by the Urban Council in 1976.[2] The council hired American firm E. Verner Johnson and Associates in 1984 to help plan the museum.[3] Three more design firms were later engaged to work on the exhibits: West Office Design, Toshihiko Sakow Associates, and Levy Design.[4] In 1986, the council hired Hong Kong architecture firm Palmer and Turner to design the museum.[3] It was built by Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited.

Construction began in March 1988 and was completed in November 1990.[3] The museum cost HK$340 million.[2] It was officially opened by Governor David Wilson and Urban Council Chairman H.M.G. Forsgate on 18 April 1991.[2]

In 2000, the Urban Council was disbanded, and management of the museum became the responsibility of the newly formed Leisure and Cultural Services Department.[5]

## Exhibits

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The museum has Cathay Pacific's first DC-3 airliner suspended from the ceiling.

The most popular exhibition items for children are a computer area, a real (but stationary) car in which visitors can attempt to drive in a driving simulation while avoiding accidents, speeding, and excessive fuel usage, and a small life-sized stationary aircraft with a video of a flight around Hong Kong playing inside the cockpit. Refreshments are provided at a small cafe.

About 500 exhibits are displayed in the permanent exhibition area. The most prominent exhibit is the 22-metre-high twin-tower Energy Machine which is the largest of its kind in the world. A total of 18 galleries cover a wide range of science and technology topics including light, sound, motion, electricity and magnetism, mathematics, life science, geography, meteorology, computer, transportation, communication, food science, energy/energy conservation and home technology. About 80 per cent of the exhibits are participatory so that visitors may learn through direct involvement.

The museum staff also performs live demonstrations daily, many of which are designed for younger visitors.

## List of Galleries

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### Ground Floor

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#### Biodiversity Gallery

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Opened in 2016, this gallery explores the flora and fauna that exist in different habitats as well as locally in Hong Kong. Visitors can also learn about genetics, evolution and microscopy.

On certain dates, 30-minute talks known as Biodiversity Workshops are delivered in the Nature Lab of this gallery.

#### Paleontology Gallery

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This gallery opened in 2023 as part of the museum's permanent exhibition renewal project and is also known as Extinction · Resilience. Around 80 to 100 fossils and replicas are housed in this gallery, with the main highlight being an almost complete Deinonychus fossil. Visitors can also view and interact with two dinosaur animatronics (a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Velociraptor).

#### Jockey Club Environmental Conservation Gallery

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A gallery consisting of interactive exhibits and games related to the causes of climate change and what humans can do to save the planet.

#### World of Mirrors

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A house of mirrors. Visitors can view and interact with mirrors to create interesting reflections.

#### Light

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A colorful gallery in which visitors are encouraged to explore the phenomena of light and colors through interactive exhibits.

#### Mathematics

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This gallery consists of multiple tables with brain teasers produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

#### Sound and Motion Hall

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Visitors can investigate the properties of sound and how objects move through interactive exhibits.

### First Floor

[edit]

#### Electricity and Magnetism Gallery

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#### Earth Science Gallery

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### Second Floor

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As of June 2025, the second floor is under renovation due to the permanent exhibition renewal project.

### Third Floor

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#### Children's Gallery

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### Former galleries

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As of June 2025, these galleries have either been replaced or are temporarily made unavailable due to the museum's permanent exhibition renewal project.

## Transportation

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The museum is within walking distance of Hung Hom station and East Tsim Sha Tsui station of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR).

## Future

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In late 2023, the Hong Kong government proposed to move the science museum to Sha Tin and use the site in Tsim Sha Tsui for a new museum that will promote the "development and achievements of China". The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau proposed that the new museum would improve teenagers' understanding of China by showcasing Chinese history, the Chinese Communist Party, "the establishment of the new China", Chinese economic reform, and national achievements.[6]

## See also

[edit]

* Hong Kong Science Park
* Hong Kong Space Museum
* List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
* List of museums in Hong Kong

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Statistics Report". Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
2. ^ a b c Green, Lisa (19 April 1991). "Governor opens Science Museum". South China Morning Post. p. 3.
3. ^ a b c "Developing new place of wonder". South China Morning Post. 19 April 1991. p. 59.
4. ^ Serjeant, John (19 April 1991). "Discoveries in a hi-tech wonderland". South China Morning Post. p. 57.
5. ^ "Our History". Hong Kong Science Museum. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
6. ^ "Hong Kong plans to replace science museum with new one focusing on national development". The Standard. 6 December 2023.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hong Kong Science Museum.

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Tsim Sha Tsui

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