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SCMP Reporter

Hong Kong has its own unique culture and heritage although it  has a very short history compared with other cities. This week, we will go back in time and take a look at life during the  turbulent eras in Hong Kong history.

The  Hong Kong Museum of History (http://www.lcsd.gov. hk/CE/Museum/History/e- home.html) in Tsim Sha Tsui is a good place to start.

The  bilingual Web site provides comprehensive information on the museum. Since its establishment in 1975, the museum  has been  collecting, conserving, processing, studying and displaying cultural objects which are closely related to the archaeology, history, ethnography and natural history of Hong Kong and the South China area.

It also  organises various  general activities and academic extension activities to raise public interest in the city's history and heritage.

A special exhibition called  'Encounter with Hong Kong's Past: History through the Museum's Collection' (http:// www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/ History/e-hkmoh/bodytop_ exhibitions.html) is now on.

It features about 500 artefacts selected from the museum's four major collections -  archaeology, natural history, ethnography and local history.

Displays include  archaeological finds, rock and animal specimens, daily necessities, industrial products and items related to  topics such as  Chinese weddings, traditional trades and crafts and commerce and finance.

The exhibition also features special attractions  collected from various government departments prior to the  handover and items  related to the handover ceremony.

To learn more about the four areas of collections, go to the collections section (http://www. lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/ History/e-hkmoh/bodytop _collections.html).

The site also features three other museums -  the Lei Cheng  Uk Han Tomb Museum (http:// www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/ Museum/History/e-lei/body. html), the Law Uk Folk Musuem (http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ CE/Museum/History/e-law/ body.html) and the recently opened Hong Kong Museum of  Coastal Defence (http://www. lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/ History/e-hkmocd/body.html).

The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence is the first of its kind to feature the history of Hong Kong's coastal defence.

Located at the site of the cen tury-old  Lei Yue Mun Fort in Shau Kei Wan, the museum aims  to preserve  historical structures and relics, and, through  exhibitions and educational activities, to promote public interest in and understanding of Hong Kong's  history of  coastal defence.

The  tunnels inside the fort have been  converted into exhibition galleries to display the history of coastal defence,  covering the Ming and Qing periods, the British rule period, the Japanese invasion and the period after the resumption of Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong.

Other historical military structures at  the site, such as the  Brennan Torpedo Station,  have been restored to form a Historical Trail to help visitors learn about their past roles in defence at Lei Yue Mun.

The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum in Cheung Sha Wan is the only Eastern Han Dynasty  brick tomb ever found in Hong Kong.  It was discovered in 1955 when the Government was levelling a hillslope at Lei Cheng Uk Village for the construction of resettlement buildings.

Many of us may not know that the trading of antiques was an important business in the early '60s. It is  one of the oldest industries in Hong Kong.

Most of the antique shops in Hong Kong are  located in Upper and Lower Lascar Row, Lok Ku Road and Hollywood Road.

There are also a few in  Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon.

The CoolAntique site (http://www.coolantique.com/) introduces the antique industry in Hong Kong. It is a portal site which includes news (http:// www.coolantique.com/news. html), special reviews, discussions, exhibition information and columns to boost the public's knowledge of  Chinese antiques.

The columns (http:// www.coolantique.com/ column.html) feature information on how the streets got their names and  on antique assessment services.

In the early '50s and '60s, there were not many Cantonese songs. Listening to the radio was a major form if entertainment.   To learn more about radio  shows,  go to http://listen.to/ hongkongmanclub

Watching movies from different eras is the best way to see how the times have changed.  There are some good Web sites on Hong Kong movies,  such as ChinaStar (http://www. chinastar.com.hk/), Hong Kong Film Archieve (http://www.lcsd. gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/ HKFA/indexc.html), Hong Kong Movieworld (http://www.movie world.com.hk/zine/Moviebase/ index-b5.shtml) and Hong Kong Films (http://www.hkfilms.com).

Graphic: YPWWWGLO



Fun Web sites offer information on local history and heritage