5 of Hong Kong’s best unique museums that offer one-of-a-kind experiences
- Museums like M+ and Tai Kwun mark Hong Kong on the international cultural map, but there are many more-obscure institutions that offer unique experiences
- From the Hong Kong Railway Museum in Tai Po to the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in Sai Kung, here are some you should check out
Museums are an integral part of Hong Kong’s cultural scene. Institutions like Tai Kwun, in Central, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, in Tsim Sha Tsui, and the M+ museum of visual culture, in the West Kowloon Cultural District, all add to its vibrancy with the major exhibitions they curate or host.
But there are many smaller – even obscure – cultural treasure troves scattered around the city that not only feature one-of-a-kind artefacts but offer unique experiences.
Here are five under-the-radar museums you should check out.
1. Hong Kong Railway Museum
Tourists often marvel at the dependability and accessibility of Hong Kong’s MTR subway network, but that should not to be taken for granted – there was a time when the trains were steam-powered and passengers were issued paper tickets.
The Tai Po Market station building was erected in 1913 on what was then the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section). With its early-20th-century architectural style and traditional southern Chinese pitched roofs, the main building was declared a monument in 1984 and converted into a museum a year later.
The museum comprises an exhibition gallery, the old station ticket office and a signal box. On display are artefacts including old train tickets and model trains.