Currently, there are about 60 museums in Hong Kong, which are mainly run publicly. The West Kowloon Cultural District has built two flagship-level museums, that is, M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum. However, as a whole, Hong Kong has a scarcity of museums, reflected by the fact that with a population of 7.3 million, Hong Kong has only 60 museums, while London, with a population of 9.5 million, has 214 museums, 3.5 times that of Hong Kong, and New York City, with a population of 8.8 million, operates 145 museums, 2.5 times that of Hong Kong. Therefore, it is apparent that Hong Kong lags behind other metropolises in this respect.
The strategies for museums in Hong Kong remain in the model of the ’90s; that is to say, they are mostly subject to management of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), while any international metropolis in the real sense must support open and diversified museum policies, laying emphasis both on quality and quantity. For instance, Tokyo once had 1,000 types of museums of various scales. Japan has developed a complete set of museum licensing and development strategy.
Recent years have witnessed the sharp ascending number of museums on the Chinese mainland for several reasons, among which are favorable government policies that encourage private-run museums and commercially operated cultural facilities, including museums. For instance, both the Shanghai and Shenzhen municipal governments have formulated development strategies for museums. The Shenzhen municipal government has facilitated the development or setup of nearly 20 museums of different types.
Instead of being simply an arts venue, museums are bound with several orientations and strategies. The first one is the development of cultural identity; the second is the national culture education; the third is the provision of tourism resources; and the fourth is the promotion of the expansion and development of urban public space.
Tourists will not only come to Hong Kong for shopping, but also to visit museums. The same is true in Japan and on the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong needs a museum policy to develop a better and more-sustainable tourism ecology
ALSO READ: HK's cultural prowess breaks through yoke of pandemic
Considering the four aspects, it seems that Hong Kong belittles museums. For example, although the Police Museum on Coombe Road, Wan Chai Gap, The Peak, has rich materials, it occupies a pitiful area, only 570 square meters, which is not directly proportional to the 178-year history of the police.
Why not turn the Tai Kwun in the Central district into the Police Museum? Only with such a scale can it reflect the influence of police on Hong Kong in the real sense. Another example given is the history of transportation in Hong Kong, with trams, buses, rickshaws, minibuses, etc. London has a wonderful London Transport Museum, but Hong Kong lacks such a facility.
Hong Kong has no long-term museum strategy, neither museum-related regulations, nor blueprint for museum development. Museums in Hong Kong still remain in a form of social service, underestimating the potential of museums as tourism resources.
Tourists will not only come to Hong Kong for shopping, but also to visit museums. The same is true in Japan and on the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong needs a museum policy to develop a better and more-sustainable tourism ecology.
ALSO READ: Bridging a gap between East and West
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government should study the strategies and models of other major international cities for museums and facilitate the Museum Development Plan and Ordinance.
In future real estate development projects, the government should encourage the development of part of the commercial spaces into museums. Only by conducting a comprehensive study and analysis of all materials, data and indexes to formulate an all-around museum development strategy can we successfully develop the museum ecology of Hong Kong.
To establish Hong Kong as a “hub for arts and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world” under the national 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), it is imperative for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to develop a long-term strategy on museum development, with the objective of telling the Hong Kong SAR’s stories and China’s stories well.
READ MORE: Art House
For example, there is a robust Chinese ink-painting community in Hong Kong. Why don’t the LCSD, M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum take it as a focus? And why don’t we set up a Chinese ink-painting museum, and perhaps a museum on Hong Kong’s kung fu culture? These would be good platforms for “telling the Hong Kong SAR’s stories and China’s stories well”.
The author is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and artistic director of Zuni Icosahedron.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.