Hong Kong Maritime Museum 香港海事博物館
- First opened in 2005 in Stanley
- Now located at Central Pier 8 in Central
- Museum dedicated to Hong Kong's maritime history and culture
- 1,200 exhibits on three floors
- Pleasant Cafe 8 on the top floor with great views
The Hong Kong Maritime Museum in Central is housed on three floors of Pier 8 overlooking Victoria Harbour.
The museum, a registered charity, first opened in 2005 in Murray House in Stanley.
It moved to its present location in 2013.
Highlights of the museum include a ceramic model of a 2,000-year-old boat from the Han Dynasty and an early 19th century, 18-metre long, ink-painting scroll, Pacifying the South China Sea.
The Rifleman's Bolt is also an historic exhibit at the museum. It was used by H.M. Surveying Vessel Rifleman in 1866 and was set in a block of granite at what was the Royal Naval Dockyard. The bolt was used as a benchmark reference for all subsequent heights and levels measured on land in Hong Kong.
Exhibits
The museum displays 1,200 exhibits on three floors in 15 galleries.
The first floor (C-Deck) explores the early history of Hong Kong and its development and rise from a small fishing port to a metropolis.
Paintings and screens from the period as well as a number of beautifully-made model ships give a flavor of times past. There are exhibits on creating Victoria Harbour, the battle against sea pirates and the China Trade (Canton Trade) with Europe.
B-Deck on the second floor has a variety of exhibits ranging from maritime safety to shipyards to underwater exploration. Science on a Sphere shows the effects of human activities and climate change on the oceans.
On display are deep sea divers' equipment, models of modern container ships and historic figureheads. There's a viewing gallery here, too, with spectacular views of Victoria Harbour.
On the third floor (A-Deck) there are galleries devoted to communications, hydrology, meteorology and navigation. All are essential studies for seafaring and long-distance ocean travel. There are lots of hands-on exhibits as well as more standard glass-case displays. There are historic globes, 19th century undersea cables and a simulator of a modern ship's bridge.
Cafe 8 is here on the rooftop. As well as the cafe there is also a gift shop on the Pier 8 footbridge.
Access - Getting to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum
Take an MTR to Central Station (Exit A) or any of the following buses: CityBus 7, 11, 12, 511, 629, 780, 780P, First Bus 3A, 4X, 15, 15C, 25, 91, 94, 307, 722, Kowloon Motor Bus Company 603 and mini buses 22S and 54.
From the adjacent Pier 7 the iconic Star Ferry plies across Victoria Harbour.
Other ferries leaving for Kowloon and other islands in Hong Kong include boats to Park Island (Pier 2), Discovery Bay (Pier 3), Lamma Island (Pier 4), Cheung Chau & Peng Chau (Pier 5) and Mui Wo (Pier 6).
By tram get off at Pedder Street and take the skywalk.
Hong Kong Maritime Museum
Central Pier No. 8, Hong Kong
Tel: 3713 2500
www: hkmaritimemuseum.org
Hours: Monday-Friday 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays 10 am to 7 pm.
Other Museums in Hong Kong
Other worthwhile museums and art galleries in Hong Kong are the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Museum of History, the Space Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, the Sun Yat Sen Museum and the Museum of Medical Sciences.
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