Hong Kong Museum of History
Museo de Historia de Hong Kong
Hong Kong Museum of History (100 Chatham Road, South Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong) – this museum has life-size dioramas that include village houses and a Central shopping area from the colonial period. The ground food’s Folk Culture section contains an overview on the history & customs of Hong Kong’s major ethnic grounds. Meanwhile, the upstairs level has galleries detailing the Opium Wars and the early days of colonial-era Hong Kong. There are also compelling sections that cover the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, and life there during the 1960s. Admission: HK$10 (free on Wednesdays).
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Museo del Patrimonio de Hong Kong
Hong Kong Heritage Museum (1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong) – Located within a wooded setting just out of view of Sha Tin’s towering housing complexes, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is patterned after the traditional si he yuan; a compound of harmoniously blended houses built around a central courtyard.
But people don’t just come here for the quaint architecture; the extensive museum is divided into 12 exhibition galleries, each a treasure trove of relics that express the history, culture and arts of early Hong Kong and the nearby South China region. Notable features include a collection of beautiful Chinese paintings by the acclaimed artist Zhao Shao’ang, and a comprehensive and colorful exhibition tracing the development of Cantonese opera.
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Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center
Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center
Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre (Kowloon Park, Haiphong Road, Ysim Sha Tsui, Kowloon) — The popular green hideout in densely populated Kowloon was once military property. What were blocks S61 and S62 of the former Whitfield Barracks are now occupied by the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, which promotes the city’s history and culture. The barracks were built in 1910 and used to accommodate British troops right up until the land was handed over to the Government for public use in 1967. By preserving these two historical buildings, the Centre is also a tribute to sustainable architecture in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Film Archive
Archivo de películas de Hong Kong
Hong Kong Film Archive (50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong Island) – with a vibrant film industry of its own, it’s no surprise that this archive exists. There are four floors dedicated to state-of-the-art film storage and preservation, exhibitions and screenings of old Hong Kong classics and films from around the world. Head here to catch rarely seen flicks or just to soak in the magic of Hong Kong’s glamorous cinema history. Film buffs beware – you might never get out of the Resource Centre, which houses voluminous books, magazines, newspapers and audio-visual materials. The archive helps to preserve the rich heritage of Hong Kong cinema with the support of the industry and the public.
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Centro de convenciones y exposiciones de Hong Kong
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island) — With its vast curtain of glass and 40,000 square-meter aluminum roof sculpted to echo a seabird soaring in flight, the striking Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is a major landmark on the Hong Kong Island skyline. Known worldwide as HKCEC, this harbor-front expansion used top-down construction techniques to meet a challenge of limited land supply; its highly innovative methods winning many industry accolades.
Hong Kong Arts Centre
Centro de Artes de Hong Kong
Hong Kong Arts Centre (2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) – this Arts Centre holds a variety of events (for both children and adults). It also has several galleries (such as the Goethe Institute, a movie theater, and two performing art spaces.
A Symphony of Lights
Una sinfonía de luces
A Symphony of Lights (buildings on both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon) – this is a spectacle one will likely encounter only in Hong Kong. A Symphony of Lights is a nightly multimedia show which involves more than 40 buildings on both sides of the harbor.
Dubbed the ‘World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show’ by Guinness World Records, colored lights, laser beams and searchlights perform in an unforgettable all-round spectacle synchronized to music and narration that celebrates the energy, spirit and diversity of Hong Kong. There are five main themes: Awakening, Energy, Heritage, Partnership, and the finale, Celebration.
One can listen to the show’s music and English narration nightly live along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront between the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the promenade outside the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night, and on radio every night on 103.4FM along the harbor front or by calling 35 665 665 (usual service charges apply).
1881 Heritage
1881 Heritage
1881 Heritage (2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon) — A visit to 1881 Heritage will transport you to Victorian-era Hong Kong. From the 1880s to 1996, this was the headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police. Several buildings and artifacts of historical interest have been preserved and restored, and the site now features a shopping mall, a heritage hotel, and an exhibition hall.
Visitors can shop for international fashion brands and enjoy fine dining on the grounds where pirates were incarcerated and a daily signal was watched by ships in the harbor as they prepared for long and treacherous trans-global journeys. Tradition and innovation, past and present, 1881 Heritage is a real Hong Kong experience. Free guided tours of 1881 Heritage can be booked by calling: +852 2926 8000.
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Armani / Privé
Armani / Privé
Armani/Privé (2/F Chater House, 8 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong) — Imagine Giorgio Armani’s own exclusive nightclub where Milan’s fashion crowd play. Imagine no more – Armani/Privé has arrived in Hong Kong – following its success in Milan, Tokyo and Dubai. Hong Kong’s Armani/Privé has two avant-garde faces – an up-beat lounge club where the glitterati play late into the night to the latest DJ vibes, and a chill-out rooftop terrace with electric skyscraper city views..
Bistecca Italian Steak House
Bistecca Italian Steak House
Bistecca Italian Steak House (2/F, Grand Progress Building, 15-16 Lan Kwai Fong, Central Hong Kong) – this restaurant attracts those who want a break from the usual dim sum and other Chinese meals. Tuscan steakhouse Bistecca means business when it comes to its meat! The open kitchens are separated from the buzzing dining area by a glass-fronted butchers’ counter fridge laden with various cuts of steak, whilst your placemats come illustrated with a diagram of a cow showing exactly where your chosen piece of beef comes from. Your chosen steak is then charcoal grilled, drizzled with Tuscan olive oil and lemon (that’s a Bistecca steak at the top of this article!) and served up on a rustic wooden board with a mound of rock salt and little white porcelain pots of sauce (the chianti mustard is our top pick).
Be sure not to miss out on the incredible Zucchini fries – be warned though, they’re dangerously moreish! An impressive array of Italian desserts (including unusual homemade ice-creams and sorbets, like grapefruit Campari or olive oil!) is available for those with room after all the meaty indulgence. Bistecca is a little slice of Northern Italy right in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong district.
