The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government plans to establish a museum of the development and achievements of our country in the town centre of Kwu Tung North, within the Northern Metropolis, to strengthen citizens' identification with the nation and its outstanding traditional culture, and to comprehensively present to the public the history and materials of the country's development.
Wen Wei Po has learned exclusively that the Policy Address to be delivered next week by Chief Executive John Lee will announce that, in order to promote patriotic education, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is in discussion with institutions such as the National Museum of China and the Museum of the Communist Party of China on planning the National Development and Achievements Museum. The museum will showcase, in dedicated exhibition halls, the country's major developments and achievements in various fields including science and technology, culture, and sports, while also highlighting Hong Kong's unique advantages and its important role in integrating into and serving the overall national development.
It is understood that museums under the LCSD will hold large-scale special exhibitions on national development and achievements next year, and will cooperate with cultural and museum institutions on the mainland to enhance curatorial richness and surrounding activities.
In his 2023 Policy Address, John Lee proposed setting up a museum on national development and achievements, and later decided in late 2024 to locate it in the town centre of Kwu Tung North in the Northern Metropolis. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Rosanna Law, said in June this year that the Architectural Services Department is conducting a feasibility study on the construction works, and the government is also actively discussing the curation of the museum with relevant national museums.
Sources indicate that the upcoming Policy Address next week will announce that the LCSD is in discussion with the National Museum of China, the Museum of the Communist Party of China, and others on the planning of the museum, which will feature dedicated halls showcasing the nation's major developments and achievements in science, technology, culture, sports, and other areas. Museums under the LCSD will also host large-scale thematic exhibitions on national development and achievements next year.
Eliza Chan hopes museum becomes "second classroom" to nurture youth's national sentiment
Eliza Chan, head of the Patriotic Education Working Group, said in an exclusive interview with Wen Wei Po yesterday that the dedicated museum will be a milestone for patriotic education in Hong Kong, and is expected to become an extremely valuable patriotic education base, allowing citizens—especially young people—to gain an up‑close and comprehensive understanding of the nation's journey of struggle and its glorious achievements. She expressed hope that future exhibitions will cover a number of representative areas, such as the aerospace field (including the Chang'e lunar exploration programme and the manned spaceflight project), major sporting events and achievements in sports development, as well as themes of technological self‑reliance, cultural heritage and innovation. These could be presented through replicas, models, multimedia, and other diverse formats, giving tangible form to the grand narrative of development.
Regarding educational support, she hopes the museum can serve as a "second classroom" for schools, offering activities such as junior docent programmes, thematic lectures, and workshops. It could also draw on existing cultural‑museum cooperation experience to develop mobile digital exhibition kits that bring part of the content to schools in different districts. She suggested that the museum should, through vivid and interactive formats, transform the grand narrative of national development into a tangible, sensory visiting experience. She believes the museum can strengthen collaboration with museums in the Greater Bay Area and national‑level museums, drawing on established cooperation models in the cultural and museum sectors—including exhibit loans, joint curation of thematic travelling exhibitions, and sharing of digital exhibition resources. "This can both enrich the exhibition content and fully leverage Hong Kong's unique advantage as a centre for cultural and artistic exchange between China and the rest of the world, helping to tell China's story to the world," she said.
LegCo member suggests integration into Citizenship and Chinese History curricula
Ken Wong, a Hong Kong delegate to the National People's Congress and a Legislative Council member, said that the museum's location in Kwu Tung North, adjacent to the mainland, symbolises Hong Kong's active integration into the national development landscape. Cooperation with top mainland institutions such as the National Museum of China can, through precious exhibits and immersive experiences, transform abstract knowledge of national conditions into a personal and tangible experience, effectively stimulating young people's national pride and fostering a sense of national identity and belonging. He suggested that the Education Bureau should, in future, deeply integrate the museum's resources with the regular curriculum, especially incorporating museum content into subjects such as Citizenship and Social Development, Chinese History, and History.
Legislative Council member Michael Lee, who has long followed the museum's development, believes the museum should cover aerospace achievements such as the successful Tianwen‑2 asteroid exploration mission, and major sporting events like the 15th National Games co‑hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. He expects the museum to enhance citizens' understanding of the Communist Party of China, especially its people‑centred governance philosophy.
He added that Kwu Tung North is the first new development area within the Northern Metropolis to enter the construction phase, and will have convenient transport links in the future, close to multiple border checkpoints, which is expected to attract a large number of visitors from both Hong Kong and the mainland.
Proposal to draw from "Road to Rejuvenation" exhibition and create immersive experiences
Regarding cooperation models, he suggested that the museum could learn from the curatorial experience of the National Museum of China's "Road to Rejuvenation" exhibition, which systematically displays the course of the Chinese nation's rejuvenation. It could also refer to the use of multimedia and interactive technology in the exhibition techniques of the Museum of the Communist Party of China to enhance the immersive experience for visitors.
He also recommended that a dedicated team be formed to coordinate with various provinces and cities to thoroughly sort out the cultural arts, customs, and historical heritage across the country, allowing visitors to truly understand the cultural connotations behind them. At the same time, leveraging Hong Kong's international platform, these cultural elements could be promoted to the rest of the world.
Ho Hon-kuen, chairman of the Education Council and principal of the National History Education Centre, pointed out that the People's Republic of China has achieved remarkable accomplishments since its founding. The dedicated museum can not only showcase the new China with its heritage and legal foundations, but also organically integrate national history, culture, and national conditions education.
He suggested that the SAR government should step up publicity for the museum, attracting visitors not only from Hong Kong and the mainland but also from around the world.
(Source: Wen Wei Po | Editor: Liu Yu)
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