Museums in late colonial Hong Kong

Abstract

This thesis explores the history of museums in late colonial Hong Kong. It traces and examines the death, rebirth, and growth of Hong Kong’s museums from the closure of the city’s first public museum in 1933 to the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997. During this sixty-year period, the number of public museums in Hong Kong rose from zero to nearly twenty. Nevertheless, this was not a smooth and gradual progress. The revival of government museum services began only in the early 1960s. By studying government records, museum publications, newspapers, and the accounts of curators and officials, this thesis investigates how the colonial authorities planned and directed museum development and what the museums collected and exhibited.

This thesis argues that museums in late colonial Hong Kong were politically charged. They emerged as tools for the colonial authorities to secure and facilitate their rule. Following the 1966 Star Ferry riots and the 1967 leftist riots, the colonial government and the Urban Council actively expanded museum services to appease the public. They also used museums to foster a Hong Kong identity in order to undermine anti-colonial sentiment and stimulate a sense of belonging. Nevertheless, the progress of Hong Kong’s museum scene was not entirely the result of top-down political initiatives. Different members of the local community, including politicians, businessmen, and curators, contributed to the colony’s museum development as well. Through museums, this thesis reveals the ruling strategies of the colonial authorities, especially how they manipulated culture to their benefits. It also throws light on the relationship and interactions between culture and the wider political and social situations in late colonial Hong Kong.