Hong Kong’s HK$3.5 billion version of the Palace Museum in Beijing is nearing completion and expected to open to the public by summer 2022.
Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said the new museum is set to open this summer as a “gift” to residents to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China.
“The exact opening date will depend on our exhibits and the progress of the interior construction,” she said (via South China Morning Post).
Fung said the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which broke ground in 2018, is “hoping to offer this gift to Hongkongers on the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover”.
900 artefacts from Beijing’s Palace Museum
Unlike the M+ museum, which opened last year, the Hong Kong Palace Museum is thinking about charging entrance fees in its first year of operations.
“The expenses of the Palace Museum are a little higher because of the insurance and loan fees, so there is a lot of financial pressure, so we tend to consider charging fees,” she said.
More than 900 artefacts from Beijing’s Palace Museum will be showcased in the museum, which covers an area of 13,000 square metres. Forbidden City-inspired artworks by local contemporary artists will also be on display.
“The exhibition planning is very complicated, it involves a huge amount of relics from Beijing,” said Louis Ng Chi-wa, director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum.
“Their importance, high value, large number and logistics means exhibition work requires careful planning.”
The museum will house nine exhibition galleries, as well as a 400-seat auditorium, a learning and innovation centre, and F&B outlets.
“This is the first time that such a large scale of relics will be moved out of the Palace Museum since its establishment in 1925,” Ng added.
“We have to be extremely careful. After dealing with things such as logistics, manpower, fitting-out and technology, we will reveal the list of the relics as soon as possible.”
Images: Palace Museum
