Museum and cultural identity – Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Abstract

To sustain a city’s values and to harmonize its communities, it is believed that museum collections can help the community to understand and construct their own cultural identity. This study is an examination of the analysis and critique found in the Hong Kong Heritage Museum on its effectiveness to shape Hong Kong people’s identity. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum which was established and opened in 2000, is the latest public museum about culture and heritage under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The Heritage Museum is comparatively rich and diverse in museum collections, with a relevance to different communities in Hong Kong. In order to examine the success of the Museum in constructing people’s cultural identity, quantitative questionnaires and qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted to collect relevant data. Investigation found that permanent exhibitions curated by the Museum can both address and trigger visitors’ memories and past history. The Museum’s intention to foster a local identity within a larger sense of Chinese nationalism is also discussed. In closing, recommendations are made for the Heritage Museum. By utilizing resources more wisely by putting more focus on intangible cultural heritage and on Hong Kong’s colonial heritages, Hong Kong citizens can better relate to the objects and the Museum can fit its mission statement.