We were down at the piers the other day and just found it impossible to travel out to one of the outlaying islands.
There were just too many people in line to head over to Mui Wo.
There were too many people heading out to Chaung Chau.
Ping Chau was also forming a line.
And Lamma is always popular for people to head to.
So, we turned around and headed towards the TST Ferry terminal before my husband got the brilliant idea to check out the Maritime Museum.
The Hong Kong Maritime Museum is just next to the TST Ferry Terminal. It is a privately owned museum, so it doesn't accommodate the Museum Pass, which was fine because the admission fee was only $15 HKD a person.
Hong Kong Maritime Museum Information:
Central Pier No. 9
Hong Kong
Open
Mondays - Fridays from 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Saturdays, Sundays, Public Holidays from 10 am - 7 pm
Right now, one of the main exhibits is called Made in Hong Kong: Our City, Our Stories.
The Made in Hong Kong exhibit is pretty awesome. It goes through a timeline of when Hong Kong used to be a large exporter of toys, chinaware, and furniture to becoming the financial/service-based epicenter that it is today. The exhibit also looks at how Hong Kong changed from the time it was a British colony, which is always amazing to see.
Beyond this exhibit the museum carries a great number of galleries and collections.
There was an interactive corner, where people could learn to play Jungle.
One of my favorite parts of the museum was viewing the model ships. There were model ships in the Carrying People and the Hong Kong Ships and Shipyards exhibits. There were more, for sure, but those are the two that I remembered.
Looking at the details is just amazing. It makes me wonder if I could ever have the patience to put something of a smaller scale and skill level together!
Pictured below, my husband pointed out that there was trade between Hong Kong and Honolulu way back in the day. It's amazing seeing documents that are this old still intact.
Two other great gallery, in my opinion, were the Maritime Communications and the Navigation and Meteorology galleries. They had a morse code simulation game that was quite fun to have a go at. It was also great seeing the instruments used in maritime communications. It totally gave me a Star Trek or Sea Quest moment turning those knobs and flipping those switches.
One section that I think fit in so incredibly well with the museum was the gallery on conservation of the marine ecosystem. This actually re-inflated my push to be more of a conscious consumer. We do recycle, but that shouldn't be enough.
I also thought this gallery was an amazing way to introduce children to the impacts of littering. There are photos on the back wall of this gallery that show how animals are being hurt by plastics and also emphasizing the fact that we are all able and capable of doing something to prevent these things.
It was another awesome gallery to walk through.
At the lower level of the museum were a lot of the galleries that dealt with the history of Hong Kong's trade (pirates, junk boats, imports/exports).
The things I loved about these galleries were the fact that told stories. It was a great way to present history. There were stories of how the pirates would go undercover as friendly vessels and lure ships to them.
Through viewing these galleries it was also awesome to see the attitudes and stereotype of people back in the day. I mean, there was a poster (pictured below) of a Chinese tea merchant advertising for the United Kingdom Tea Company that made me think of stereotypes of Chinese men being illustrated as "exotic" but in a villainous way, in my opinion.
Again, these galleries were a great way to be reintroduced to a lot of history and started a number of great conversations on how much the world has changed.
We ended the morning with a late bite at the White Beard Fish N Chips place: Delicious, fun music, and great location!
Nothing is better than filling your stomach with some good ole fish n chips and a corn dog.
…another great unexpected find in Hong Kong…I totally suggest checking out this museum when in the area!
