Hong Kong Palace Museum could open in summer as ‘gift’ to residents to celebrate city’s handover
- Museum is considering charging entrance fees, according to Betty Fung, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority’s chief executive officer
- Seven-storey museum is replica of Beijing’s Palace Museum located in the Forbidden City
The Hong Kong version of Beijing’s Palace Museum is expected to open this summer as a “gift” to residents to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China, the overseeing arts hub authority has revealed.
Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, chief executive officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, on Tuesday said it was considering charging entrance fees for the Hong Kong Palace Museum to cover expenses.
Fung said construction was mostly completed and work was continuing on decorating the interior. The museum is expected to open on time after three years of construction.
“The exact opening date will depend on our exhibits and the progress of the interior construction,” she said.
“Our teams, such as our colleagues at the Hong Kong Palace Museum and our architects and construction team from the mainland, saw the construction as our sacred mission, hoping to offer this gift to Hongkongers on the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover.”
Fung added that unlike M+ museum in the same area, the Hong Kong Palace Museum would not offer free entry in the first year of operation and details would be announced by the end of this month.
“The M+ museum has its own collections, and through its HK$21.6 billion [US$2.75 billion] grant, it has been able to acquire collections and make donations, so in terms of operating costs, it is not as big as the Hong Kong Palace Museum,” she said.
