Museum Summit puts Hong Kong on world map

Hong Kong is home to some 70 museums, and their treasures combined make for a respectable collection of cultural artefacts. Still, Hong Kong cannot yet be considered among the world’s great museum cities.

Now, the recently concluded Museum Summit has certainly put the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) firmly on the world’s museum map.

Out of the brainstorming efforts of heritage administrators was born this global event that attracted like-minded top executives and curators to converge on the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai late last month. This is the first-ever event of its kind in Hong Kong.

Chan Shing-wai, Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), recalled: “About a year ago, we at the LCSD were engaged in planning an event in the heritage and museum field which would help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR.”

The resulting Museum Summit, carrying the theme “Museums in a New Era”, was organised by the LCSD in association with Beijing’s Palace Museum.