The Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre, a centre aiming to enhance awareness of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage objects and traditions (such as performing arts, festival and social rituals, oral legends, craftsmanship, and even food), will fully open to the public tomorrow, November 4 after an exhibition revamp.
The Intangible Cultural Heritage advisory committee released the first Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014 following a citywide survey. Among the 480 items on the inventory were the Dragon Boat Festival, the fisherman’s dialect, and the technique for making Hong Kong-style milk tea.
Revitalization work focused on restructuring the exhibition hall, row houses, dwellings, and activity rooms of Sam Tung Uk Museum where the centre is located, which was converted into a museum from a 200-year-old Hakka walled village in 1987. More multimedia elements like atmospheric sounds have been added, so visitors can expect to hear the chatter and music associated with different exhibitions.
Two new immersive exhibitions called Lost and Sound II & III highlight festival rituals like hand puppet Cantonese opera, craftsmanship like making the lion heads for the lion dance, and the traditional village architecture and culture of the original Sam Tung Uk.
The centre also hosts seminars and workshops along with exhibitions, such as the Making Joy: ICH Fun Day that will be held over five days in December to attract visitors.
Sam Tung Uk Museum, 2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan, New Territories | Hong Kong ICH Centre website
Header image credits: Government of HKSAR
