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A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (September 11) that the opening hours of all LCSD museums (except the Hong Kong Space Museum), including the Hong Kong Film Archive and two heritage centres, will be revised from October 1. The opening hours of the Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum will be extended to 7pm on weekends, while the opening hours of the Hong Kong Science Museum will be increased from 54 to 58 hours a week. The opening hours of the LCSD's branch museums will also be extended.
The spokesman pointed out that most LCSD museums currently open from 9am or 10am to 5pm or 6pm on weekdays, while major museums are open till 6pm or 7pm on weekends and public holidays. The revisions were made following a recent review of museum opening hours. The changes not only ensure that the opening hours of all museums will be aligned as far as possible but also extend opening hours at most museums to assist the public in visiting exhibitions.
"In brief, the opening hours of the major museums, such as the Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, will be extended on weekends and public holidays from 6pm to 7pm," the spokesman said.
"As for the Hong Kong Science Museum, its morning sessions (from 10am to 1pm) on weekdays are currently reserved for school visits. To enable better access to museum services, it has been decided to open the morning session to the public as well, starting from October 1, instead of opening exclusively to school groups. The museum currently closes at 9pm. Having reviewed attendance figures for a long time, it was found that evening attendance is comparatively low on weekdays. To ensure effective use of resources, the closing time of the museum will thus be changed from 9pm to 7pm on weekdays while the opening hours on weekends and public holidays (10am to 9pm) will remain unchanged.
"When the new opening hours are put into effect, the Hong Kong Science Museum will be open 58 hours a week instead of 54 hours as it used to be," the spokesman added.
As for the branch museums, including the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Law Uk Folk Museum, Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, Sam Tung Uk Museum, Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery and the Hong Kong Railway Museum, the opening hours will be aligned from 10am to 6pm daily. The opening hours of the first three aforementioned museums will be extended under the new arrangement.
For those museums located in remote areas, such as the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre and the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, the opening hours between March and September will be from 10am to 6pm - an extension of one hour. And from October to February, the opening hours of these museums will be aligned - from 10am to 5pm.
Regarding their weekly closing day, the 14 museums as well as the two heritage centres will keep their original practice. The Hong Kong Film Archive however will change its weekly closing day from Thursday to Tuesday, so that more public screenings of movies can be held on Thursdays in addition to Fridays and weekends.
Meanwhile, all museums will align the practice of staying open when their normal weekly closed days fall on public holidays, except for the first two days of the Chinese New year.
As for the Hong Kong Space Museum, its opening hours will remain unchanged from 1pm to 9pm on weekdays while reserving its morning sessions for school visits, and from 10am to 9pm on weekends and public holidays.
The new opening hours of the LCSD's museums, Hong Kong Film Archive and the two heritage centres are as follows:
Weekdays: 10am-6pm; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: 10am-7pm
* Hong Kong Museum of Art
* Hong Kong Museum of History
* Hong Kong Heritage Museum
* Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
* Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre
Daily: 10am-6pm (March - September); Daily: 10am-5pm (October - February)
* Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
* Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre
* Sheung Yiu Folk Museum
Daily: 10am-6pm
* Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
* Sam Tung Uk Museum
* Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery
* Hong Kong Railway Museum
* Law Uk Folk Museum
* Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum
Weekdays: 10am-7pm; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: 10am-9pm
* Hong Kong Science Museum
Daily: 10am-8pm
* Hong Kong Film Archive
Weekdays: 1pm-9pm; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: 10am-9pm
* Hong Kong Space Museum
The weekly closing days of the museums are as follows:
Closed on Mondays (except public holidays)
* Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre
Closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays)
* Hong Kong Museum of History
* Hong Kong Heritage Museum
* Hong Kong Space Museum
* Hong Kong Film Archive
* Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
* Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery
* Hong Kong Railway Museum
* Sam Tung Uk Museum
* Sheung Yiu Folk Museum
Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays)
* Hong Kong Museum of Art
* Hong Kong Science Museum
* Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
* Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre
* Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
* Law Uk Folk Museum
* Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum
All museums will be closed on the first two days of the Chinese New Year and will be closed at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve.
Ends/Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:01
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