Special Exhibtions (Top)

Special Exhibition

Buy One Get One Free

During the exhibition period (from 24 June to 30 October), we will launch a “Buy One Get One Free” promotion on admission ticket. This promotion is only applicable to adult visitor, but not children and senior.

Hong Kong’s Maritime Miracle: The Story of Our City since 1945

24 June 2022 to 30 October 2022

Special Exhibitions & Events Gallery and Long Gallery

Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum organises a special exhibition entitled Hong Kong’s Maritime Miracle: The Story of Our City since 1945. Its miraculous transformation from the ashes of World War II into a global maritime hub, in a selection of 25 representative exhibits.

Hong Kong’s pre-war maritime connections facilitated her growth of an enormous global manufacturing powerhouse after the War. Containerisation in the 1970s was a key component to continue and build on this success and Hong Kong’s container trade volumes grew exponentially. When Mainland China opened up its economy in 1978, Hong Kong then outsourced much of its manufacturing into the Greater Bay Area whilst retaining her lead in finance and services. The maritime trade continues to support the growth of the Greater Bay Area, with Hong Kong at its heart.

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The exhibition spans five chronological phases of the city’s story. Each phase represents a significant ‘moment’ of post-war Hong Kong, namely Regeneration (1945–1948), Back in Business (1949–1970), The High Growth Years (1960s–1980s), Container Rules (1972–Now), and The Future, documenting the city’s transformation and vision for a new sustainable future.

To engage audiences through a new immersive experience with art tech, the exhibition brings viewers through an exciting maritime journey, guided by a fictional character named Carmen So (So Ka Man). The character is featured in a series of five mini-movies, produced by an award-winning Hong Kong-based filmmaker, Heiward Mak. Seen through the eyes of Carmen So, a Hong Kong woman in her twenties, Hong Kong’s everyday maritime ties come alive in the exhibition.

The exhibition also includes an outdoor display of a historical and iconic Dai Fei smuggling boat next to Pier 9, on loan from the Hong Kong Marine Police. Converted from a confiscated Dai Fei speedboat, this former Police Vessel 70 was a training vessel to combat the rampant sea smuggling from 2001 to 2021. The Dai Fei represented a collective memory of Hong Kong’s high growth from the 1960s to 1980s.