Hong Kong’s Kowloon has become the city’s new centre of culture
By Carrie Hutchinson
“Do you know what it’s made from?” No idea, I tell the young gallery assistant.
“It’s books. Look, you can see some words where it hangs lowest.” She directs me to a loop of the artwork, Movana Chen’s Knitting Conversations, that drapes just above my head.
The landmark Hong Kong Palace Museum, Museum M+ and International Commerce Centre skyscraper in West Kowloon.Credit: iStock
Chen, an artist from Guangdong, first exhibited this piece in 2013, asking the audience to take along a treasured book to tell her about. She then read the books herself, shredded their pages and knitted them together, adding to what she’d already made. The work contains years of ideas, knowledge, conversations and experiences. Completed in 2019, this is the first time it has been exhibited in Hong Kong.
It is just one of the hundreds of artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries on display at M+, the impressive museum at the heart of Hong Kong’s new and still-growing West Kowloon Cultural District.
It’s been compared to New York’s MoMA, but that does M+ a disservice. Designed by architects Herzog & de Mueron, this building casts a monumental shadow. With 33 galleries, it is one of the largest museums of visual culture in the world.
Around every corner is another surprise: a huge pile of newspapers topped with toys and busts of Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin (Wang Du’s Stratégie en chambre) or lifelike sculptures resembling familiar politicians, admirals, bishops and dictators, portrayed as drooling elders in moving wheelchairs (Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s Old People’s Home).
West Kowloon and its promenade.Credit: iStock
Take your time exploring the four permanent collections, with their roots in Asia, as well as the touring exhibitions.
Outside, the streets of tourist hub Tsim Sha Tsui are lined with towering buildings of residence and retail, and filled with preoccupied pedestrians. The chance to spread out on a patch of green is a refreshing interlude from the bustle.
There are restaurants and cafes throughout the cultural district, but another option is to grab a bite from one of the food trucks and enjoy the harbour vista. On a hot day, a pineapple bun filled with fresh pineapple and whipped cream is hard to resist.
Architecture lovers might struggle to strip their eyes from Rocco Design Architects’ work on the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Its incredible horizontal and vertical lines and enormous scale are breathtaking, as are the treasures within.
Stop at a food truck for a refuel.Credit: iStock
More than 900 pieces from the Palace Museum in Beijing chart the lifestyles of Chinese dynasties. Did you know the Qianlong Emperor, who ruled from 1735 to 1796, rose every day at 4am after sleeping in the Hall of Mental Cultivation? Galleries showcase incredible art and ceramics, some from thousands of years ago, as well as contemporary designs.
This is a popular destination for school groups, so you might have to dodge clusters of kids snapping displays with their iPads. Thankfully, there are plenty of places to seek peace, including the viewing deck on the second floor.
To view the golden hour, head to the Horizon Terrace stairs at M+ (accessible without a ticket) or the Sunset Lawn, where locals and their dogs relax on blankets enjoying the sky’s changing colours.
If you’re still keen to explore, the Xiqu Centre, the district’s opera theatre, hosts the Tea House Theatre Experience every Friday and Saturday evening. This introduction to Cantonese opera comes with a side serving of tea and dim sum. The Lyric Theatre Complex is due to open this year. It will showcase the finest theatre and dance, adding another dimension to this already unmissable destination.
A performer prepares backstage at the Xiqu Centre.
THE DETAILS
VISIT
The Art Park and Hong Kong Palace Museum are open daily. M+ is closed on Mondays. General admission tickets for Hong Kong Palace Museum cost $HK80 (about $15) and $HK120 ($23) for M+. See westkowloon.hk
STAY
Mondrian Hong Kong is an art-led luxury hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Rooms on higher floors have incredible views of Victoria Harbour, as does its cocktail bar, Avoca, and the excellent Italian steakhouse, Carna by Dario Cecchini. Rooms start at $HK1440 (about $277) a night. See all.accor.com
FLY
Qantas flies daily direct from Melbourne and Sydney to Hong Kong. See qantas.com
The writer was a guest of Hong Kong Tourism Board and Mondrian Hong Kong.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.