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military history and defence of Hong Kong. Visitors may also explore the military relics in the Redoubt and on the Historical Trail, such as the gun batteries, torpedo station, caponiers and magazines.
During the year, three thematic exhibitions were presented on the museum premises, including 'The Eight-year War of Resistance' jointly organised with the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression. In addition, the museum jointly organised 'The Life of Lin Zexu' with the Lin Zexu Foundation and Ta Kung Pao at the Hong Kong Central Library, which attracted a total of 7 400 visitors during the 10-day exhibition period. The museum attracted 177 500 visitors during the year.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Major exhibitions held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in 2005 ranged from 'The Silk Road: Treasures from Xinjiang' to 'From Eastern Han to High Tang: A Journey of Transculturation'. Featuring some 300 national treasures from 14 provinces, most of which were grade-one relics, 'From Eastern Han to High Tang' traced the artistic and cultural changes that took place in China from the 3rd to 8th century due to the arrival of non-Chinese ethnic peoples. The exhibition attracted 300 000 visitors. 'The Silk Road' revealed the rich and diverse cultural landscape in Xinjiang in the period from the Bronze Age to the 14th century. The exhibits were assembled by the Xinjiang Cultural Heritage Bureau and featured two rarely seen ancient Xinjiang mummies.
A total of 1 128 educational and extension activities such as seminars, lectures, field trips, performances, workshops and competitions were organised during the year including a two-day exposition to celebrate International Museum Day 2005, Hong Kong in May.
The museum's exhibition programmes, together with its educational and extension activities, attracted 657 671 visitors and participants.
The Heritage Museum also manages three branch museums Sam Tung Uk Museum, Hong Kong Railway Museum and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum. The Sam Tung Uk Museum in Tsuen Wan was originally a Hakka walled village built in 1786. It was declared a monument in 1981 and later converted into a museum. The Railway Museum in Tai Po consists of the old Tai Po Market Railway Station building, two historical locomotives and various coaches. The station building, in Chinese style, was built in 1913 and declared a monument in 1984. The Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in the Sai Kung Country Park is housed in a Hakka village built in the late 19th century. It comprises eight domestic units, pig pens, an open courtyard and an entrance gate- tower. The village and a nearby lime kiln were gazetted as monuments in 1981.
In 2005, the Sam Tung Uk Museum, Hong Kong Railway Museum and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum attracted 234 877, 343 801 and 50 672 visitors respectively.
Hong Kong Science Museum
'Flowers in the Mirrors', an exhibition celebrating both the world of mirror science and the work of Qing Dynasty writer Li Ru-zhen, was staged at the Palais de