ENG-2017 — Page 393

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Recreation, Sport, Culture and the Arts

A new permanent gallery, the Jin Yong Gallery, was opened on 1 March. It contains more than 300 exhibits and a number of interactive installations introducing the literary career of Dr Louis Cha, whose pen name is Jin Yong, and the impact of his martial arts novels on the development of Hong Kong's popular culture.

The museum conducts an Arts Buddies project jointly with the Education Bureau, Arts Development Council, HKBU's Academic Community Hall and CUHK's Office of the Arts Administrator. It also runs a MuseKids programme to stimulate children's interest in museum learning, and the annual MuseTeens: Youth Leadership Scheme to enrich teenagers' understanding of the museum's work and collections.

Heritage Museum manages two branch museums, namely the Railway Museum in Tai Po and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in Sai Kung Country Park. The former is situated in the old Tai Po Market Railway Station with a station building constructed in 1913, while the latter is located in a Hakka village built in the late 19th century. Heritage Museum, Railway Museum and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum attracted some 1,106,000, 312,000 and 39,000 visitors respectively in 2017.

Hong Kong Science Museum

In 2017, Hong Kong Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui presented the 'Eternal Life - Exploring Ancient Egypt' exhibition jointly with the British Museum, attracting over 850,000 visitors. Apart from displaying Egyptian mummies and objects, the exhibition introduced how advanced tomography scanning was used in research on these exhibits. Other major exhibitions included. 'Miffy and the Oceans, aimed at raising young children's awareness of ocean protection, 'Wonder Materials - Graphene and Beyond, which introduced the latest developments in materials science, and 'Inspiration - Dreams Come True, showcasing Hong Kong's first home- built aircraft and its round-the-world journey. The new permanent Children's Gallery was also opened. More than two million visitors came during the year.

The museum cooperated with 42 scientific and government bodies to present HK SciFest 2017, with 172 programmes. The Science Alive 2017 programme, catering for students, highlighted the importance of appreciating and preserving the beauty and complexity of the Earth. Through the Young Scientists Study Tour, 20 secondary students and three teachers visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and other research institutes and observed a total solar eclipse in the US.

At the museum's Meet the Shaw Laureates 2017 public forum, winners of the Shaw Prize shared the challenges and joys of doing science.

Hong Kong Space Museum

Hong Kong Space Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui organises regular astronomy activities on-site and holds stargazing and family programmes at its Astropark and iObservatory in Sai Kung. Its Stanley Ho Space Theatre is equipped with digital planetarium projection and sound systems. and offers Omnimax, 3D Dome and Sky shows.

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