Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Lonely Planet review

Located southwest of Sha Tin town centre, this exceptional museum is housed in a three-storey, purpose-built structure that is reminiscent of an ancestral hall. It has both rich permanent collections and innovative temporary exhibits in a dozen galleries.

The ground floor contains a book and gift shop, the wonderful Children's Discovery Gallery, with eight learning and play zones for kids aged four to 10, a Toy Story hands-on area for tots and an Orientation Theatre with a 12-minute introductory video in English on the hour. There's also a lovely teahouse.

Along with five thematic (ie temporary) galleries, the 1st floor contains the best of the museum's permanent collections: the New Territories Heritage Hall, with mock-ups of traditional shops, a Hakka fishing village and history of the New Towns; the Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall, where you can watch old operas on video, 'virtually' make yourself up as an opera character or just enjoy the costumes and sets; and the Chao Shao-an Gallery, devoted to the work of the eponymous water-colourist (1905-98).

The 2nd floor contains another thematic gallery and the TT Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art.