University of Cambridge > Talks.cam > Department of Archaeology - Asian Archaeology Group Seminar Series > “The Low-water Mark… Throughout the Whole of the Empire”: The Peculiar Development of Early Museums in Colonial Hong Kong

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“The Low-water Mark… Throughout the Whole of the Empire”: The Peculiar Development of Early Museums in Colonial Hong Kong

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Reynold K. W. Tsang, City University of Hong Kong
Wednesday 11 March 2026, 13:00-14:00
bit.ly/46dQEZA .

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Geonyoung Kim .

In 1933, the Museums Association deemed Hong Kong “the low-water mark in museum provision throughout the whole of the Empire.” This verdict may seem hyperbolic, but Hong Kong’s museum situation during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was indeed dire. Throughout the Victorian Era, museums in Britain and her colonies were typically viewed as imperial institutions – symbols of British power and instruments for extending British dominance. However, the early museums of colonial Hong Kong followed a different trajectory. This paper explores their peculiar origin and development, offering a compelling case study of the limitations and “powerlessness” within the British imperial project.

Online: https://bit.ly/46dQEZA

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82002533749?pwd=0dh2Y0bCzs8QSqNTYr7Ictx3a8AmXf.1

ZOOM ID : 820 0253 3749 PW: 996056

This talk is part of the Department of Archaeology - Asian Archaeology Group Seminar Series series.