Located on the waterfront of the Victoria Harbor in Kowloon, the Hong Kong Museum of Art opened in 1989 as part of the city's superb new Cultural Centre. 

Ranged over five floors, it is divided into six separate galleries, the majority of which are devoted to Chinese art and artefacts from the past. Room is also found, however, for a range of contemporary and Western art, as well as for a variety of temporary exhibitions. 

Among the art galleries the undoubted highlight is the third floor's Historical Pictures Collection, home to more than a thousand paintings, drawings and prints devoted almost entirely to topographical scenes of Hong Kong and its immediate surroundings. Among them is the first known painting of Hong Kong, an Aberdeen waterfall scene executed by William Havell in 1816. This and other paintings provide a fascinating documentary narrative of Hong Kong over the decades, from the days when it amounted to little more than sandy beaches and a handful of waterfront buildings. 

Elsewhere, be certain to some spend time in the gallery devoted to Chinese antiquities, a collection containing over 3,000 wide-ranging artefacts. Of panicular interest are two Tang Dynasty tomb guardians (AD 618-906), pot-bellied figures in the form of mythical beasts. Also look out for the almost translucent rhino-horn cups, prized for their reputed ability to advertise the presence of poison. 

Other exhibits trace the development of porcelain and crafts such as bamboo carving, lacquer work and metal casting, while the Decorative Arts section contains, among other things, mouthwatering displays of jade, ivory, glassware and Ming Dynasty ceramics.