Research Centre

The Maritime Heritage Research Centre is a central repository for publications and archival documents about maritime heritage, culture and history of Southern China, the Pearl River Delta region and Hong Kong. The collection includes both scholarly and popular works, with some items dating back more than 300 years. Our collection includes works that cannot be found in the public domain anywhere else in Hong Kong.

The collection includes primary and secondary sources:

Primary source materials include rare and unique maps and charts, documents, prints, manuscripts, photographs and albums;
Secondary sources include books, periodicals, auction catalogues, reference materials and items dedicated to museum studies; and
Institutional archives of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, shipping company records and biographical and event records. These materials generally are in loose forms such as leaflets, pamphlets and articles.

Using the Centre

The Research Centre provides a quiet environment for conducting in-depth research as well as leisure reading
Research assistance is available upon request.
Materials are not allowed to be removed from the Centre.
For more information about copyright permissions and image licensing fees please see the
Pricing Application Form

Collection Highlights

The archives collection consists of two categories: museum records and maritime archives.

Museum records collect, preserve and make accessible the organisation records for the administrative support of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum and for historical research. As one of the established private museums in the region, the museum records are composed of manuscripts, photographs, proposals, plans that representing the establishment of the organisation since its founding.

Maritime archives is made up of artificial records such as personal papers and company records. This category represents the development of maritime activities in Hong Kong and the surrounding. Moreover, they reflect the influences of the shipping industry and trading to Hong Kong’s development.

The collection comprises primary sources largely in English and Chinese.

Current collection:

Captain Fung Collection

Nancy Kong Collection