Hong Kong’s Maritime Miracle: The Story of Our City since 1945

Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum organises a special exhibition entitled Hong Kong’s Maritime Miracle: The Story of Our City since 1945. It miraculous transformation from the ashes of World War II into a global maritime hub, in a selection of 25 representative exhibits.

Hong Kong’s pre-war maritime connections facilitated her growth of an enormous global manufacturing powerhouse after the War. Containerisation in the 1970s was a key component to continue and build on this success and Hong Kong’s container trade volumes grew exponentially. When Mainland China opened up its economy in 1978, Hong Kong then outsourced much of its manufacturing into the Greater Bay Area whilst retaining her lead in finance and services. The maritime trade continues to support the growth of the Greater Bay Area, with Hong Kong at its heart.

The exhibition will be in five chronological phases which are the pillars of the story. Each phase represents a significant “moment” of post-war Hong Kong, namely “Regeneration (1945-1948)”, “Back in Business (1949-1970)”, “The High Growth Years (1960s-1980s)”, “The Container Changed Everything (1972-present)”, and “The Future”, documenting the city’s transformation and looking forward to a new sustainable future.

To provide a new immersive experience with art tech, the exhibition will bring the audiences through an exciting maritime journey, guided by a fictional character named Carmen So (So Ka Man). The character will be featured in a series of five mini-movies, produced by an award-winning Hong Kong-based filmmaker Heiward Mak. Seen through the eyes of Carmen So, as a Hong Kong female in her twenties, the movie’s protagonist conceptualises everyday maritime ties in the exhibition for the audiences.

The exhibition also includes an outdoor display of a historical and iconic Dai Fei smuggling boat, on loan from the Hong Kong Marine Police. Converted from a confiscated speedboat “Dai Fei”, this former Police Vessel 70 was a training vessel to combat the rampant sea smuggling. The Dai Fei represented a collective memory iconic of Hong Kong’s high growth during the 1960s to 1980s.