Since its establishment in 1975, the Museum has staged more than 100 special exhibitions which cover a wide range of topics and represent the research of our curatorial staff. The exhibitions include: "Fifty Years of Hong Kong Archaeology", "History Around Us: Preserving Our Historic Buildings", "Hong Kong & Macau Currencies", "Local Traditional Chinese Wedding", "Made in Hong Kong: A History of Export Design in Hong", "150 Years of Postal Service in Hong Kong" and "Education in Hong Kong: Past and Present", etc. These exhibitions help to shed light on different facets of Hong Kong's history.

Special exhibitions held after 1990:

1990 The Fragrant Harbour: Past and Present American Toys from the Lawerence Scripps Wilkinson Collection Traditional Chinese Children's Costume Children of the Gods: Dress and Symbolism in China Historical Materials for Hong Kong Studies

1991 The Ceramic Route: Archaeological Discoveries From Penny's Bay Towards a Sustainable World 150 Years of Postal Service in Hong Kong History of Hong Kong: From Neolithic Settlement to Modern City

1992 Gems of Liangzhu Culture Hong Kong Costume: A Century of Decorum and Costume

1993 Education in Hong Kong: Past and Present Archaeological Discoveries of Ancient Yue Tribe in South China

1994 An Economic Miracle: The Success Story of Hong Kong Evolution and Exhibition: History of Life Evidenced by Chinese Fossils

1995 Of Hearts and Hands: Hong Kong's Traditional Trades and Crafts Life Under the Japanese Occupation, 1941-1945

1996 The Maritime Silk Route: 2000 Years of Trade on the South China Sea

1997 The Fragrant Harbour: An Overview of Its Maritime Trade and Port Development History through Maps: An Exhibition of Old Maps of China

1998 Heavenly Creations: Gems of Ancient Chinese Inventions Lin Zexu and the Opium War

1999 Defending the Seaboard: A preview of the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence City of Victoria: Historical Photographs of Hong Kong Rise of Modern China: A Century of Self-Determination Johann Strauss: Thunder & Lightning The Urban Council: Growing with Hong Kong Exhibition (displayed at the Hong Kong City Hall)

2000 Heritage of the Teaching Professions: The Changing Roles of Hong Kong Teachers Encounter with Hong Kong's Past: History through the Museum's Collection

2001 City of Victoria : Historical Photographs of Hong Kong Showcasing Hong Kong's Past: Introductory Display on "The Hong Kong Story" and Introduction to the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence The Great Wall: Gems of Cultural Relics of the Nomadic Tribes

2002 Growing with Time: The Hong Kong City Hall Retrospective Exhibition (displayed at the Hong Kong City Hall) The Battle for Hong Kong: Hong Kong under the Camera of the Japanese Army" Photo Exhibition Bits of Old Hong Kong: Museum Acquisitions in the Last Five Years Achievements in the Past and Plans for the Future (displayed at the China Millennium Monument, Beijing) War and Peace: Treasures of the Qin and Han Dynasties

2003 Napoleon Bonaparte: Emperor and Man A Tribute to Heritage Discovering Hong Kong's Culture and Tradition (displayed at the Hong Kong Central Library) National Flag, Emblem and Anthem of the People's Republic of China (displayed at the Hong Kong City Hall) 75 Years of Broadcasting in Hong Kong We Shall Overcome: Plagues in Hong Kong Sun Yat-sen: from Cuiheng to Hong Kong Boundless Learning: Foreign-educated Students of Modern China

2004 Treasures of the Chengde Summer Palace Dr Sun Yat-sen and Modern China Bits of Old Hong Kong (displayed at the China National Museum, Beijing) History Re-stored: Ancient Greek Coins from the Zhuyuetang Collection Hunting and Rituals: Treasures from the Ancient Dian Kingdom of Yunnan

2005 Highlights of the "Collection Campaign Related to Dr Sun Yat-sen and the 1911 Revolution" Development of Land Transport in Hong Kong (displayed at MTR Central Station) Exhibition for Entries of the "6th Inter-School Stamp Exhibits Competition" Paris Reflections: Photographs from the Centre Pompidou Impressions of the East: The Art of George Chinnery History of Ta Teh Institute Exhibition East Meets West: Cultural Relics from the Pearl River Delta Region

2006 Sailing West: Admiral Zheng He's Voyages Football Exhibition Exhibition on "Documentary of Child Development - Footprints of Children from the 1930s to 2006" Sketching Hong Kong: Exhibition on Kong Kai Ming Collection From Bones to Bytes : Chinese Script Decoded Exhibition (25 October 2006 – 8 January 2007) Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Paper-cut Silhouette Exhibition (18 October 2006 – 15 January 2007)

2007 Play : Hong Kong Theatre － Romance with China (11–23 January 2007) Ancient Chinese Civilization - Treasures of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties from Henan Province (14 February - 14 May 2007) Fifty Years of Cultural and Educational Development in Hong Kong (7 March - 30 July 2007) Major Archaeological Discoveries of China in Recent Years (25 July - 24 September 2007) Queen's College•Hong Kong•China : History and Memories of 145 Years (19 November - 3 December 2007) The Development of Banks in Shanghai and Hong Kong (28 November 2007 - 24 March 2008)

2008 SUPERTRADER Hong Kong: 40 Years of Trade (3 January – 25 February 2008) From New Year Prints to Propaganda Posters: Selections from the China Archives of Publications (12 March - 16 June 2008) Heavenly Horse – The Horse in Chinese Art and Culture (16 July - 13 October 2008) Hong Kong Observatory - Weathering the Storms for 125 Years (23 July – 22 September 2008) Women of Hong Kong – A Century of Contribution and Development (1 October - 22 October 2008) 80 Years of Broadcasting in Hong Kong (29 October - 24 November 2008) The French Revolutions (17 December 2008 – 16 March 2009)

2009 An exhibition to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement (23 March – 12 April 2009) City of Victoria – A Selection of the Hong Kong Museum of History's Historical Photographs (25 March – 29 June 2009) Modern Metropolis: Material Culture of Shanghai and Hong Kong (29 April - 17 August 2009) Traditional Festivals in Hong Kong (1 July - 28 September 2009) A Century of China (23 September 2009- 4 January 2010) Pioneer Archaeologist in South China: Father Maglioni's Collection of Archaeological Finds (4 November 2009 – 1 February 2010)

2010 In Memory of "The King of Radio Broadcasting" Exhibition of Mr. Chung Wai-ming's Collections (4 February – 15 March 2010) Legends of Luxury and Elegance: Lifestyles of the Han Nobility (10 February - 3 May 2010) Memories We Share: Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s (31 March to 30 June 2010) The Evergreen Classic – Transformation of the Qipao (23 June – 13 September 2010) Under The Trees: People and Stories from Village Schools (21 July - 27 September 2010) Discovering Hong Kong's Cultural Traditions (21 January - 31 December 2010) Witness of Time: Photos of Central and Western District in the 1970s (6 October 2010 - 10 January 2011) Hong Kong, Benevolent City: Tung Wah and the Growth of Chinese Communities (27 October 2010 - 17 January 2011)

2011 Chen Kung-che: Hong Kong’s Archaeologist and Polymath (19 January - 28 March 2011) Centenary of China' s 1911 Revolution (2 March – 16 May 2011) A Partnership with the People: KAAA and Post-war Agricultural Hong Kong (13 April - 20 June 2011) The Flavours of Everyday Life in China - Memories from the Past Half Century (6 July - 26 September 2011) Dockyards of Hong Kong – Pictorial Exhibition on Hong Kong’s Shipbuilding and Repair Industry (13 July - 21 November 2011)