Under the management of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, museums acquire, conserve, research on, exhibit and communicate for the purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment. Museum collections form a composite picture of our cultural, historical and natural heritage, and the preservation of such collections represents a long-term commitment to existing and future generations. The following roles are performed:

1. To present and sponsor exhibitions on the visual arts, history, culture, archaeology, and science and technology for the enjoyment of the public;

2. To promote an interest in and better understanding of the visual arts, science technology and the history and culture of Hong Kong through a balanced range of museum educational activities and sharing of experience with local artists, scholars and experts in the fields;

3. To support and promote contemporary Hong Kong art and encourage artistic creativity;

4. To support research on local heritage, history and the visual arts;

5. To provide and operate venues for hire for the presentation of exhibitions, lectures and film shows and studio facilities for artistic creation;

6. To acquire and conserve local films and related materials and provide facilities for film research and educational activities for film appreciation.

Of the seven major museums, the Hong Kong Museum of Art plays an important role in preserving the cultural heritage of China and promoting art with a local focus. The Hong Kong Science Museum, with its predominantly interactive exhibits, illustrates various scientific principles and the ways technology is used to improve the quality of life. The Hong Kong Space Museum serves to popularize astronomy and space science. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum features a variety of specially designed exhibition possibilities to cover different aspects of history, the arts and culture. The Hong Kong Museum of History collects, conserves, processes, studies and displays cultural objects which are closely related to the archaeology, history, ethnography and natural history of Hong Kong and the South China area. The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence features Hong Kong's coastal defence history in the past 600 years. The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum gives a comprehensive overview of the life and career of Dr Sun, and Hong Kong's vital role in the reform movements and revolutionary activities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Department also manages seven smaller museums and two heritage centres. The museums include the Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware which is the only subject museum devoted to the promotion of Chinese tea drinking culture; the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum which displays its tomb finds and exhibitions on the Han dynasty life styles and history; the Law Uk Folk Museum, the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum as well as the Sam Tung Uk Museum, which house exhibitions on the history and restoration of old Hakka village houses reflecting Chinese folk life and customs; and the open-air Hong Kong Railway Museum which encompasses the old Tai Po Market Railway Station with historical railway carriages, a steam locomotive and a diesel electric locomotive and the Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery which endured witness to the history of Hong Kong's sea rescue services. The two heritage centres include the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre which displays Hong Kong's cultural heritage; and the Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre displays various relics, history, customs and cultural life belonging to the members of the Tang Clan.

The Hong Kong Film Archive's major functions are to acquire, preserve, catalogue and document Hong Kong films and related materials. It also organizes film programmes, present schematic exhibitions and publishes books and publications related to Hong Kong cinema.

The Antiquities and Monuments Office is responsible for conserving places of historic interest, searches for, identifies and records a wide range of items. Among these are historical buildings of Chinese and Western types, historical stones (e.g. boundary or foundation stones), archaeological sites, forts, tombs and graves, bridges, rock carvings and inscriptions, and even old street furniture (e.g. old lamp posts or letter boxes).