The History Of The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum In 1 Minute
Though it’s not an important point of interest, by any means, if you have time to spare in Hong Kong, then the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum is another item to check off your cultural to-do list, and it’s an unexpected sight in the midst of the city.
The inscriptions in the tomb indicate that it dates back to the Eastern Han dynasty (25 AD-220 AD), and it has since been thought to be a monument of its time.
It was discovered in 1955 when the government was leveling a hill slope in the village and consists of four brick-chambered rooms, with uncomfortably low ceilings. The tomb was opened to the public as a museum in 1957, although now visitors can only peer inside from the doorway.
Pottery, bronze objects and a variety of other artifacts were recovered from the tomb which helped to date the entire structure to be over 2,000 years old. In total, there were 58 pottery and bronze objects found inside the tomb – evidence to say that this was, indeed, a burial tomb.
To view these items, an exhibition hall was set up to house them and two permanent exhibitions which use text, images, maps and more to explain the entire structure of the room, how it was discovered and why it has been protected and preserved under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance as a declared historical monument in Hong Kong.
41 Tonkin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong, +852 2386 2863
By Michaela Fulton