Visitors walk toward Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District on June 14, 2022. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) – the city’s premier culture and arts hub  – is set to raise its admission price while doubling its efforts to put on exhibitions featuring Chinese and overseas culture, after it has recorded over 1 million visitors since its opening a year ago. 

The museum announced on Tuesday that its general admission prices for adults will increase from HK$50 ($6.4) to HK$60, while concession tickets will go up from HK$25 to HK$30, effective Sept 27.

HKPM also revealed plans to refresh its existing thematic exhibitions and present new special exhibitions, including “Gazing at Sanxingdui: New Archaeological Discoveries in Sichuan” and a joint exhibition with the National Gallery in London, both scheduled to open later this year.

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Tickets for “Gazing at Sanxingdui” are priced at HK$150, with a special half-price ticket available for HK$75, it said. 

The museum will strike the right balance between maintaining operational sustainability and ensuring affordability for residents and tourists, said HKPM director Louis Ng Chi-wa

This 14-week exhibition, opening Sept 27, will showcase 120 cultural relics from archaeological discoveries in Sichuan province on the Chinese mainland, including bronzes, jade, and ceramics dating back 2,600-3,300 years. Many pieces will be displayed outside Sichuan province for the first time.

Membership prices for the HKPM’s “Friends” program remain unchanged, with individual membership at HK$600, dual at HK$1,000, youth or senior at HK$300, and family at HK$1,200, according to HKPM. 

In the coming year, HKPM will continue to seek sponsorship for at least 120,000 free admission tickets to underprivileged groups, partnering with corporations, welfare organizations, and district groups, it said. 

HKPM director Louis Ng Chi-wa said that in setting ticket prices, the museum had taken into account the substantial expenditure involved in preparing for key exhibitions in the coming year, which include loan fees, insurance, transportation, installation, and maintenance costs.

The museum will strike the right balance between maintaining operational sustainability and ensuring affordability for residents and tourists, Ng said, adding that the HKPM will continue to monitor the needs of different sectors of the community.

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Located in the West Kowloon Cultural District, HKPM showcases over 900 treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing and holds special exhibitions on Chinese and world culture. In less than 10 months since opening in July 2022, HKPM attracted nearly 1.1 million visitors as of early May.