Former British HK arsenal reopens for cultural use

Hong Kong (CNS) -- The exhibition "Transforming Minds: Buddhism in Art," collected interpretations by Chinese, Japanese and Thai artists, is on display from February 10 to May 20 in Hong Kong, and its extraordinary venue is the new location of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center (ASHKC), which has transformed the property previously known as the Admiralty, a former British Explosives Magazine.

The magazine was a part of the Victoria Barracks, the first British barracks erected in Hong Kong, which were built between 1843 and 1874, and for a short time expropriated by the Japanese army during WWII.

Renovation work prepared the way for ASHKC administration housed in the building that used to serve military purposes, and various nearby weapons bunkers now serve as exhibition halls and theaters.

The transformation project, now in its sixth year, has cost the SAR government about 390 million Hong Kong dollars (US$ 50.28 million), nearly one quarter of which was donated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The four artilleries excavated from the site are being preserved in the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. Spaces in the new center are available for public rental, but only for political, economic, cultural or artistic purposes rather than commercial events.