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The Heritage Museum building is based on the traditional Chinesesi he yuan style, built around a courtyard. The style is still visible in the walled villages of the New Territories (see Historic Villages and New Towns).

For a brief overview of the museum, visit the Orientation Theatre on the ground floor opposite the ticket office. A short film in English and Cantonese (in rotation) explains the exhibits and the main aims of the museum.

The brightly coloured gallery is a vibrant, fun way to introduce children to local nature and archaeology, and the history of toys. Interactive exhibits and the child-size 3-D models are very popular with young children.

Cantonese opera is an obscure subject. However, the sumptuous costumes, intricate stage sets and snatches of song from the elaborate operas of Guangdong and Guanxi go some way to illustrating the attraction.

Five halls on the first and second floors house temporary exhibitions focusing on subjects varying from popular culture, contemporary art and social issues in Hong Kong, to traditional Chinese art and history.

The delicate ink on scroll paintings of artist and one-time Hong Kong resident Chao Shao-An are known far beyond China. There are dozens of fine examples in the gallery .

For fresh air and interesting surroundings, head to the shaded courtyard in the centre of the complex.

Large mock-ups of old maritime and village scenes recreate the pre-colonial days. The growth of the new towns, such as Sha Tin, are also covered.

The rich fauna and flora of the region are exhibited along with 6000-year-old artifacts from the early days of human habitation in Hong Kong.

The works of art dating from Neolithic times to the 20th century include porcelain, bronze, jade and stone artifacts, furniture, laquerware and Tibetan religious statues.