【明報專訊】THE GOVERNMENT plans to build a museum with the theme of China's development and achievements. The initial conception is to locate it at the current location of the Science Museum at Tsim Sha Tsui, while the Heritage Museum at Shatin will be converted into a new Science Museum.
At present, the national achievement museum is still in the stage of initial conception. Decisions have yet to be made on its cost, timetable, location and other matters. Earlier, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services and the Museum Director of the Hong Kong Museum of History headed to Beijing specifically to learn from the experience. They visited "The Road of Rejuvenation" exhibition at the National Museum of China and exchanged ideas with its director Wang Chunfa. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau recently submitted a document to the Legislative Council to provide more explanation about its thoughts on the national achievement museum.
The establishment of a national achievement museum is mentioned in the chapter on patriotism education in the Policy Address. However, as Hong Kong enjoys the backing of the country and is connected to the world, the museum must be of sufficient majesty and stateliness in terms of its positioning, scale and exhibition contents.
This is also the case with the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Although it also plays a political role in enhancing the national identity of the country, it is still a world-class historical and heritage museum of prestige and richness in terms of its positioning and essence. The national achievement museum is the embodiment of the country. It must be a roaring success so as to be on par with the standard of China's first-class museums, allowing locals and foreign tourists to understand the development and achievements of modern China. The government must have a full understanding of the positioning of the national achievement museum before building it.
The government has stated that the positioning of the Heritage Museum is unclear, and its exhibition contents can be showcased in other museums instead. It says that the Science Museum will see its area doubled after its relocation to the Heritage Museum site and will therefore be even grander. But this will mean that the Science Museum, currently located in the city centre, will have to be moved to the New Territories. It is unclear how this will affect future footfall.
Even if we put aside the difference in transportation convenience, the current Siheyuan layout of the Heritage Museum is somewhat incongruous with the Science Museum. It will be wasteful and lamentable if the original layout is demolished to make way for large-scale reconstruction.
The establishment of the national achievement museum and the expansion of the Science Museum should be two separate issues. Now the authorities have lumped them together. Such a change can set off a domino effect and has actually complicated matters. The authorities should not let the national achievement museum be mired in controversy from the very beginning.
According to the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, such an approach of "emptying the cage to replace the bird" will help shorten the overall preparation time for the building of the national achievement museum. Patriotic education is one of the key tasks of the incumbent administration. However, the construction of the national achievement museum is of great importance. It is not ideal to rush into the task just to meet the deadline.
If the national achievement museum is not to be built, then the matter can be dropped. Otherwise, it has to be built to the highest standards. One option is to build it in the West Kowloon Cultural District. If it is to be located at the heart of the city centre like the National Museum of China in Beijing, the large-scale event area at the current Central Harbourfront can also be considered.
明報社評2023.12.08：國家成就館勿複雜化 趕時間急就章反誤事
政府擬建一間以國家發展成就為主題的博物館，初步考慮設於現時尖沙嘴科學館的位置，至於沙田的文化博物館，則會重建為科學館。
國家成就館目前仍處於初步構思階段，造價、時間表、選址等皆待定。早前文體旅局長楊潤雄、康文署長及香港歷史博物館總館長便特意赴京「取經」，包括參觀中國國家博物館「復興之路」展覽，並與館長王春法交流。文體旅局日前向立法會提交文件，交代更多有關國家成就館的想法。
《施政報告》雖然是在有關愛國主義教育的章節提到設立國家成就館，然而香港背靠國家聯通世界，成就館無論定位、規模和展覽內容，都要夠恢宏、夠級數。
正如香港故宮博物館，雖然也有增強國家民族認同的政治作用，但它的定位和本質，依然是一所具分量、有內涵的世界級歷史文化博物館，成就館乃是國家的體現，要搞就要搞得有聲有色，水平跟國家一級博物館看齊，讓本地人和外國遊客了解近代中國的發展和成績。政府設立成就館，必須先認清其定位。
政府表示，文化博物館定位不清，展覽內容可以拼入其他博物館，科學館重置於該處，將比現址大一倍，可以更具規模。然而原本位於市中心的科學館，突然給搬去新界，對日後人流影響有多大，始終是未知之數。
就算不談交通便利程度之別，現時文化博物館採四合院佈局，跟科學館多少有些格格不入，若大規模重建毁棄原來佈局，卻又浪費可惜。
設立國家成就館與擴建科學館，本是兩個獨立問題，現在當局將兩者拉扯在一起，牽一髮動全身，反而令問題變得更為複雜。當局不應讓國家成就館於啟始就陷入爭議。
根據文體旅局說法，這種「騰籠換鳥」做法，有助縮短成就館整體籌建時間。愛國教育是本屆政府重點工作之一，但建設國家成就館，茲事體大，為了趕時間趕任務而急就章，反而不妙。
國家成就館不辦則已，要辦就要辦到最好，落戶西九文化區是一個選擇，若想如北京中國國家博物館那樣，坐落市中心的中心，也可以考慮選址現時的中環海濱大型活動場地。
■ Glossary 生字 /
stateliness : impressive appearance, size or manner
a roaring success : a very great success
domino effect : a situation in which one event causes a series of similar events to happen one after the other