East China’s Jiangsu province kicked off a series of activities to celebrate the annual edition of the International Museum Day that falls on May 18.
Nearly 400 cultural activities were staged across the province to mark the International Museum Day which is themed on Museums as Cultural Hubs: The future of tradition.
Major exhibitions include the Tang Dynasty Changsha Kiln Porcelain Special Exhibition at the Nanjing Museum, the Ming and Qing Dynasties Flower and Bird Theme Special Exhibition at Suzhou Museum and the Grand Canal Cultural Heritages Exhibition at the Yangzhou Museum.
In the Nanjing Museum, the Six Dynasties Museum, prehistoric dinosaur fossils, exquisite ancient porcelain, Park Ge’s historical remains and modern expressions made the children unwilling to leave.
The China Salt Transport Museum, which was just opened in Yizheng, has displayed more than 600 pieces of cultural relics related to the Salt Transport, allowing visitors to experience the long history of the Grand Canal. Museums in Taizhou held exhibitions in the communities and experts provided free identification services. The Wujin Museum combines the Silk Road to launch social education activities, becoming the off-campus classroom for children to understand history and improve their hands-on ability.
Jiangsu now registers nearly 300 museums which received more than 95 million visitors last year, ranking first in the country.
The Nanjing Museum and Suzhou Museum were placed the first and third in the national assessment of museum operation last year.
International Museum Day was first established by The International Council of Museums in 1977 and the purpose of the day is to encourage awareness of the role of museums in the development of societies.
The objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness of the fact that museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples. Organized on 18 May each year or around this date, the events and activities planned to celebrate International Museum Day can last a day, a weekend or an entire week.
