Original title: The city of museums makes the golden business card shine even more
At the end of March, the greenery of Prince Kung’s Mansion was in full bloom, and there were many tourists. All the way forward, from the majestic and majestic Yin’an Hall to the back building of “99 and a half houses”, from the Le Dao Hall and Duofu Xuan, which preserved the colored paintings of Fenghexi in the Qianlong period, to the great theater with excellent acoustics In this Prince Kung Mansion Museum, which is often called “half of the history of the Qing Dynasty”, what visitors experience is not only an authentic ancient Chinese palace building, but also a “living” history.
In April 2020, Beijing released the “Medium and Long-term Plan for Promoting the Construction of a National Cultural Center in Beijing (2019-2035)”, pointing out that Beijing will build a “city of museums” with reasonable layout, rich exhibitions and distinctive features. During the 2021 “5.18 International Museum Day” China main venue event, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Beijing Municipal People’s Government signed a strategic cooperation agreement to jointly build Beijing’s “City of Museums”. The Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government even included the “City of Museums” in the “14th Five-Year Plan” of Beijing.
According to Bai Chong, Director of the Museum Department of the Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years as a city and 870 years as a capital. Its rich history and culture are a golden calling card. Although the construction of Beijing’s “Museum City” started relatively late, it has reached a new level from the very beginning because of its unique geographical, historical and cultural advantages. At present, relying on the heritage of the central axis, the cultural belt of the Grand Canal, the cultural belt of the Great Wall, and the cultural belt of the Yongding River in Xishan, Beijing has formed a museum community. With the concerted efforts of multiple departments, the city of Beijing is gradually becoming a city of museums.
In the magnificent theater building of Prince Kung’s Mansion, citizens enjoy the Guqin performance. Create a living cultural space, revitalize and utilize the museum and its collections, and polish the golden name card of Beijing’s history and culture.Photo by our reporter Wu Yibin
“Live” History and Culture
These days, the magnolias in the Le Dao Hall of the Prince Kung Mansion Museum are blooming just right. In a few days, the Xifu crabapple in the back cover building will also enter the blooming period. Zhang Jian, director of the Education and Communication Department of Prince Kung’s Mansion Museum, is busy preparing for the 12th Begonia Gathering. He hopes to borrow a Tang Dynasty guqin and play it live in the century-old theater building.
Since 2011, the Museum of Prince Kung’s Mansion has resumed the tradition of Begonia Gathering. The Begonia Gathering is held in the museum in mid-April every year. Domestic experts and scholars are invited to appreciate Begonia and recite poems. It has become a grand event in the domestic poetry circle.
In recent years, the Prince Kung Mansion Museum has been committed to creating a living cultural space, restoring past activities in history, and reviving traditional arts such as Kunqu Opera, Guqin, or intangible cultural heritage in their original growth environment. Tourists are pleasantly surprised to find that when visiting Prince Kung’s Mansion, they can sometimes encounter immersive “time-traveling” performances.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Prince Kung Mansion Museum. Zhang Jian deliberately searched out the list of operas held in Prince Kung’s Mansion in 1885 and 1887. , with more than 70 repertoires, creating the largest scale of Wangfutang opera at that time.” He took the play list and communicated with Tian Qing, the president of the Chinese Kunqu Opera and Guqin Research Association, hoping to reproduce the cultural scene at that time.
Resonate with the city in the “urban living room”
If you want to learn about the history of a city as quickly as possible, a museum may be the most suitable option.
On the extension line of West Chang’an Avenue, a huge half-arc “bronze tripod” breaks out of the wall, which proves that the important evidence of Beijing’s world-famous ancient capital and historical and cultural city is hidden in the Capital Museum.
Some people use “net celebrity” to describe the Capital Museum, but the old curator Han Yong doesn’t like this word. “The museum’s public cultural education responsibility is very sacred, and it cannot be summed up in a sentence of internet celebrity.”
At the Shoubo, there is a series of educational exhibitions “Reading the City” that are getting bigger and bigger. Since 2014, there have been three phases. The exhibition has entered Xinjiang six times and has toured in 23 cities in 7 provinces.
“Where are the ruins of the two bronze wares Keyu (hé) and Keji (léi), which are the treasures of the Shoubo town hall? What are the other unearthed bronze wares? What is the original state and original position of the unearthed? If you feel If you are interested, we can go to the Shang and Zhou Ruins Museum in Liulihe, Beijing, and learn about other bronze wares in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Perhaps following this clue, we can also go to Gansu and Henan to learn about the entire history of bronze wares.” Yang Dandan, the founder of the exhibition, said ” The interpretation of each cultural relic in the “Reading the City” exhibition uses this method to guide the audience. She will take the children to build bricks with kraft paper to build the Beijing Ming city wall site, and tell them the stories behind the curators, restorers, and cultural relics custodians.
After the first “Reading the City” exhibition, a child followed her guidance to more museums, and even became a guide for the first museum. “He is currently studying in a university abroad, and he will tell me the difference between the local museum and the first museum, and visit foreign museums with the perspective of reading a city.” Yang Dandan said.
Cui Kai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, described the function of the lobby of the Capital Museum as an “urban living room”, which means that the museum is regarded as an open living room. When visiting, the audience may encounter history unexpectedly, or have a long talk. Find your own resonance with the city.
“Open the door to open the museum” Private collection becomes shared
Meet with the China Red Sandalwood Museum and make red sandalwood bracelets by yourself; experience the extraordinary skills of skilled craftsmen at the Wenwangge Woodworking Museum; and have a close contact with the cultural and creative products of “Guanfu Cat” at the Guanfu Museum. The innovation of non-state-owned museums brings all-round and diversified experiences to the audience.
Li Bolun, deputy director of the cultural relics management office of the Chaoyang District Culture and Tourism Bureau, remembers that during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2022, the Culture and Tourism Bureau will bring 5 museums into the Blue Harbor International Business District. In the business circle of mass entertainment consumption, private collections are shared by the whole people, more than a thousand tourists stop to visit, and the number of online activities and video views exceeds one million.
Located in Shijingshan District, Yanjing Bajue Museum is famous for its “living inheritance”. In 2010, Yanjing Bajue’s “Second Generation” joined forces for the first time to establish the Yanjing Bajue Art Museum in the ancient Cheng’en Temple. With the continuous introduction of supporting policies, Yanjing Bajue has started the exploration of upgrading from an art gallery to a museum. The curator Bai Qun knows very well that the greatest wealth of Yanjing Bajue Museum is the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage here. “Looking at the five major museums in the world, ‘there are collections but no masters’. It is impossible to know how this collection was made or where the inheritors are.” So Bai Qun designed the master studio behind the exhibition area. Viewers can see the production process of Yanjing Bajue here.
Wang Wenwang, the owner of the Wenwangge Woodwork Museum in Tongzhou District, was born in a carpenter’s family. He has been obsessed with the unique Chinese technique of mortise and tenon structure since he was a child. Wang Wenwang has devoted himself to collecting wooden works since 1997. Over the past 20 years, he has collected more than 100,000 pieces in his museum. He has studied 70 categories and opened hundreds of “intangible cultural heritage” courses.
The century-old World Telephone Museum in Beijing founded by Che Zhihong has collected nearly 100,000 items related to the development of communications from various countries in the world, including old telephones in the shape of pianos, motorcycles, and airplanes, as well as telephone directories and signs of public telephone booths of different ages etc., showing the rapid development of my country’s communication technology.
“Every museum and the entire industry must ‘open its doors’ and cooperate extensively with all sectors of society to jointly create a ‘museum city’.” said Gao Xiaolong, former director of the Policy and Regulations Department of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics. (Qu Xiaoyi, Guo Yimeng)
on site
Drinking coffee under a century-old wisteria frame
For the old neighbors on Liuyin Street, Prince Kung’s Mansion is a very special existence. They feel at ease and proud when they go to the Grand Theater to watch performances or serve as volunteers to explain to tourists during festivals. In the eyes of young people, today’s Prince Kung’s Mansion is equally attractive.
“I go several times a year, and every time I visit, there are new discoveries, such as interesting exhibitions, unique cultural creations, especially the Spring Equinox Blessing Ceremony of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Project of Prince Gong’s Mansion. I have participated in it for several years.” Meng Xiaoxue is a 90 Later, when she was a child, she lived in Liuyin Street. What impressed her most was that her mother took her to Prince Gong’s Mansion to see Begonia. Now she feels that Prince Kung’s Mansion is more vivid and interesting.
“I used to think that Prince Kung’s Mansion was just a scenic spot, but now it’s more like a museum or a living space.” Meng Xiaoxue was wearing a delicate green diamond-encrusted rice dumpling-shaped bracelet on her wrist, which she bought at the online store of Prince Kung’s Mansion during the Dragon Boat Festival last year. “I Love Wisteria You at First Sight” series accessories.
In recent years, Prince Kung’s Mansion has created a museum public service with the concept of “Great Cultural Creation”, bringing elegant life into the daily life of young people. For example, the digital collection of colored painting relics in the palace is not only used for historical and cultural research on the ancient buildings of Prince Kung’s Mansion, but also assists in the development of cultural and creative products.
According to Chen Guilan, head of the Operation and Management Office of Prince Kung’s Mansion Museum, the design of cultural and creative products is inspired by the iconic plant of Prince Kung’s Mansion, the century-old wisteria, and the corresponding customs of the Dragon Boat Festival during the flowering period. The culture and life of the master of the mansion have derived a homophonic “love at first sight only hurts you” series of accessories.
Chen Guilan revealed that there is also a beverage hall planned in Prince Kung Funan Plaza. “The design elements are integrated into the wisteria paintings of the Grand Theater Building, creating a scene for young people to drink coffee under the wisteria frame.”
What’s more interesting is that in addition to developing cultural and creative products such as tea sets and coffee sets, the Museum of Prince Kung’s Mansion will also develop unique cultural and creative products based on historical records, such as Prince Gong Yixin’s poems or tea and coffee records mentioned in related documents. Exclusive drinks. (Qu Xiaoyi)
expert interview
Qi Qingguo, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of Beijing Museum Society:
Beijing has formed the largest and most powerful urban museum cluster in the country
Reporter: Why does Beijing want to build a “city of museums”?
Qi Qingguo: Museums are the product of a city’s economic and social development to a certain extent, and at the same time, it has also become an important driving force for the development of the city.
A city relies on a certain industry or cause, which often indicates that this industry or cause has a high density and a strong agglomeration effect in the city, and has a decisive influence on the economic and social development of the city and the production and life of residents. It has a certain core leading and radiating role in the whole country and even the world, and has formed a distinctive feature in the promotion of the city’s brand image. From the perspective of the number, density, layout, level of museum management, and public service effectiveness of museums, Beijing has formed the largest and most powerful urban museum cluster in the country.
Reporter: In the past 10 years, what highlights have you seen in Beijing’s museums?
Qi Qingguo: As the political center and cultural center of the country, the highlight of Beijing is to build a platform for exchange and cooperation between brother museums. The museums in Beijing took the lead and even invested in inviting brother museums from other provinces to hold exhibitions in Beijing, making full use of and revitalizing collection resources, and digging deeper into the connotation of cultural relics. Some large museums in Beijing have also made new explorations in personnel training.
Reporter: What do you think is the future direction of museum development? Where is the government investing more?
Qi Qingguo: At present, Beijing is promoting the formation of landmark large-scale museum clusters; supporting Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang and other qualified districts to implement the “museum strong district” strategy; Introduce the cultural functions of museums; encourage non-state-owned museums to “group development” to form a group of museum gathering areas; support and promote the construction of the Great Wall Museum of China, the National Museum of Natural History, the Grand Canal Museum, the Beijing Olympic Museum, and the Lu County Ancient City Archaeological Site Museum Waiting for a group of modern museums representing the image of the capital. (Guo Yimeng)
Digitization makes cultural relics “live”
Even if there is no physical object, a “cultural relic exhibition” can still be held through digital means.
In 2020, the exhibition “Time and Space Odyssey of Cultural Relics” will be held in the Capital Museum. The digitization of cultural relics of 11 cultural and museum units brought an immersive experience to the audience.
Upload a photo, and you can find the one with the highest matching degree among the terracotta warriors and horses; wave your hands, and a “guqin” with an interactive password can play a wonderful ancient song; sit on a futon by the stream, gently Touch the lotus leaf, and verses will appear on the screen… The codes contained in the cultural relics, presented digitally, come to people ingeniously.
Digital technology has also brought many interesting attempts to the restoration and display of Prince Kung’s Mansion. “The museum has the function of education and dissemination, so we can’t place some furniture or decorations casually, and create a so-called boudoir or prince’s bedroom to attract tourists.” Gao Xiaoyuan, deputy director of the Collection Research Department of the Prince Kung’s Mansion Museum, said that the basis for the indoor restoration of the Prince Kung’s Mansion is, Basically, it comes from the style Leitu, old photos and references to the furnishings of the Forbidden City left over from that year. “However, we plan to make a digital restoration display, make some bolder ideas, and present the latest research results for everyone to appreciate and discuss.”
(Editors in charge: Bao Congying, Gao Xing)
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