Centuries of art and culture goes on show

Beijing Museum Month offers host of activities and special exhibitions for visitors to enjoy

From exhibitions to films and book fairs, Beijing residents are enjoying a variety of activities during Beijing Museum Month, which launched on International Museum Day, May 18, and will run to June 18.

During the event's launch ceremony last Saturday, officials from the Beijing Cultural Heritage Bureau, one of the event's organizers, announced the four themed weeks of the event, each focusing on exhibitions, cultural and creative products, films and reading.

It's designed to build a "bridge" between the public and museums, promoting the integrated development of museums and education and attracting more people to museums, said staff members of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Bureau.

More than 100 museums including the National Museum of China and the China National Film Museum participated in the exhibition week from last Saturday to Friday, with nearly 1,000 exhibitions held and 10,000 free tickets provided to local people each day.

Of them, the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing, or the eastern branch of the Capital Museum, opened a special exhibition on the coordinated development of Beijing and neighboring Tianjin city and Hebei province on Saturday.

The exhibition is jointly organized by the Capital Museum, the Tianjin Museum and the Hebei Museum in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

Covering an area of 1,780 square meters, the exhibition is composed of three sections, with 398 cultural relics and archives, according to Zhang Jie, deputy director of the preparatory division of the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing.

By visiting the exhibition, people can learn more about the history of the three regions and how Beijing's metropolitan area has developed, Zhang said.

The exhibition will last until the end of this year and is open for free to the public.

Additionally, the special exhibition Zhenguan: Li Shimin's Saga of Prosperous Era is underway at the National Museum of Classic Books in Haidian district.

Zhenguan refers to the reign of Emperor Li Shimin from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

During his 23-year reign, Li made achievements including battlefield triumphs, an emphasis on agriculture and a receptive attitude toward good advice, leading to an era of prosperity.

As the first in Beijing to focus on this iconic figure, the exhibition gathers 249 cultural relics from 15 museums around the country including pottery figurines, gold and silver artifacts, stone statues and epigraphs.

It showcases Li's growth from a young general to a great emperor, offering a panorama of the thriving Zhenguan, said staff members from the museum. The exhibition will run until Aug 25.

After seeing the exhibition, Yang Wenjie, a middle school student in Beijing, said she has gained a fuller understanding of the emperor.

"It's interesting for me as I learned something that books didn't tell me before. The emperor in the exhibition is more like an ordinary person," Yang said. "I hope to see more exhibitions like this."

Other exhibitions include one on dinosaur egg fossils at the Geological Museum of China from April 26 to Nov 16 and the exhibition on landscape-themed cultural relics at the Beijing Art Museum from May 21 to May 10, 2025.

During the event's launch ceremony, the Beijing Cultural Heritage Bureau also released the Beijing Museum Guide Map and the Beijing Museum Guide to draw more tourists.

The guide provides detailed information about the 213 museums in Beijing including their history and important collections. It also lists scenic spots, business districts and cultural facilities within a 2-kilometer radius of each museum.

The map divides the 213 museums into seven categories and illustrates where they are sited around the city. On the reverse side are images of the museums along with their basic information including the address, opening hours and contact information.

Upcoming events

The last week of May is for cultural and creative works, during which many Beijing museums will give a discount on their official merchandise.

On Saturday, the 2024 Museum Cultural Heritage and Innovative Design Competition of Beijing will kick off at the National Natural History Museum of China.

This weekend, six museums and historical sites such as the Beijing Art Museum and the Miaoying Temple will hold cultural and creative markets.

The movie week runs from June 1-7. With the support of the Beijing Film Administration, nearly 30 museums will extend their operating hours to screen some 10 films and hold numerous movie-related activities including the online lecture Understanding a Museum.

Differing from cinemas, films will be shown in the museums' public areas or outdoors, offering visitors a novel experience.

The reading week, running from June 8-14, will feature an array of activities including book fairs and readings. The Capital Museum and the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing will be the main venues of the event.

zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn