The reason why Chinese museums are largely established
Palace Museum generally called Forbidden City is Chinese largest and most comprehensive museum of history and culture, even in the world it is also incomparable.
China as one of Four Cradles of Human Civilization boasts her two-river civilization (Yellow River Civilization and Yangtze River Civilization). Chinese miraculous and glorious history and culture are always the pride of Chinese people today. Hence, the first-time travelers in China may be deeply impressed by hospitality and generosity of Chinese people as well as the sense of pride of Chinese people as a part of China and the successor of Chinese culture and tradition. Majority of Chinese people’s pride is based on the succession and protection of tradition and history. Chinese people after 1978 have given an unprecedented emphasis on the protection and extended reconstruction of museums in different regions of China apart from taking close notice of the importance of protecting cultural and historical relics and sites, because the brilliant Chinese and the elites of Chinese high-level researchers and policymakers have found the greatness of these remained treasures after a long-time suffering in history.
China is aroused thoroughly after the implementation of policy of opening and reform. More and more acknowledgeable Chinese men after visiting a lot of developed countries in the western society call out the protection of China’s traditional culture to remain and inherit the pure spirituality and humanity of Chinese people, though China just then suffered Cultural Revolution.
Taipei National Palace Museum is another most important collection center of Old Palace Museum in China.
How to protect and reuse the heritage from ancestors in today’s life is always thought by Chinese people. But in accordance with the international convention, museum as the center of protecting history and culture should be built and highlighted ahead of time, because museum is the final home of those tangible and intangible remains of history. And then, no matter what they are state owned or private, a large amount of museums with different orientations are built and opened in China.
Today, the facilitating way for foreigners to learn about Chinese history and culture is visiting the related museums. The face-to-face talk and meeting with history of China is always available in museums of China. So some one says Chinese history and stories are largely sleeping in thousands of museums of China. In this way, the dream of cultural and historical experience in China can only be satisfactorily realized in the museum.
The History of Chinese Museum
Shaanxi History Museum is one of Chinese largest and comprehensive museums, and it is famous for its collections and exhibitions of national treasure as well as the gorgeous culture of Han and Tang Dynasties in China
As early as Shang and Zhou Dynasties (The 17th Century BC—256BC), the professional and special organs were established for reserving the historical records of government, palace treasures as well as the important wares for national memorials. In Song Dynasty (960-1270), in emperor’s palace, some special offices were set such as Ancientness-Learning Pavilion and Ancientness-Respect Pavilion to collect the ancient rare jades, the rite wares, books of laws and regulations and diversity of paintings and artworks, and in fact it was the independent institution of cultural research and collection. Chinese museum industry was officially formed and developed after the Opium War in 1840. In 1905, Zhang Jian who was a Chinese famous industrialist and the last royal examination winner in Qing Dynasty opened Chinese First Modern Museum named Nantong Museum, which was the symbol of beginning of Chinese museum industry. After hundreds of years’ development, particularly in the past 30 years, Chinese Museum Industry has been highly improved. Currently, in China, there are more than 2000 museums. And more than 750 museums are under the state-level protection. There museums are comprehensive and have the large scales.
The Categories of Chinese Museum
Roughly Chinese museum can be sorted into three kinds:
Nanjing Museum is one of Chinese four largest and most famous comprehensive museum for its collection and research of history and culture
The first kind is museum of culture and history like Palace Museum of Beijing, Shaanxi History Museum as well as Nanjing Museum. Such kind of museum introduces the trace and history of Chinese 5000 years of civilization and shows the change and transformation of social life and tradition. Cultural and Historical Museum is the most famous museum in China.
The second kind is museum of natural science and technology like Beijing Museum of Nature History and China Museum of Science and Technology. It mainly exhibits the mystery of nature and the great achievement of Chinese people made in the aspect of science and technology. Travelers here can see Chinese Four Ancient Great Inventions and a large number of objects with the high value of science and technology.
The third is Museum of Art like China Art Museum and Suzhou Craft and Art Museum. Based on Chinese great culture, a lot of masterpieces of arts strongly characterized with the oriental thinking systems which is comprised of aesthetics, philosophy, painting, calligraphy, music, wushu, architectures and Fengshui or geomantic omen.
Additionally, there are also a mass of themed museums that largely developed over the past couple of years. These themed museums are related to the all corners of life and society, and the large extension of comprehensive museums. All in all, Chinese museum has formed its own system comprised of history, nature, science and technology, arts, figures, folk custom and historical relics.
Today’s Museum of China
Shanghai Museum is perhaps Chinese typically modern museum famous for both best facilities and rare collections
As the development of modern social life and economy, museum has become one hot destination in tourism. Museum actually has become the socialized center of human’s culture-related behaviors, targeted education and international communications. In China, as the popularity of compulsory education and the large enrollment of higher education, more and more educated people get used to going to museums for leisure and further study. For meeting the diversity of needs of tourists, many advanced equipments and settings have been perfectly installed in Chinese museums as well. The exhibition hall establishment, infrastructure optimization, collection displays and the tastes as well as levels of museums are all done very good. Besides, there are also a lot of themed activities and academic sharing meetings held by many related organizations or individuals opened free of charge to visitors. Visitors here can get the all-sided information about China and highly surprised by Chinese gigantic achievements in all sides both in ancient and modern times. Most of museums in China also present the visitors many styles of free souvenirs to help the visitors with understanding and remembering. Nowadays, Beijing Palace Museum, National Museum of China, Beijing Capital Museum, Taipei National Palace Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, Nanjing Musuem and Shanghai Museum are widely accepted as Chinese Top Museums, and they are surely most welcomed nationwide in China.
Today, large-scale China museum system can totally serve the different needs of travelers who are interested in China. All common or picky needs about museums can be available in Chinese museum service. Chinese culture in museum can largely show the visitors what is China and how is China in the past and future! A Chinese old saying goes: Everything from books or indirect sharing is superficial except self-practicing and self-learning straightforwardly. To learn about China, Chinese museum is always your best choice when you worry how to start.