Capital to cement position as a cultural center

Long-term plan to upgrade historic Beijing sites aims to make it known as a city of museums

Release time : 2020-06-01 10:50:26

source : China Daily

Long-term plan to upgrade historic Beijing sites aims to make it known as a city of museums

Beijing is poised to become a "city of museums", according to a 2019-35 plan for the construction of a national cultural center.

The plan, released in April, aims to build Beijing into a city of museums with distinctive features, scores of exhibits and an intelligent layout of cultural resources.

To build a city of museums is a key part of the capital's drive to develop itself into a national cultural center, said Chen Mingjie, director of the Beijing Administration of Cultural Heritage, at a recent seminar.

An Laishun, vice-president of the International Council of Museums, said that given the current policy and social environment, the decision came at the right time.

The capital needs to further upgrade a number of museums that represent its history, culture, technology, industry and ecology, thus creating a more diverse, balanced and inclusive museum system, An said.

Beijing is home to 187 registered museums. Nearly 40 of them have reopened since May 1, based on timeshare bookings and limiting daily visitor numbers.

Even those that opted for a temporary closure during the COVID-19 outbreak remain active in cyberspace. In cooperation with internet platforms, they have launched a variety of livestreaming shows and provided a new way to enjoy culture, Xinhua News Agency reported.

To celebrate International Museum Day, which falls on May 18 every year, museums across Beijing rolled out 94 themed events, including 50 online exhibitions and 15 livestreaming shows.

Highlights of the online exhibitions included Celebrating Spring Festival in the Forbidden City by the Palace Museum, and a virtual version of Great Changes, which was debuted by the National Museum of China in 2018 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

As part of the celebrations, virtual tours of late celebrities' former residences in Beijing, which now