Themed “Making studying more enjoyable,” Beijing Museum Month was launched at the Beijing Grand Canal Museum on Saturday. At least 400 visitors attended the opening ceremony.
During the ceremony, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau released the
Beijing Museum Guide Map and the Beijing Museum Guide, featuring the city’s unique tourism resources to enable visitors to quickly understand the museum information in Beijing and parts of the museums they want to visit.
The four themed weeks of Beijing Museum Month were also launched at the ceremony: Exhibition Week, from May 18 to 24; Cultural and Creative Week, May 25 to 31; Film Week, June 1 to 7 and Reading Week, from June 8 to 14.
Book cover of the Beijing Museum Guide
The
Beijing Museum Guide Map and the Beijing Museum Guide cover 16 administrative regions and economic and technological development zones in Beijing, with seven categories and 213 museums introduced.
Beijing Museum Guide Map
Beijing Museum Guide Map
The map features the history and important collections of each museum, as well as information on scenic spots, business districts and cultural facilities within 2-kilometer radius of each museum at the center. The seven categories include history and culture, revolutionary memorials, natural science and technology and archaeological sites.
For the visitors’ convenience, the map also lists the museums’ exterior and basic information, such as name, address, open hours and contact information.
To celebrate the 2024 Beijing Museum Month, a number of related activities have kicked off, offering thousands of exhibitions in hundreds of museums to tens of thousands of visitors.
“Visitors are really passionate about these activities. Tickets for the weekend of May 18 are all taken,” said Bai Chong, director of the museum division of Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau.
During the Exhibition Week (May 18-24), 10,000 free and reservation-not-required tickets will be distributed each day to the public and college students in the capital.
Out of the total 70,000 tickets, 10,000 will be allocated to college students, Bai said.
The National Natural History Museum of China will host the 2024 Beijing Cultural Museum Creative Design Competition and Cultural and Creative Week on May 25.
On May 25 and 26, six cultural and creative markets will open, Bai said. "Cultural and creative products will be sold with discounts to visitors," he added.
More than 10 high-quality films are selected to be on show in nearly 30 museums during the Film Week (June 1-7).
“Since 2023, museum movie night has been piloted. This year, activities will continue starting June 1 offering extended hours,” said Bai.
Visitors can explore the exhibitions and watch movies. Their demand of longer hours visiting will be met through this new business model, Bai noted.
Extended hours will be applied in about 20 museums including Capital Museum, Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum and Beijing Auto Museum.
The Reading Week (June 8-14) will be held in the Capital Museum and the Beijing Grand Canal Museum. Readers will be able to attend lectures and book signing sessions with their favorite writers in these museums.
Beijing has been enhancing its museum resources since 2020. Currently the city boasts 1.1 museums for every 100,000 people, Bai noted.
In addition, an exhibition on the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region opened at the Beijing Grand Canal Museum on Saturday, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the national strategy of coordinated development of in the region.
The exhibition is jointly sponsored by the Capital Museum, Tianjin Museum and Hebei Museum.
It features 398 cultural relics, exhibits and archival materials that highlight the bonds and geographical relationships among the three regions. Through the exhibition, visitors can gain insight into the importance of the national strategy in developing the urban cluster.
Zhang Jie, deputy director of the Preparatory Division at the Beijing Grand Canal Museum, explained that the exhibition is divided into three sections, showcasing the expansion of the urban cluster from ancient times to the present.
The exhibition also illustrates the cultural exchanges among the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with Beijing at its core, Zhang said.
The exhibition will last until the end of this year, and is open free to the public.
Liang Jingyu, a middle school student in Beijing, told the Global Times that he was impressed by the exhibition.
“I find the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to be magnificent,” he said.
“By visiting the museum, I have built more cultural confidence. Over past years, I have witnessed that there are more museums, more exhibitions and more collections in the museums,” Liang added.
Yu Yue, a visitor, takes her daughter to the exhibition and finds it necessary to bring the younger generation to museums so that they can learn more about cultural heritage.
Visitors watch the exhibition on coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region at the Beijing Grand Canal Museum on Saturday. Photo: Dong Feng/GT
Visitors watch the exhibition on coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region at the Beijing Grand Canal Museum on Saturday. Photo: Dong Feng/GT
