CPC story draws millions to city museums
Visitors take photos on one of the two bronze lion sculptures at the Shanghai History Museum in March 2018 which were previously placed in front of the HSBC building on the Bund.
Exhibitions and sites celebrating the history of Communist Party of China were major attractions at many local museums in 2018.
Shanghai has 131 registered museums, which attracted some 22 million visitors last year.
A total of 322 temporary exhibitions on popular themes were held in local museums, attracting some 11 million people, half of all visitors to city museums, the Culture and Tourism Administration announced yesterday.
Exhibitions on the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up were among the most popular at museums and historic venues. Nearly 100 exhibitions showcased the city’s unique history and culture.
Art and natural sciences were popular, including landscape paintings from the Tate Britain at the Shanghai Museum, which attracted some 610,000 visitors. An exhibition on the life of inventor Nikola Tesla brought over 310,000 visitors to the Shanghai Natural History Museum, and an exhibition on the history of local museums themselves attracted some 420,000.
The HOW Art Museum in Pudong, drew 40,000 visitors in June to a show by Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich, eight times its normal footfall.
Galleries held exhibitions at campuses, malls, parks, Metro stations and in communities. The city’s 89 art galleries hosted 992 special exhibitions last year, which helped to attract 6.8 million visitors, a near 10-percent increase on year.
More educational sessions, including public lectures and events for parents and children, were held last year, a seeming magnet to 5.6 million teenagers, a 42 percent increase.
Visitors take photos on an exhibition at Shanghai Museum of 150 paintings and works of calligraphy by Dong Qichang (1555-1636) and other artists in December.
The history of Communist Party of China and the establishment of the nation were very popular. The city’s 30 museums on the subjects welcomed about 9.5 million visitors, more than double the number in 2017.
Visitors to the site of the first CPC National Congress hit 1.5 million last year, ranking it fourth in terms of popularity among all museums.
The Science and Technology Museum was the most popular museum in 2018, followed by the Natural History Museum and Shanghai Museum.
About 3.5 million people visited the Science and Technology Museum last year, and 2.2 million made the trip to the Natural History Museum. Shanghai Museum attracted 2.1 million art enthusiasts last year.
The Chen Yun Memorial, Shanghai Lu Xun Museum, Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the site of the Second National Congress of the CPC made up the remainder of the city’s top 10.
Six new museums have opened including the International Table Tennis Federation Museum and the China Securities Museum.
The city’s museums have also focused on developing creative-cultural souvenirs, with over 1,000 kinds of merchandise, including some copies of artifacts, stationery, toys and furnishings. The total sales of souvenirs reached over 30 million yuan (US$4.4 million).
Visitors pose in front of the first gong of the Shanghai stock exchange at China Securities Museum in December 2018.
Visitors at the memorial site of the CPC’s first National Congress in July 2018.
