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Museums key to preserving past
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-05-13 01:05 Museums must play an active part in preserving and protecting the nation's
intangible heritage from the threat of cultural homogenization, a senior local
official said Wednesday in Beijing.
"Museums have traditionally been a space in which material evidence of the
past is collected, conserved and displayed,'' said Beijing Cultural Relics
Bureau Vice-Director Shu Xiaofeng. "However, the practices, ideas, knowledge and
skills associated with these objects have received little attention for a long
time.''
"Although the concept of heritage has been dominated by its tangible
embodiments, intangible representations are undoubtedly an essential part of any
civilization."
While speaking at a press conference to promote International Museum Day,
which falls annually on May 18, Shu said that intangible heritage includes
performing arts, oral history, literature and artifacts that create links to the
past.
"I believe that the issue of intangible heritage is one of the most important
areas for the museum profession to explore in the years ahead," Shu said.
Shu added that several activities such as open days, exhibitions, lectures
and workshops will be held between May 15 and 21 as part of the promotion.
"Several traditional music and dance performances, which are parts of this
intangible cultural heritage, will be staged at the opening ceremony on May 15,"
he said.
"We will also invite several renowned experts to determine the authenticity
of paintings, ceramics and other relics that people bring to us."
He said that the activities will be held on May 15 and 16 at the Working
People's Cultural Palace.
Bureau Director Mei Ninghua said that museums, acting as principal custodians
of tangible heritage, should make greater efforts in the collection,
conservation, presentation and interpretation of intangible heritage.
However, he expressed deep concerns about lacklustre attendance of late at
the city's museums.
"Generally speaking, the ticket sales can hardly maintain the museums daily
operational costs at present,'' Mei said. "Beijing residents do not seem to be
interested in museums nowadays."
"Part of the reason is that exhibitions in most museums are old-fashioned and
dull, but I think that the ways that Beijingers spend their spare time is the
most important reason," Mei noted.
"Most Beijing residents usually choose natural attractions or amusement if
they go out for entertainment. But things are different in foreign and several
domestic cities."
For instance, Mei said that the Palace Museum had held an exhibition of
precious paintings, but few people attended the show.
But when the same paintings were sent and showcased in Shanghai several
months later, people there queued in line waiting for tickets despite the rainy
weather.
"Beijing badly needs to promote its museum culture, although the city already
has 125 museums at present and has taken the lead in museum construction around
the country," Mei said.
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