Museum overcomes hiccups of dislocation
Print Edition
Minhang Museum, now in a temporary site while its new home is under construction on Mingdu Road, isn’t letting all the dislocation interfere with a schedule of exhibitions to delight both locals and visitors alike.
The museum, now located in Chenshen Cultural Square, will be displaying an array of traditional Chinese musical instruments and an exhibition of ancient Maqiao culture in the new year.
“Both of the exhibitions were resident displays in the museum before it was relocated to its current site,” said Song Jue, director of publications and education for the museum. “Next year the museum will continue to promote the history, tradition and culture of our district.”
The museum’s recent exhibit of vintage postcards depicting scenes of Old Shanghai, which closed on December 15, was popular with the public. Up to 10,000 visitors viewed the exhibit according to Song.
The Minhang Museum has been going from strength to strength since it first opened to the public on Xinjian Road in 2003. It moved to its temporary site on the second floor of Chunshen Culture Square in August 2012.
New site under construction
The museum site under construction on Mingdu Road spans 15,000 square meters and is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2015. The new facility will comprise two large halls for resident exhibitions.
During the current transition period, the museum is reaching out with floating exhibitions traveling to residential community centers, schools and parks.
It is also continuing to sponsor community lectures on the history and culture of the district.
“Despite limitations imposed by the relocation, we are searching for more ways to spread cultural enhancement to everyone in the district,” Song said.
One way to expand the breadth of Minhang Museum exhibitions is through regional cooperation among museums. The popular postcard exhibit is a case it point.
It is a traveling show from the Shanghai History Museum and has been mounted in districts across Shanghai.
Increasing cooperation
Most of the 200 postcards were donated by Zhe Fu, who lives in Hong Kong and has collected postcards, primarily from overseas Chinese who received mail from mainland relatives.
Song said the exhibition was especially popular among Minhang residents.
“More than 4,000 people visited the exhibit in the first two months,” he said. “Most were residents of Minhang, and many of whom once lived in the urban areas depicted in many of the cards. People are very interested in Shanghai history.”
Museums, like many public institutions are increasingly providing online services.
Shanghai Museum has an official website in Chinese and English. The National Museum of China also provides applications to allow people to visit via their smartphones or make reservations for special museum events.
Many district museums in Shanghai have yet to follow suit. So far, the Art Museum in the Xuhui District is the only one to have created an official website, according to the research online. Some Minhang residents think such a website for their district is long overdue.
“I have been living in Minhang for almost 20 years, but I still don’t know the address of the Minhang Museum or what’s going on there,” said Liu Hongbing, who lives in the Meilong area.
Modern time requests
Persons seeking information can contact the museum by phone, fax, Weibo and WeChat.
The museum employs eight full-time workers and eight part-timers. So far, it has mounted more than 50 exhibitions, including ones on the Sanxingdui Ruins and an international gifts exhibit.
“Our exhibits and events attract many students, providing an off-campus educational experience,” said Song.
The Minhang Museum is an arm of the district government, which provides all its financing. All exhibitions and events are free to the public.
Some people suggest that museums should also seek contributions from private sponsors to expand their offerings at a time when governments are budget-conscious.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
