On November 27, the 2025 National Museum Directors Forum was successfully held at the National Museum of China in Beijing. On the occasion of the 13th anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit to the museum's permanent exhibition The Road of Rejuvenation, during which he proposed the realization of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, the forum adopted the theme "High-Quality Development: The Future of China's Museum Sector." The event aimed to thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, further act on the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's reply to veteran experts at the National Museum of China, strengthen exchanges and cooperation among cultural heritage institutions and museums nationwide, explore scientific approaches to planning the development of the museum sector, and jointly advance the high-quality development of China's museums. Directors and representatives from more than 50 museums affiliated with central government departments and from provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country attended the forum.
Tang Wei, Deputy Administrator of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, attended the forum and delivered remarks. Luo Wenli, Director of the National Museum of China; Zhu Hongwen, Deputy Director of the Palace Museum; and Xue Feng, Director of the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, delivered keynote speeches. 22 museum directors and guests from across the country engaged in in-depth discussions on three sub-topics: "Openness, Cooperation, and the Future Development of Museums," "The 'Cultural Heritage Boom' and Innovation in Museum Cultural Service Supply," and "New Technologies and Transformative Development in Museums." Their contributions injected fresh momentum into the scientific planning of a new chapter in museum development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period and advanced the high-quality development of the cultural heritage and museum sector.
At the forum, Director Luo Wenli put forward three initiatives. First, to strengthen collaboration. Museums nationwide should continue to foster friendly, mutually supportive, and win-win partnerships, and establish more streamlined mechanisms for cooperation and sharing in areas such as academic resources, collections, exhibitions, and talent. Second, to enhance service effectiveness. Museums should consistently take meeting the people's ever-growing need for a better life as the starting and ultimate goal of their work. They should leverage their collection resources, continuously optimize the supply of cultural products and the visitor experience, and promote the quality improvement and efficiency enhancement of public cultural services. Third, to stimulate innovation. Museums should proactively embrace the waves of digitalization and intelligence. This involves constantly and deeply exploring the value of their cultural artifacts, planning and launching more high-quality exhibitions and cultural activities that are profound in thought, exquisite in art, and excellent in production, thereby vividly demonstrating the eternal charm and contemporary value of Chinese civilization amidst the major trend of deep integration between culture and tourism.
Drawing on the realities of the museum sector's development in China and the practical experience of their respective institutions, the participating guests delivered insightful remarks and engaged in lively discussions. They noted that the country's museum sector is currently experiencing its best period in history. Cultural and museum professionals nationwide will thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, scientifically plan the development blueprint for the museum sector during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and continue to advance the high-quality development of cultural heritage and museum undertakings through higher-quality public cultural products and services. They pledged to make new contributions to enriching socialist culture and solidly advancing the building of China into a country with a strong socialist culture.