Spring was in the air in April when the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing. As the cultural parlor for China, the NMC greeted many political leaders and international friends from many countries. In the Museum a new chapter of the exchanges and mutual learning among the civilizations along the Belt and Road was unfolded.
Despite the tight schedule of the Forum, many political leaders took a visit to the NMC as a priority in their trip to China, as evidenced by the fact that Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbayev, the first President of Kazakhstan, Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy, Lord James Sassoon, member of the House of Lords, the United Kingdom, and government employees of the United States and Papua New Guinea all visited the NMC.
The delegation headed by Nursultan bishuly Nazarbayev visited the permanent exhibition on Ancient China on April 26, 2019. During their visit, NMC Director Wang Chunfa briefed them on the rich collection of the Museum and the splendid 5,000-year civilization of China. Nazarbayev showed keen interest in the bronze artifacts dating to the Shang and Zhou dynasties and Director Wang Chunfa enthusiastically introduced the age, materials and functions of quite a few pieces of representative bronze ware in the NMC. Nazarbayev expressed gratitude for Director Wang’s introduction and marvelled at the wisdom of ancient Chinese people. Wang Chunfa presented Nazarbayev with a catalogue on Chinese Civilization, which is expected to bring the marvelous exhibition of the NMC back to his home.
The delegation led by Conte made a special trip to the NMC to visit “The Journey Back Home: An Exhibition of Chinese Artifacts Repatriated from Italy” on April 28, 2019. He indicated that the return of these Chinese artifacts bore a witness to the long-time exchanges and profound friendship between China and Italy and congratulated the Chinese side on the success of the exhibition. After a visit to the exhibition, he expressed his interest in visiting the permanent exhibition of Ancient China, and marveled at the 5,000-year history and splendid culture of China displayed in the NMC.
The international friends and those working in the museum communities from around the world also take the NMC as an important place to experience Chinese culture and conduct exchanges about their business.
Christopher Cocker, CEO of South Pacific Tourism Organization, at the suggestion of Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Luo Shugang, came to visit the NMC on April 27, 2019. At the “Sharing a Common Future: Exhibition of Treasures from National Museum along the Silk Road”, Cocker said the beauty of art built a bridge to enhance friendship among different countries, and a personal visit to the splendid artifacts of the countries along the Belt and Road deepened his understanding about the glorious history of the Silk Road and the brilliant civilizations of those countries along the Road.
Besides, Durnan, Chief Curator of Museum of Glasgow, the United Kingdom, Gruev, Director of Central State Archives (CSA), the Republic of Bulgaria, Mamaary, Curator of Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum, Kiri Nathan, famous designer from New Zealand, and delegations from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts of the United States, the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal, and the Authority for the Protection of the Site and Management of the Region of Angkor recently visited the NMC, and exchanged views regarding exhibition organization, protection of the collection, building renovation, education and guide, and facility safety to draw on the NMC’s experiences and explore cooperation in new fields.
At the arrangement of Director Wang Chunfa, Shanwei, Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the NMC, Chen Chengjun and Bai Yuntao, Deputy Directors of the NMC, received some the above delegations and showed them around the exhibitions.
The NMC has been all along committed to playing its role as a cultural parlor for the country. As a platform to tell Chinese stories, the NMC contributes to communication and mutual learning among the civilizations of the world and enjoys growing international influence as well as increasing popularity among the tourists from across the world.
“Rivers and seas become as deep as they are because they are accommodating.” The NMC that remains open and seeks progress will join hands with its counterparts from around the world to create an even better future.