Editor's note: May 18 marks the International Museum Day, with the theme "The Power of Museums". Guangdong is home to 367 registered museums as of April 2022, ranking third in China. In this series, we will share with you several national first-class museums and some of their ongoing exhibitions in the province, to explore the potential of museums to bring about positive change in our communities.
Do you want to learn the history of reptiles returning to the ocean? Would you like to write an International Museum Day themed postcard and send it to a friend? Do you want to appreciate ancient Chinese art with your family? From May 14 to 22, a series of activities will be launched to celebrate the 2022 International Museum Day at the Shenzhen Museum.
1. Q & A | Journey to the sea—the reptiles from terrestrial to aquatic
The evolution of reptiles is a magnificent epic of the earth, and their return to the ocean no doubt is an important part of the epic. At the end of the Permian period (more than 250 million years ago), the third mass extinction event occurred on the earth, after which reptiles replaced amphibians as the protagonists of the earth. When reptiles, which has adapted to life on land, returned to the water again, their morphological characteristics and physiological functions changed dramatically.
Visitors can use their mobile phones to scan the QR code in the exhibition hall, and participate in real-time interactive Q & A games. Small gifts will be awarded to winners.
Venue: Special Exhibition Hall on the 2nd Floor of Shenzhen Museum of History and Folk Culture
2. Family education activities
The Shenzhen Museum of Ancient Art recently released a Family Visit Guide, and plans to recruit 50 families to explore 12 special cultural relics by following the guide. People can take photos or shoot videos of the visits to share with their friends.
Time: 10:30-11:30, Saturday, May 21, 2022
Venue: Museum of Ancient Art
3. Free museum-themed postcard
All visitors can get a free "2022 International Museum Day Postcard" at the service counter of the Shenzhen Museum. The postcard will be stamped with a "518 International Museum Day" seal.
4. DIY | My Museum Journey
Shenzhen Museum will invite 20 "museum experiencers" to explore collections in the Museum of Ancient Art. Participants will be able to make their own museum brochures by hand after the visit.
Time: 14:30-17:00, Saturday, May 14, 2022;
14:30-17:00, Sunday, May 15, 2022
Venue: Museum of Ancient Art
About Shenzhen Museum
Established in 1981, the Shenzhen Museum now has four venues with a total construction area of more than 60,000 square meters, namely the Museum of History and Folk Culture (历史民俗馆), the Museum of Ancient Art (古代艺术馆), the Site of Former Dongjiang Guerrilla Headquarters (东江游击队指挥部旧址), and the Shenzhen Reform and Opening up Exhibition Hall (深圳改革开放展览馆). It is a large comprehensive museum for the collection, protection, research, exhibition and public education of ancient relics.
The collections of the Shenzhen Museum are made up of government allocations, public solicitation, and private donations. There are more than 40,000 cultural relics, including over 5,400 designated by the government as higher ranking and precious.
The museum houses more than 6,000 materials related to the history of reform and opening-up, making it one of the top museums of China. Other collections of note are bronze wares from the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-256 BC), ceramics, modern paintings and calligraphy and wild animal specimens.
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 (Closed on Monday)
Ticket prices: Free
Address:
·Museum of History and Folk Culture: Area A, Civil Center, Fuzhong Road, Futian District, Shenzhen (深圳市福田区福中路市民中心A区)
·Museum of Ancient Art: No. 6, Tongxin Road, Futian District, Shenzhen (深圳市福田区同心路6号)
·Site of Former Dongjiang Guerrilla Headquarters: No. 13, Nanqing Street, Luohu District, Shenzhen (深圳市罗湖区南庆街13号)
·Shenzhen Reform and Opening up Exhibition Hall: Floor 4 and 5, No. 184, Fuzhong Road, Futian District, Shenzhen (深圳市福田区福中路184号四楼、五楼)
Author: Ariel
Editor: Wing, Olivia, Monica, Will, Jerry
