As more Chinese cities are quickly urbanized, museums play an increasingly important role in furthering people's education, rather than simply standing as enchanting buildings beautifying cityscapes.
How museums can further diversify urbanites' intellectual lives is at the center of a discussion in Nanjing attended by directors of museums from around the world.
A memorandum of the establishment of International Alliance of Museum Directors, for which the secretariat will be set up in Nanjing, is signed at the forum's opening on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The International Forum of Museum Directors, running from Saturday to Tuesday, team up heads of leading museums in major Chinese cities and countries including the United States, Canada and France, who will discuss measures taken by museums to meet visitors' diversifying needs in a globalized, digital world.
A memorandum of the establishment of International Alliance of Museum Directors, for which the secretariat will be set up in Nanjing, was signed at the forum's opening on Saturday.
The International Council of Museums also formed a strategic cooperation with Nanjing University of the Arts involving the opening of the International Institute of Art Museology at the university with the aim of cultivating more qualified museum administrators for China.
A Bust of Gaius Caesar dated between 1st and 4th century is on show. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The forum was held at the Chaotian Palace, a preserved traditional Chinese architecture complex built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) now the venue of the Nanjing City Museum.
An exhibition titled History of Museums was opened along with the forum, with a display through Aug 26 of artifacts tracing the development of museums in Europe and China.
Portrait of Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici as Flora, by Italian painter Antonio Franchi (1638–1709), is on show. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu, is a historic city, serving as the capitals of several historic dynasties. The province was where the country's first museums were built in the early 20th century.
The forum was part of the four-day World Historical and Cultural Cities Expo that ended in Nanjing on Monday.
