Entering Forbidden City
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Xinhua, October 17, 2011
OPENING MORE DOORS TO PALACE MUSEUM
Although 2011 marks a century after the 1911 Xinhai Revolution overthrew China's feudal dynasties, it has been an unusual year for the Palace Museum for other reasons.
This year, a series of scandals have brought criticism to the palace: after items on exhibition were stolen, museum officials presented police with a banner displaying an incorrect character; a company affiliated with the museum planned to set up a private luxury club in the former palace; a precious porcelain relic was accidentally broken and the museum delayed reporting the accident to a higher authority.
The Chinese public wants to know what happens inside the high walls of the palace, and they are angry about the slow reactions and the arrogance of museum officials, as well as their attempts to cover up the accidents. In a civil society, the public has the right to be informed of issues related to public policies and public organizations.
Many experts say the Palace Museum needs to establish a complete, transparent and accountable supervision system in order to make the palace truly belong to the public.
"Apparently, there is still a long way to go to truly realizing the sharing of cultural heritage. People's criticisms about the private club in the palace show their deep worries about the future of cultural sharing," said Li Gongming.
Graduate student Zhou Chao recently visited the Palace Museum for the second time in his life - 20 years after he first visited as a four-year-old.
"I read the recent reports about the museum. I think those were things that should not have happened. I still feel many restrictions in the Palace Museum. I hope it can open more areas for visitors," Zhou said.
According to information provided by the museum, one-third of the palace's total area was open to the public before a massive restoration project began in 2002. After eight years of renovations, the open area increased to 45.79 percent. The museum plans to open more halls and gardens in the future.
Even without opening up more to the public, statistics show that more than 312 million people have visited the Palace Museum since 1949. The number of annual visitors jumped from 1 million in 1949 to 12.83 million in 2010, putting the Palace Museum among the world's most popular museums.
In an effort to shake off its decrepit image and open itself up further to both the public and modernity, the museum opened microblogs on China's most popular social networking services, Sina and QQ, to distribute information about its exhibitions. Its QQ account has attracted more than 3.23 million followers.
In October 2010, the museum set up a shop on Taobao, China's largest e-commerce site, to sell souvenirs, including dolls, T-shirts, decorations, books, stationery and key chains.
Qiu Fengqin, head of the Palace Museum's cultural service center which is responsible for the operation of the online shop, said the number of daily hits at the website can reach 8,000. The cartoon-style dolls modeled on Qing princes and princesses are the most popular items.
"We are making efforts to bring the ancient palace closer to ordinary citizens. We are developing products close to people's lives, and displaying the charms of traditional culture," Qiu said.
Throughout the recent scandals, the Palace Museum also tried to interact with the public through microblogs, but failed to improve public relations due to a lack of experience.
"We are working according to rules which have lasted for many years. The working style cannot meet public demand. It's time to change," said Xu Kai, an employee with the cultural relics administration department.
"I really feel happy to help researchers both at home and abroad study the pieces of heritage in our museum. We also hold many exhibitions in other cities and in foreign countries to give more people a chance to enjoy the palace's antiques without going to Beijing," Xu said.
"Our goal is to let everybody share the cultural resources of the Palace Museum," Xu added.
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