Nanjing marks International Museum Day

China's main event marking 2014 International Museum Day was held at Nanjing Museum in the capital of Jiangsu province on Sunday.

The event was co-organized by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and Jiangsu provincial government, and the hosts announced the country's top 10 best museums in 2013. Additionally, the Palace Museum, Nanjing Museum, and Ningbo Museum received awards for creativity.

Li Xiaojie, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage said that - at the end of 2013 - China had 4165 registered museums, 299 more than the previous year, and 19.4 percent are private museums, 2.7 percent more than two years ago.

The previous day, 100 visitors selected from online applicants got a rare chance to visit the cultural relic warehouse of Nanjing Museum as part of activities related to this year's slogan of International Museum Day: ”Museum collections set off a bridge of communication.”. The museum also hosted special exhibitions over the weekend.

International Museum Day was initiated by the International Council of Museums in 1977 to raise awareness about the importance of museums in the development of society.