New Year in the museum

"It is just like an indoor temple fair," says Fang Lihong, a middle-aged local visitor. "The Spring Festival atmosphere has arrived early at this museum."

The exhibition halls in the Capital Museum are decorated in the style of traditional New Year festive scenes. Two exhibitions themed on this year's zodiac animal, the Ox, have opened this week and will run until the Lantern Festival on Feb 10.

"For the first time, admission is free and booking aren't necessary during the Spring Festival," says Yao An, deputy director of the museum. "Staff will be on hand to supervise in case there are too many visitors inside."

A cultural relics show, Talking about the Ox in the Year of the Ox, displays more than 100 pieces of ox-shaped works, including a bronze ox, jade ox, ceramic ox, clay ox and tree-root-carving ox. Most of the exhibits come from the collection of the Han Dynasty Yang Mausoleum Museum and Xi'an Jingwen Ox Cultural Museum, in Shaanxi province.

The other exhibition, Good Luck in Ox Year, focuses on the folk art related to the animal.

Visitors are greeted by lanterns hung in rolls at the entrance, while figurines and props are arranged to reproduce scenes typical of the New Year and old Beijing homes.

More than 10 folk arts experts have been invited from the Beijing Folk Artists Association to do on-the-spot performances. They will show off their unique skills in making embroidery figurines, calabash carvings, hairy monkeys, kites, kongzhu, dough figurines and various old toys.

For old Beijingers, enjoying quyi programs or Peking Opera are an essential part of the season. To add vitality and recall the old cultural ambiance of the celebrations, drum ballad performers will also perform now and then during the show. Peking Opera costumes and properties are displayed beside the stage.

Food is also an essential part of the show - visitors will be able to buy roast duck, preserved fruit, dried nuts and melon-shaped maltose.

"I will come again with my family during the festival - spending the holidays in a museum has become popular and fashionable," says Fang.

9 am-5 pm, Feb 10. Capital Museum, 16 Fuxingmenwai Dajie, Xicheng district. 6337-0491/2

首都博物馆,西城区复兴门外大街16号

Story by Wu Liping, photos by Jiang Dong

(China Daily 01/24/2009 page6)