Museums reinvent themselves to better cater to the public

The Shanghai Museum started to systematically host lectures, activities and interactive events for children in 2002. More than 200 lectures were given in 2012, amounting to an average of four lectures and activities each weekend.

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"We learned from the practice of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and the Louvre Museum," says Chen Zenglu, deputy director of the museum's education department.

"Museum is not just a showroom of cultural relics, but a city's culture center. Our educational programs are not meant to be a fireworks show. It's for real. We post event schedules and information on different platforms: our official website, micro-blogging sites and Douban, targeting different groups." Douban is a leading Chinese website. He adds that China's museums face the challenge of very diversified demands from the audiences.

"In more developed countries, aesthetic and cultural education is an integral part of the school system. But in China, we lack such basic education," he says.

He says as a result, some participants in their educational programs need basic knowledge and information, while others demand more advanced content.

zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn