New museums on way as projects aim for UN heritage site status

Old consulates and a former Protestant hospital on Gulangyu Island - a tourism magnet in Xiamen, Fujian province - will be turned into museums to help the area qualify for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

The former British consulate, the site of several fast food restaurants in the 1990s before becoming home to the Gulangyu Management Committee in 2003, is now being turned into a history museum.

An old Protestant hospital in Xiamen is to be rebuilt as a branch of the Palace Museum to showcase the Beijing museum's foreign cultural relics.

It was the latest move of the Museum Project, an initiative proposed by Gulangyu authorities to help the island compete to be China's candidate for the UNESCO list in 2016.

Gulangyu became an important trading port in the 1840s, attracting Western religious groups, global commercial and financial institutions, and diplomatic missions.

Under the influence of such cultural diversity, the island began a transformation from a traditional settlement into a modern residential community featuring advanced facilities, quality education and good medical services, said Ye Xizhi, deputy director of the management committee.

"The old consulates are an important part of Gulangyu's cultural richness. Turning them into museums is the right way to take care of them," Ye said.

There are six former consulates remaining on the island, all of which are involved in the Museum Project.

The original Spanish consulate is being redesigned for photographic exhibits; the former US consulate will become a branch of the China National Art Museum; the former Japanese consulate will be transformed into the Gulangyu Island Culture Museum; the old Danish consulate will become the Gulangyu Telecom Museum; and the original Dutch consulate will be an exhibition hall for Gulangyu's humanity and history.

Shen Tianying, a staff member involved in the Palace Museum's hospital project, said it is the first time the museum will have a branch outside Beijing.

"The crucial factor in the Palace Museum's agreement with the Xiamen government was the fusion of cultures from both the East and West on the island, which matches the Palace Museum's cultural melting-pot characteristics," Shen said.

The construction of the branch museum is scheduled to be completed next year.

Peng Yiwan, former director of the Xiamen Culture Bureau, said the Museum Project will let Gulangyu - which already has museums, including the Piano Museum and the Seashell Museum - become a whole island of museums, which may enhance the area's appeal and global recognition.

In 2012, Gulangyu was listed in the Preparatory Directory for World Cultural Heritage Sites in China. According to the rules laid down by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, any site wishing to apply for World Heritage Site status must first be listed in the directory.

In March, island authorities submitted their application to the administration and are now waiting to see if Gulangyu will be chosen as China's representative for the UNESCO list.

Contact the writers at sunli@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/12/2015 page5)