Museum's Collection Includes Shang Dynasty Oracle Bones, Archaeological Relics, And Samples Of Ethnic Minority Scripts#
China's museum infrastructure has gotten a boost in the last few decades, with museums dedicated to modern literature, Confucius, ethnic minority culture, ancient carvings, and dinosaurs springing up all over the country, and a maturing but still underdeveloped modern and contemporary Chinese art museum system taking root in cultural centers like Beijing and Shanghai.
Although arts education has not yet caught up with other priorities for the Chinese educational authorities, these museums do give people a chance to get a better sense of the country's history and changing culture, two things that often get lost in the commotion of daily life in a fast-moving and constantly changing country.
Joining these cultural museums, this week marked the opening of the National Museum of Chinese Writingin Henan Province's Anyang city. Dedicated to the history of the written word in China, and the ancient and evolving history of Chinese script over the millenia, this museum's opening was attended by government officials like Li Changchun, who spoke to the press about the importance of new museums in bolstering interest in China's historical and cultural background among younger generations. From CCTV:
[Li] pointed out that the museum has filled a blank in China's cultural research and hopes that further efforts will be made to extend and deepen the study and promotion of the Chinese language and culture.
The National Museum of Chinese Writing is China's first museum dedicated solely to the evolution of the country's writing system. The museum houses more than 4,000 items, divided into sections like the history of Chinese calligraphy, the development of script from prehistory to modern times, and the various writing systems of China's 55 ethnic minorities.