Yan Zhen/Shanghai Daily news
The museum treasures of city universities, exclusive and limited, are now
being opened to the public at no cost.
The first group of 10 university
museums will be opened starting next year, featuring ancient costumes, coins,
opera art, musical instruments, fisheries and other areas of interest.
The
Shanghai Education Commission announced the city would subsidize 80,000 yuan
(US$9,889) to each of the museums every year to improve their exhibition
facilities, management and increase exhibits. Their affiliated universities will
grant appropriate funding.
"It is a pity that we didn't make full use of the
existing university museum resources," said commission official Wen Tiehui.
"It's time to exploit universities' academic advantage and turn museums into
educational bases for the public."
Currently, most of university museums are
opened only for classroom teaching or professional study. Visitors, mostly
students and scholars, usually need a reservation.
"Lacking special funds,
university museums are usually on a small scale with poor management," said Yu
Huimin, dean of East China Normal University's history department, adding that
governmental subsidy will help.
University officials said that most of the
museums were expanding their exhibition areas, adding new exhibits, and building
new exhibit halls to prepare for the public opening.
Built in 2003, the C.Y.
Tung maritime museum of Jiao Tong University was set up in memory of C.Y. Tung,
the Chinese shipping tycoon who was known as one of the "seven sea barons in the
world" and father of Tung Chee-hwa, the former chief executive of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region.
The two-story Shikumen-style building houses
more than 600 ship models, pictures and navigation maps, including the map used
by Zheng He, the ancient Chinese mariner who sailed to seven countries.
A
wooden model of a sand boat - designed to sail in Shanghai's shallow, sandy
waters - is another highlight.
At Donghua University's costume museum, more
than 600 ancient Chinese garments and textile products are displayed at the
garment and fashion design college.
East China Normal University's ancient
coin museum showcases nearly 1,300 ancient coins from the Spring and Autumn
Period (770-476BC) to the contemporary period.
(See map for 10 museums open
to the public).