Museums across China launched themed exhibitions and a series of cultural activities during the just-concluded Spring Festival, garnering more than 72 million visits in the eight-day holiday season.
The Spring Festival, marking the start of the Chinese New Year, is the most important public holiday in China. The official Spring Festival holiday season this year ran from January 28 to February 4.
According to preliminary statistics from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, from the first to the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, namely from January 29 to February 4, museums across the country received 72,648,700 visits, with the average daily number of visits exceeding 10 million, an increase of 12.84 percent over the corresponding period of the previous year.
In Shenyang City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, the Liaoning Provincial Museum handled 116,400 visits during the holiday, an increase of 19.33 percent over the same period of last year. The highlight of the museum is an 8,000-year-old cylindrical pottery jar which has the earliest known snake pattern in China's history.
The Chinese Archaeological Museum in Beijing launched an exhibition showcasing the achievements in scientific research in archaeology and heritage protection, focusing on ancient pottery and jade wares unearthed. The exhibition displays more than 100 important cultural relics including painted pottery of Majiayao culture, an ancient Chinese culture dating back more than 5,000 years.
The National Museum launched a New Year cultural exhibition, which includes the display of national treasure Fu Hao's owl-shaped zun, a Bronze ware from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046BC), and other cultural relics closely related to the Spring Festival.
"The snake pattern on the owl's wings symbolizes a skyrocketing force which gives it more power," said Zhuge Yingliang, an associate research curator at the National Museum of China.
In Zhengzhou City of central China's Henan Province, the Henan Provincial Museum launched special performances featuring the play of ancient music using bone flutes and chime bells restored from cultural relics, and the hall of every performance was packed with visitors.
"The performances give us a refreshing feeling. For children, the resonance has further stimulated their interest in history and culture. This trip is very worthwhile," said Wang Minyi, a visitor at the museum.
During the holiday, museums across the country also adopted new measures to facilitate visits, including extending opening hours and increasing the number of cultural lecture sessions.
Chinese museums attract visitors with special exhibitions, performances during Spring Festival
The Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 began preview screenings in London on Friday ahead of its official release in the country and Ireland on March 21, attracting excited crowds to watch the film in advance.
The film made its debut in the UK at London's BFI IMAX, home to the country's largest IMAX screen and is scheduled to screen in over 250 cinemas of 100 cities across the UK and Ireland during the first week of release.
The film's Europe-wide distributor, Trinity CineAsia, announced that it has acquired theatrical distribution rights for Ne Zha 2 across 37 countries in Europe, including the UK, Ireland, and Germany. This scale of film release is exceptionally rare in the history of overseas distribution for Chinese-language films, reflecting the strong confidence of local cinemas in the movie's market potential.
"The fact that it is here and, you know, that we are getting a lot more influx of films from all across Asia from China, South Korea, Japan, South Asia as well. I think it's really good to kind of like widen the palate, because we all want to escape our little cinematic bubble and see what the rest of the world has to offer," said Jack Martin, a film reviewer, in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV).
"Ne Zha 2" has shattered global box office records to become the No. 1 box office animated film of all times and also the first non-Hollywood production to crack the global all-time top 10 box office chart.
Rooted in 16th-century Chinese mythology with a bold reinterpretation, the movie has attracted attention of global audiences with its stunning visuals, well-crafted storytelling, and deep cultural heritage.
"And I think all these elements show that Ne Zha 2 is both a film that's modern, but also has its roots in something very deep and very ancient," said Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia, in an interview with the CCTV.
Many audiences attending the preview screening in London have shared their thoughts about the movie in interviews with the CCTV.
"It was moving like heartwarming. Yes, I'll go home now and talk to it to all my friends," said a moviegoer.
"I thought that the humor of the film was really great, but it balances so perfectly with some of the more dramatic and heartfelt moments of it. And yeah, I really, really enjoyed it. And the language barrier was not a problem at all," said another moviegoer.
"We might not speak the same language, but at its heart is a very universal theme of friendship and just trying to do right in the world. And I think that a lot of people really resonate with that. I can see why it's done so well in China already," said Jack Martin.
James Smith, an social media influencer, shared his views about the movie in Chinese language during the interview. He thought the movie can serve as a bridge for foreigners to understand Chinese culture.
"I watched Ne Zha, the 2019 box office hit, in China. When I heard that its sequel was set to debut in the UK today, I rushed to the cinema to see it. It's definitely a great movie, filled with humor, touching moments, and encouragement. My friends often ask me how they can better understand China, because they think I know something about the country. I would say that you can watch the Ne Zha 2, as I believe it's a great film and through which you can learn something about Chinese culture," he said.
Ne Zha 2 begins preview screenings in London, captivating local audiences
