Night at the Museum

By Tao Xing & Fan Lu

In the 2006 Hollywood blockbuster Night at the Museum， main protagonist Larry Daley experiences a thrilling， action-packed night at the Museum of Natural History in New York City， when an ancient curse causes the animals and exhibits on display to come to life and unleash chaos onto the city. On May 18， another “Night” came to the Capital Museum in Beijing， but this time visitors could just enjoy a cloud tour.

The event， One Night at the Museum， showcased to the audiences not only new exhibitions of cultural relics， but also stage performances including drama， Peking Opera， and traditional Chinese dancing at the museum， the main venue for the national-level celebration of the 45th International Museum Day.

Alberto Garlandini， President of the International Council of Museums（ICOM）， said at the opening ceremony of the event in Beijing on May 18 via video link， “[The museum industry] is going through the gravest crisis in its modern history with severe economic， social， and psychological repercussions.”

Garlandini called on all museums to continue in the spirit of innovation and resilience and keep implementing digitalization and the creation of new hybrid forms of cultural experience and broadcasting.

The ICOM， a worldwide network of over 44，000 museum professionals at 20，000 museums in more than 138 countries， established International Museum Day in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society， and it has been gaining momentum steadily ever since.

Immersive experience

“The methods of showcasing museums can be diverse， and we can present museums in a different way，”Yang Dandan， director of the evening tour， told Beijing Review.

Some 2，000 visitors attended the nighttime tour online， Yang said.

On the night of May 18， a new childrens center was launched inside the museum， where children can learn more about the history of Beijing through painting， clay sculpting and other fun activities.

Next to the childrens garden is the multi-functional hall， where a stage drama about Fan Jinshi was on display. Fan， 82， is a Chinese archaeologist renowned for dedicating her whole life to the Buddhist caves and relics in Dunhuang， northwest China， studying and preserving the Mogao Grottoes. Her work has greatly advanced the archeological and historical understanding of this cultural treasure， a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in Gansu Province.