Shenyang Palace Museum gets modern makeover
(China Daily Global)
Historical site using latest technology to draw in younger crowds, Yuan Shenggao reports.
The 395-year-old Shenyang Palace Museum in Northeast China's Liaoning province is being given a modern makeover in order to appeal to younger generations and a wider audience in general via mobile apps such as Douyin, known as TikTok overseas.
Projected onto the high walls of the palace, emperors sing and dance to popular music as neon lights shine a rainbow of colors, as part of a government-led drive in December to attract more tourists to the important historical site.
Shenyang Palace was built in 1625 by what was later known as the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the last dynasty of China. They then moved to Beijing and claimed the city as a capital, after overthrowing the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The complex, with an area of 60,000 square meters, has 114 well-preserved buildings and more than 500 rooms. It has collections of ancient treasures from royal families, such as swords, arrows, musical instruments, paintings, clothing and porcelain. Qing emperors would often visit the palace to pay homage to their ancestors.
The museum was among the first group of China's important heritage sites placed under State protection in 1961, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
The museum has taken part in many historic relic exhibitions overseas, including Canada, Singapore, Italy, the United States, the Netherlands, Finland, Japan and South Korea, according to its official website.
Data from the Shenyang culture, tourism, radio and television bureau shows the number of visitors to the museum has increased year-on-year in the last three years, recording more than 2 million visits in 2018. Local officials proposed making the ancient palace complex and surrounding buildings into a 5A-level tourism site (the highest level in China) with global influence in 2017. At the recent political consultative conference of Shenyang in January, political adviser Li Xiushi suggested building a cultural and commercial block around the area with a market-based approach.
It expects to attract investment to optimize transport, culture and shopping, in order to drive the local economy, Li said.
The 2-square-kilometer complex features both historical relics and residential communities, and so poses challenges in construction. A total of 34 buildings are planned for the renovation project, which is underway.
Hutong, or narrow alleys, are also under renovation, and will feature royal and Manchu ethnic elements.
