The Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

The Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (hereinafter referred to as Guangxi Museum) is a comprehensive history and art museum at the provincial (autonomous region) level, and it is also one of the first batch of national first-class museums in China. It has more than 70,000 pieces (sets) of cultural relics (including ancient books) in the collection, with a time span of more than 800,000 years. Guangxi Museum is located in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with a building area of 33,262.11 square meters and an exhibition area of about 10,000 square meters. It is the largest center for collection, protection, display, research, publicity and education of historical and cultural heritage in Guangxi. To promote the high-quality development of the museum, with the great attention of the Party Committee and government of the autonomous region, Guangxi Museum started reconstruction and expansion in January 2019. In September 2022, the new Guangxi Museum was completed and opened to the public, which will be a comprehensive historical and art museum that mainly reflects the excellent history and culture of Guangxi. It is committed to excavating the historical and humanistic connotation of Guangxi, showing the image of Guangxi, telling a good story of Guangxi, reflecting the borderland history and multi-ethnic integration and development, promoting the deep integration of culture and tourism, and building a magnificent Guangxi with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Hardships witnessed the precipitation of Guangxi civilization

Guangxi Museum has experienced the baptism of old and new societies. In the difficult years after years of war, a large number of cultural relics were scattered and the cause stagnated after several relocations, several renames and several ups and downs. After the founding of New China, the Museum has recovered and developed rapidly since the new century. After eighty-one years of hardships, it finally has today's scale and achievements.

In the 1930s, in order to prosper Guangxi's cultural and educational undertakings, protect and carry forward ethnic culture and avoid the loss of cultural relics, Mr. Li Renren, then a member of the Guangxi Provincial Government of the Republic of China and director of the Education Department, proposed to the provincial government to build a Guangxi Provincial Museum in Nanning, the provincial capital, in order to "collect and gather cultural relics for the people to watch". On July 1, 1934, Guangxi Provincial Museum was formally established.

During the eight-year Anti-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945, the museum cause in Guangxi, like a duckweed, was tottering and experienced adversity with the change of the situation. In March 1937, Guangxi Provincial Government renamed Guangxi Provincial Museum Nanning Museum, and on April 1, 1944, it was reorganized into Guangxi Provincial Science Museum. In 1946, the history and art museum was separated from Science Museum. After eight years of anti-Japanese war and three years of liberation war, the cultural relics collected in Guangxi Museum were forced to be evacuated and hidden many times, resulting in the loss of a large number of cultural relics, and the museum work was in a state of long-term stagnation.

Since the founding of New China, cultural relic and museum undertakings have been revived. In February 1956, the museum office building located in Nanning People's Park was completed, and the Guangxi Provincial Museum Preparatory Office was established at the same time. In August, the Guangxi Provincial Museum Preparatory Office was renamed Guangxi Provincial Museum, all the work started again and slowly embarked on the right track. The exhibition of "Guangxi Natural Specimens and Unearthed Cultural Relics" including historical and natural contents was opened to the public, attracting numerous visitors. In March 1958, with the establishment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi Provincial Museum was renamed to its current name. During the "Cultural Revolution" from 1966 to 1976, the museum work suffered serious damage and interference, most of the work was forced to stop, and the cultural relics were seriously damaged. In 1977, in order to welcome the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Autonomous Region, the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region allocated special funds to build a new museum building in the Ethnic Square of Nanning; In December 1978, the exhibition building of the Museum was completed and became the current location of Guangxi Museum. In 1988, the Department of Nature, an internal institution, was separated from Guangxi Museum and became Guangxi Natural History Museum. In the same year, Guangxi Ethnic Cultural Relics Garden was opened to the public. As an extension and supplement to the indoor display of the museum, it became a major feature of Guangxi Museum and had a great influence at home and abroad. In 2006, Guangxi Museum handed over thousands of ethnic cultural relics to the newly established Anthropology Museum of Guangxi. On March 26, 2008, Guangxi Museum was officially opened to the public free of charge. In the same year, Guangxi Museum became one of the first batch of national first-class museums announced by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the first national first-class museum in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In October 2012, Guangxi Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology, an internal institution, was separated from Guangxi Museum and became an independent unit.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the splendid exhibitions in Guangxi Museum have received numerous praises. Academic research has been steadily advanced, and many national and autonomous region-level social science fund projects have been won. Foreign exchanges and cooperation have made good progress, with fruitful achievements in cultural relic collection and protection and archaeological excavations as well as rich and colorful social education activities. Many research projects such as "Comprehensive Research on Chinese Zhuang Brocade and Southeast Asian Related Brocade" have been established as the National Social Science Fund Project; Since 2006, Guangxi Museum and Guangxi Normal University have jointly established a joint training base for postgraduates majoring in "Archaeology and Museology", and the museum and university have cooperated to jointly train professional postgraduates; In December 2011, the fourth batch of autonomous-region-level talent highlands of "Guangxi Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Utilization" jointly declared by four units including Guangxi Museum and Anthropology Museum of Guangxi was approved, and in 2014, the Museum was awarded the honorary title of "Excellent Autonomous Region Talent Highland"; In 2013, Guangxi Museum became one of the joint carrier units special invited experts in "Guangxi Cultural Heritage Research, Protection and Utilization" in the Autonomous Region. At the same time, Guangxi Museum constantly explores the industry-university-research cooperation mode and has successively carried out co-construction and cooperation with Guangxi Minzu University, Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi Art Institute, Guangxi Textile Industry School and other institutions. In addition, we also actively use ethnic culture for poverty alleviation. In January 2013, we cooperated with companies to hold the training program of ethnic weaving and embroidery, and achieved both good production and sales, embarking on a way of museum-enterprise cooperation to promote the development of cultural industries and give consideration to poverty alleviation.

With a history of 81 years, Guangxi Museum's every step is closely related to the development of China's cultural relic and museum undertakings, the political, economic and cultural development of Guangxi ethnic minorities, and the efforts of every worker of Guangxi Museum. Although it suffered years of war soon after its establishment, Guangxi Museum, like a big tree in a storm, stood firm and fought with tenacious perseverance. As the banner sent by Mr. Lu Xun upon the establishment of Guangxi Museum says, "The big tree stands firmly in the roaring wind, and it seems so lonely in the sunset. An old man is jogging with his walking stick, looking back to the marshland." Nowadays, Guangxi Museum has become the leading museum in the development of cultural relic and museum undertakings in Guangxi, and has made brilliant achievements in cultural relics collection and protection, exhibition, publicity and education, academic research, personnel training, archaeological investigation and excavation, etc., and has made positive contributions to carrying forward ethnic culture, inspiring ethnic spirit and developing cultural relic undertakings in Guangxi.

Consolidating the foundation and collecting Guangxi culture

Collection work is one of the basic work of the Museum, and Guangxi Museum has always considered it the top priority of all its work.

In the collection of cultural relics, in order to improve our collection system, Guangxi Museum has continuously strengthened archaeological excavations since its establishment, and archaeological relics have become an important source for the continuous growth of collections. At the same time, the selfless dedication of the community makes the number of collections continue to increase. In addition, there are quite a few cultural relics that were handed over to museums after the public security departments solve cases. The Museum also purchases cultural relics from Beijing, Shanghai and other places, and gained a lot. Since the beginning of the 21st century, due to institutional adjustment and administrative change, the sources of cultural relic collection in this Museum have changed, and the quantity and quality of cultural relic collection have declined. Facing reality and difficulties, the Museum has taken active measures. A special "Cultural Relics Collection Working Group" has been set up, rules and regulations and procedures have been improved, and capital investment has been increased. Based on the nature of the comprehensive museum of history and art, the Museum mainly collected historical cultural relics, handed down cultural relics, modern (revolutionary) cultural relics and contemporary cultural relics while paying attention to the collection of cultural relics from Southeast Asian countries.

In terms of cultural relics management, the cultural relics preservation environment and collection facilities and equipment of Guangxi Museum are becoming increasingly standardized and scientific. Through the mentoring system, the cultural relics restoration team has been growing, and a group of cultural relics restoration experts with exquisite skills and rich experience have been gradually trained, reaching the national advanced level in the trial application of new materials and the innovation of technologies. Therefore, the Museum enjoys a good reputation in the restoration of cultural relics of bronzes, ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, etc. In 2008, the Museum obtained the qualification of first-class unit of movable cultural relics restoration; In 2011, the Museum was rated as an autonomous-region-level ancient books restoration center; In 2014, we obtained the qualification of cultural relics protection design and restoration; In 2015, the Museum was approved to set up a regional environmental monitoring center for cultural relics preservation.

In terms of the cultural relic research, the research focuses of Guangxi Museum mainly cover bronze drums, Huashan rock painting, ancient glass artifacts, brocade artifacts, pottery and porcelain artifacts, jade artifacts, painting and calligraphy, etc. Among them, the research on bronze drums is a major feature of academic research in Guangxi Museum. From the early 1960s to the present, the research on bronze drums in Guangxi Museum has achieved advancement. Many researchers in the Museum have been deeply involved in the field of bronze drums for many years, and have published many books such as History of Bronze Drums, Research on Bronze Drums Art, Atlas of Guangxi Bronze Drums, Hechi Bronze Drums, Vietnam Bronze Drums, etc., and won several international awards, with fruitful papers and research projects. Therefore, Guangxi Museum has become an important position for the research of ancient Chinese bronze drums. In addition, the Museum has carried out scientific research in combination with the cultural relics in the collection, edited and published academic monographs such as Selected Ancient Pottery and Porcelain Artifacts in the Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Compilation of Stone Carvings in Southwest China, Cultural Relics Unearthed in Guangxi, Treasures of Cultural Relics in Guangxi and Bronze Mirrors in Guangxi.

In terms of cultural relic appreciation, Guangxi Museum has trained many provincial cultural relic authentication experts, including bronze, pottery and porcelain, paintings and calligraphy, jade, miscellaneous and modern (revolutionary) cultural relics, etc. In 2008, Guangxi Museum completed the investigation of nearly 6,000 precious cultural relics and the construction of database management system, and initially realized the digital construction of precious cultural relics in its collection. The network construction of collection information has also been continuously improved and perfected. With the application of new media technologies such as websites, microblogs and digital museums, the sharing of museum cultural relics collection resources has gradually become a reality.

At the same time, Guangxi Museum also digs deep into the characteristics of collection resources, develops cultural and creative products based on collections to satisfy people's desire to take the museum home. The cultural and creative products developed have won many international and domestic gold medals.

Keeping pace with the times and tell a good story of Guangxi

Guangxi Museum is an art sanctuary for displaying and inheriting the historical civilization of Guangxi and carrying forward the excellent traditional culture. It has built an exhibition system in which basic exhibition, special exhibition, cooperative exhibition, export exhibition and import exhibition complement each other, constantly explores reform, brings forth new ideas, making every effort to tell a good story of Guangxi.

Even in the turbulent and difficult years, Guangxi Museum tried every means to raise funds to hold a tour exhibition of cultural relics, which made positive contributions to mobilizing people to love and defend the motherland. Before the completion of the exhibition building in 1978, based on the natural, ethnic and historical relics in its collection, Guangxi Museum held than a dozen large and medium-sized exhibitions, such as "Guangxi Natural Specimens and Unearthed Cultural Relics Exhibition", "Guangxi Ethnic Cultural Relics Exhibition", "Guangxi Historical Cultural Relics Exhibition", "Guangxi Revolutionary Cultural Relics Exhibition in the past Century" and "Guangxi Ancient Bronze Drums Exhibition" inside and outside the museum, vividly introducing the regional, ethnic and historical characteristics of Guangxi to the people and Chinese and foreign visitors. Chairman Zhu De, Marshal He Long, President Ho Chi Minh and many other Chinese and foreign leaders visited the museum, and the exhibition became an important window to understand the story of Guangxi.

In 1978, the exhibition building of Guangxi Museum was completed, with four large exhibition halls and four basic exhibitions: "Guangxi Historical Relics Exhibition", "Guangxi Revolutionary Cultural Relics Exhibition", "Historical Relics Exhibition of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Guangxi" and "Guangxi Ancient Bronze Drums". In 1988, the Museum built an ethnic cultural relic garden as an outdoor extension and expansion of exhibition of ethnic folk customs and created a display mode of " ethnical traditional architecture + ethnic customs performance + natural landscape", which had a good enlightenment for the display of ethnic culture inside and outside Guangxi. Rich exhibition contents and innovative exhibition forms make Guangxi stories deeply rooted in people's hearts.

In the 21st century, with the increase of audience size and the changes of audience structure, demand, aesthetic taste and appreciation level, the exhibitions of Guangxi Museum have become richer and more distinctive.

In 2010, the basic exhibition "Ouluo Legacy - Guangxi Baiyue Cultural Relics Exhibition" was launched. It exhibited precious cultural relics such as Baise hand axe, big stone shovel, pottery artifacts with printed patterns, big bronze horse and bronze drum with rich local characteristics, accompanied by models of important cultural sites such as Huashan mural and Lingqu Canal and large-scale restoration scenes, highlighting the historical and cultural characteristics of Guangxi, the diligence, courage and intelligence of ancient working people in Guangxi, and telling a good story of Guangxi in kind.

In 2011, the basic exhibition "Beautiful Porcelain - Exhibition of Selected Porcelain Artifacts Collection" was open to the public, which exhibited exquisite porcelain collections, dating from the Warring States Period to the Qing Dynasty, combing the development of Guangxi porcelain and highlighting the historical development characteristics of Guangxi porcelain. The exhibition insisted on "speaking with cultural relics" and dug deep into the stories behind cultural relics. Through rational use of sound, light and multimedia technology, the audience can experience the beauty of porcelain and feel the profundity of Chinese culture. It was a good exhibition based in Guangxi and facing ASEAN to tell a good story of Guangxi and Chinese culture. In May 2014, the exhibition won the outstanding award of "11th Top Ten Exhibitions of the National Museums 2013".

In 2013, the basic exhibition "Danqing Guiyun" was launched. It exhibited a series of painting and calligraphy with Guangxi charm. According to the characteristics of paintings and calligraphy in the collection, different themes were planned to form different special exhibitions. At the same time, in cooperation with local art institutions, according to the matching of theme needs and artistic style, "Going with Masters - Joint Exhibition of Past and Modern Famous Works" was held to encourage famous contemporary painters and painters to participate in the exhibition and donate their works, so as to carry forward and inherit the beauty of art and the soul of culture. It was an exhibition attempt to keep pace with the times and constantly innovate and tell a good story of Guangxi.

Adhering to the concept of "combination of inside and outside, dynamic and static balance, vivid and interesting", in addition to telling a good story of Guangxi through material and cultural heritage by indoor and outdoor exhibitions, Guangxi Museum also made full use of the outdoor ethnic cultural relics garden to hold intangible cultural heritage exhibitions. Through the activities of "Taste Guangxi" series of Bagui Oil Tea Fragrance, March 3rd Singing Festival, Children's Ethnic Costume Competition, etc., we brought the audience a feast of ethnic culture via vision, taste and hearing, allowing them to experience Guangxi stories in all directions.

Guangxi Museum has also held a number of temporary exhibitions by means of "going out", "bring in" and joint exhibitions, allowing Guangxi stories to go out of Guangxi and go global, and making Guangxi stories more colorful and deeply rooted in people's hearts.  Temporary exhibitions such as "Ouluo Legacy - Guangxi Baiyue Cultural Relics Exhibition", "Ouluo Style and Guangxi Feeling - Guangxi Ethnic Historical and Cultural Relics Exhibition", "Silk Road Sailing -Maritime Silk Road Cultural Relics Exhibition in Nine Provinces (Cities, Districts)" have played an important role in publicizing Guangxi's ethnic history and culture, enriched the exhibition contents of the Museum and improved the utilization rate of cultural relics in its collection. Especially worth mentioning is the "Guangxi Cultural Relics Exhibition of China" held at the National History Museum of Vietnam from March to May 2007. It was the first cultural relic exhibition held by Guangxi Museum in Southeast Asia in history, and it was also the first exhibition of cultural relics from China held by Vietnam National History Museum, which publicized Guangxi's long history and culture and promoted Sino-Vietnamese cultural exchanges. In November 2014, Guangxi Museum hosted the "Beautiful China, Beautiful Guangxi - Guangxi Ethnic Culture Exhibition Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Malaysia" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In recent years, Guangxi Museum has made full use of Guangxi's regional advantages as the bridgehead of China-ASEAN cooperation, and further deepened exchanges and cooperation with national museums of ASEAN countries in exhibitions and scientific research.

People-oriented, carrying forward the spirit of Guangxi

In recent years, Guangxi Museum has continuously explored diversified publicity and education modes and carried out a series of social education activities with unique highlights, giving full play to the public cultural service role of the Museum.

Guangxi Museum closely focuses on the central idea of "people-oriented" and makes the exhibitions close to the masses through free guiding and theme guiding services. Outside the museum, the cultural relic publicity team of Guangxi Museum carried out mobile exhibitions in communities, on campuses, in military camps and other activities, carried out extensive cultural co-construction with all sectors of society, and set up cultural service points to let more people know about Guangxi's history and culture and integrate the museum into the daily life of the public.

In order to attract more minors to the Museum, Guangxi Museum takes patriotism education as the main line, and develops the social education of the museum vividly. According to the characteristics of minors, Guangxi Museum has held easy-to-understand special lectures, produced educational publicity leaflets in line with children's characteristics, and carried out characteristic educational interactive activities, such as characteristic handicraft activities in "Chinese Traditional Festival Theme Activities" and museum cultural experience classes in "Happy Summer Camp". According to incomplete statistics, Guangxi Museum conducts more than 400 public activities every year.

With the increasing social influence, Guangxi Museum are constantly innovating its activities and improving the quality of activities, creating a high-quality cultural feast for the audience. In the New Year of 2014, the "Han Clothing Experience Show" of Guangxi Museum was reported in CCTV News; activities such as "Ancient Style and National Rhyme Concert" and traditional handicraft class also aroused great resonance among the audience, with heated response.

Guangxi Museum pays attention to organizing special activities for special groups, and actively cares for orphans, cleaners, left-behind children, deaf children, poverty-stricken students and children of migrant workers through love exhibitions, love classes, love book corners, love experiences and love assistance. In addition, Guangxi Museum also actively innovates the working mechanism of volunteer service, expands the scale of volunteer team and the field of volunteer service, so that volunteer work flourishes.

In order to enhance publicity and extend the function of serving the people, Guangxi Museum constantly tries to apply new media technology to publicity and promotion. We have established three official microblogs: Sina, Tencent and People's Daily Online; opened the official WeChat platform of Guangxi Museum; reported live activities in the form of livestreaming; jointly carried out micro-livestreaming and micro-interview on Weibo with "Sina Guangxi", and reported the event live on the official Weibo; developed various apps for large-scale exhibitions.

Through unremitting efforts, the user-friendly and personalized services of Guangxi Museum has made the museum culture more and more accessible to the public. The colorful social education activities have made the museum "live" and attracted more people to the Museum and fallen in love with it.

Innovative ideas boosting the development of Guangxi

In order to effectively serve the implementation of China's "Belt and Road Initiative" and the building of the strategic fulcrum in the south, central and southwest, accelerate the great development and prosperity of Guangxi culture and the construction of a strong ethnic cultural region, and improve the level of Guangxi's opening to the outside world and modern public services, Guangxi Museum has focused on preparing reconstruction and expansion projects in recent years.

After renovation and expansion, Guangxi Museum will continue to integrate collection, protection, research, exhibition and education, and strive to become an international cultural exchange platform, an important national cultural position, a new landmark of cultural buildings in Guangxi capital, and a new scenic spot of Nanning characteristic cultural tourism by relying on advantage of its central location in China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. The construction of venues still follows the mode of "combination of museum and garden" and "complementary dynamic and static". Touring, living, entertainment, rest, dining, shopping, communication and learning are available at the venues, and the Museum has become a public cultural service center that better serves the society and the public.