In central China’s Zhengzhou city, visiting museums has become a new trend of urban lifestyle. On May 18, the International Museum Day, museums in Zhengzhou in the Henan Province unveiled new exhibitions such as Treasures of Cultural Heritages from Luxembourg, Xu Hongfei Sculpture World Tour · Zhengzhou and fashion art photography exhibition.
In a bid to attract young visitors, the museums in Zhengzhou created fresh products, “bronze-themed coffee”, for instance, and hosted interactive activities related to intangible cultural heritages, including murder mystery games and hands-on artifact restoration.
Zhengzhou, one of China’s eight ancient capitals that boasts a total of 112 museums is dubbed the “City of a Hundred Museums”. It accommodates Henan Museum, Zhengzhou Museum, Yellow River Museum and other comprehensive museums. Additionally, there are museums of history and culture and themed museums, such as Henan Natural History Museum.
Zhengzhou has been connecting historical heritages to the public. For instance, the Zhengzhou Museum, with bronze culture as one highlight, has introduced themed coffee and ice cream with bronze-culture elements.
The Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty Ruins Museum offers an immersive and interactive theater experience titled “Memories of the Shang Dynasty”, where visitors can travel through different historical periods via interactive games. The Zhengzhou Dingcang Coin Museum demonstrates ancient coin minting techniques, allowing visitors to try crafting coins themselves.
As a major birthplace of Chinese civilization, Zhengzhou is home to the Peiligang Culture dating back 8,000 years and the Dahecun Culture spanning 6,000 years. Around 5,000 years ago, the legendary Yellow Emperor was born and established his capital here. About 3,600 years ago, the Shang Dynasty also chose this area as their capital. Today, remnants of ancient city walls, stretching seven kilometers, can still be found in the center of Zhengzhou.
Currently, Zhengzhou has two UNESCO World Heritage sites, 83 nationally protected sites, 147 provincially protected sites, and nearly 10,000 immovable cultural relics, providing a robust foundation for its many museums and exhibitions.
The museums in Zhengzhou have not only enriched the cultural life of the locals, but also appealed to visitors at home and abroad. With innovative events and exhibitions of the city’s historical and cultural heritage, Zhengzhou has presented a vibrant, open, and inclusive urban culture to the world.