Delving into the 'mysterious' corners in Beijing museums

Many history buffs might be curious about the areas and exhibits yet to open while visiting a museum. Such regret could be made up a bit in the TV show The City of Museums, a reality show anchored by Shan Jixiang, former director of the Palace Museum.

Alongside two hosts from Beijing Satellite TV, the trio has delved into the "mysterious" places of eight landmark museums in Beijing.

The show, which has run on Beijing Satellite TV since mid-July, recently held a symposium to gather the major creators and TV industry researchers in Beijing.

Jing Sisi, the show's producer and chief director, said they have stipulated the top "rules" for the production of every episode: to get into the areas that have yet to open to the public, to shoot the yet-to-display national treasure artifacts, and introduce the latest technological facilities installed in the museums.

Besides, the show also endeavors to discover the lesser-known stories of the exhibits in each museum. For instance, a giant panda specimen in the National Zoological Museum of China was found to have a legendary past.

"Before we paid notice to the specimen, few people knew where it came from. After interviews, we found that the panda, whose name is Liangliang, was once a star at the Beijing Zoo," said Jing.

The panda, which was born in 1986, is the world's first male panda capable to mate naturally in captivity, according to the producers. The show's crew also invited Wang Wanmin, a veteran zoo keeper who had once taken care of Liangliang for many years, to the museum, sharing his precious memories of the past.

Shan, also a cultural heritage expert, said Beijing had 204 registered museums registered as of the end of last year, making it one of the cities with the most museum resources in the world.

"I always believe that a good museum is not defined by how grand its houses are and how rich its collections are, but by if it could make people take it as part of their life and often visit it," said Shan, adding that he wishes the TV show could continue to produce more seasons to attract more visitors to the museums in Beijing.