Wonders of time travel spur jaunts of discovery
China's younger generations seek better exhibition experiences through rare works, digitalization and interaction, Xu Lin and Wu Yong report.
Along line winds its way around the corner as people eagerly await their turn to view Rui He Tu (Auspicious Cranes), a legendary traditional Chinese painting masterpiece created by Zhao Ji (1082-1135), also Emperor Huizong during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
The painting features 20 white cranes against an azure sky above the palace gate draped in magical clouds to mark an auspicious event that occurred on the 16th day of the first month on the Chinese calendar in 1112.
Among the bustling crowd, 30-year-old university teacher Wu Xinying from Kaifeng, Central China's Henan province, patiently waits for a second time, enduring 50 minutes in line to catch another glimpse of the artwork.
The Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang city showcased the treasured painting for one month, concluding at the end of October. It hadn't been on display since 2020.
Renowned for its excellence and the rare chance to view it, the masterpiece has drawn many tourists like Wu from other cities. After the exhibition, the painting will sit in the warehouse for three years as the museum strives to balance utilizing and preserving its cultural treasures.
