UK-China museums conduct high-level dialogue in Beijing

Carma Elliot, director of British Council China, addresses the audience during the dialogue between UK-China museums in Beijing, March 21, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A high-level dialogue between British and Chinese museums is ongoing in Beijing with the two parties sharing their experience, and pursuing possible cooperation.

Senior managers from British museums, officials from the British Council and representatives from Chinese museums nationwide are participating.

The dialogue is a follow-up to the 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange, when various activities were held between British and Chinese museums.

"The dialogue will discuss the two topics of museum governance and cultural creative industry development, which are also major works of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage during recent years", said Guan Qiang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage at the opening ceremony.

The UK's cultural creative industry is leading the world, and the sustainable management and business mode of British museums and art galleries are the driving force of UK's prosperous culture and arts. Carma Elliot, director of the British Council China, said that UK is very willing to share their experiences with China to achieve mutual interests.

Participants from the two countries shared their own ways to gain profits. Jon Walker, enterprise manager of the Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums in the UK, introduced its wedding program, which moves weddings from the church to the museum. The wedding service has helped the museum make money as marrying in a museum is gradually becoming a trend in the UK.

Yang Xiaobo, head of the Merchandising Supervision Department of the Palace Museum, introduced various cultural creative products from the Palace Museum that wowed participants. According to Yang, the Palace Museum has designed 8,683 cultural products so far, covering costumes, silk, pottery, painting, dolls, ornaments and many others. "We hope our products can be sold in British museums and other stores in the UK", Yang said.

The three-day dialogue started Monday and is taking place at the China National Museum of Women and Children in Beijing. It's organized by the British Council and China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

The dialogue marks the important inauguration of the 2016 China-UK Creative Dialogues, and a series of activities covering games, fashion and cultural heritage are on the agenda between the cultural organizations of the two countries.