Guests from HK Museum Summit visit SZ for cultural exchange

Video and photos by Wang Haolan

A delegation of foreign guests and China’s Hong Kong-based participants from the Museum Summit, which concluded in Hong Kong on Saturday, gathered in Shenzhen for a one-day exchange event. 

Delegates from the Museum Summit, which concluded in Hong Kong on Saturday, listen to a docent during a visit to the Shenzhen Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Museum yesterday. 

The event aimed to deepen understanding of Shenzhen’s cultural landscape and urban development, while also promoting exchanges in the museum field.

The visit began with a tour of the Shenzhen Museum in Futian District, where guests explored exhibitions on Shenzhen’s folk culture and ancient history. The group then moved to the Shenzhen Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Museum, where they focused on an exhibition highlighting the city’s urban development, achievements, and future vision.

Delegates from the Museum Summit, which concluded in Hong Kong on Saturday, listen to a docent during a visit to the Shenzhen Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Museum yesterday.

“We’ve been presenting some very futuristic ideas,” said Tone Hansen, director of The Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway’s capital. “Visiting the history of the city, its landscape, and people has become much clearer to me. What fascinates me the most is Shenzhen’s relationship with its rivers and the sea,” she added.

Hansen also expressed curiosity about Shenzhen’s maritime history, saying, “It must have been a very strong seafaring culture here, and I’m especially curious about oyster farming. I’ve learned a lot in just two hours.”

Delegates from the Museum Summit pose for a group during a museum tour at the Shenzhen Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Museum yesterday.

Following the morning tour, Shenzhen’s culture and tourism authority hosted an exchange meeting, where representatives from Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and other foreign cultural institutions shared insights on efforts toward the future development of museums.

“Shenzhen’s natural history museum sounds like an innovative project,” said Hansen after the discussion. “It will present both living plants and people alongside the history of the Earth, which is quite exciting.”

Tone Hansen (2nd R), director of The Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway’s capital, and other delegation memebers explore a contemporary art exhibition at the Shenzhen Art Museum in Longhua District. 

In the afternoon, the group visited the Shenzhen Art Museum in Longhua District. There, they toured exhibitions including an art exhibition by Xu Lei, one of China's most representative contemporary artists, "Masterpieces with Inscriptions Dedicated to Shenzhen Art Museum," and "Yu Youhan: Early Experience and Late Style," featuring works from Yu Youhan’s career.

“The art museum is wonderful, and I would be curious to see more of the collections. It’s great that the museum has contemporary art exhibitions. I would be especially interested in seeing the collections more,” said Marina Pugliese, director and head of MUDEC (Museum of Cultures) in Italy.

Delegation members explore a contemporary art exhibition at the Shenzhen Art Museum in Longhua District.

Hosted by Hong Kong’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Museum Summit was held from March 28 to 29 this year. The event aimed to establish a platform for the global community to engage in collaborative dialogue, exchange expert experiences, and explore innovative solutions for the evolving challenges and opportunities facing museums worldwide in the 21st century.