SZ Museum expands collection with scientific, cultural items

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The Shenzhen Museum — one of the city’s earliest cultural venues — has been chronicling Shenzhen’s rapid transformation. On Aug. 26, the museum received a new batch of donations that highlight the city’s scientific and cultural achievements.

One notable contribution came from Xue Qikun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of the Southern University of Science and Technology. He authorized the museum to include replicas of his State Preeminent Science and Technology Award medal and certificate, which he received in 2023. The donation helps promote the spirit of scientific pursuit; and through exhibiting the items and organizing related activities at the museum, scientific achievements will be more accessible and comprehensible to the public.

Xue Qikun's State Preeminent Science and Technology Award medal. Photos courtesy of the Shenzhen Museum unless otherwise stated

Three books on China’s development path, authored by Zheng Yongnian.

Zheng Yongnian — X.Q. Deng Presidential Chair Professor, dean of the CUHK-Shenzhen’s School of Public Policy, and president of the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai — donated three books on China’s development path to the museum. These works, authored by Zheng, are intended to foster a deeper, more objective understanding of China’s development, and the donation will stimulate public interest in the social sciences.

Also on Aug. 26, the Shenzhen Museum signed a cooperation agreement with Shenzhen Cereals Holdings Co., Ltd. to jointly preserve and display materials documenting Shenzhen’s reform and opening up. The company donated historically valuable materials, including old commercials and packaging designs for its Shenbao soft drinks.

Visitors claim free drinks at a retro-style “corner shop” at Shenzhen Museum’s History and Folk Culture division. The pop-up is a collaboration between the museum and Shenzhen Cereals Holdings Co., Ltd., marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Photo by Cao Zhen

This year, the museum has intensified efforts to collect objects that reflect the city’s reform and opening up, especially items showcasing achievements in new quality productive forces. Recent donations include a model 500 kW seawater electrolysis hydrogen-production unit from Shenzhen Energy Group and a portable laser etching machine from Han’s Laser.

The museum has also launched a public aesthetics education space that uses digital technology to activate its collections and build an integrated platform for education and research. Through immersive experiences and glasses-free 3D displays, the space breaks traditional exhibition boundaries and lets visitors engage interactively with historical artifacts. The space will be open to schools by appointment. 

A glance at the Shenzhen Museum's public aesthetics education space at its ancient art division.

Exhibitions hosted by the Shenzhen Museum at Shenzhen University Metro Station.

Extending its outreach into urban public spaces, the Shenzhen Museum has transformed Shenzhen University Metro Station into an artistic corridor with exhibitions. The displays blend history and contemporary art, offering commuters an immersive cultural experience. Meanwhile, the “Shenzhen Memory” cultural creative product series — inspired by museum collections — brings urban history into daily life while celebrating the city’s spirit.

A desktop ornament modeled on the stub of New China’s first stock capital certificate, a witness to the history of China’s reform and opening up.