BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival," one of China's most renowned paintings, was brought to life on Friday, the 42nd International Museum Day.
The painting, a masterpiece by Zhang Zeduan from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), depicts the lives of people in the then prosperous capital Bianliang, today's Kaifeng in the central province of Henan.
Through holographic immersive interaction and a 4D screen, vivid scenes of flowing rivers, vessels and busy shops from a thousand years ago come alive for visitors.
"The program preserves the aesthetic value of the painting," said Shan Jixiang, curator of the Palace Museum. "It also enables more visitors to understand why the painting is China's national treasure and won such global recognition."
"I am excited to be here on International Museum Day," said Kay Scherer, a tourist from Nevada in the United States. "It is absolutely fabulous to see how history flows in the buildings, which are connected to a great civilization."
"I encourage everyone to come and see the Palace Museum," she added.
A few volunteers in yellow jackets also appealed to the visitors. Cao Minli is one of them. Once a doctor at Tsinghua University hospital, she joined the museum's volunteer team in 2005, after her retirement.
"The volunteer experience enriches my post-retirement life. I have been able to learn more about history and culture, and I am glad to help visitors to gain more through their museum trips," Cao said.
For 13 years, she has come to the museum as a volunteer almost on a weekly basis. Cao was honored as one of Beijing's 10 best volunteers in 2010.
"It always gratifies my heart to inform visitors of stories behind the cultural relics and to make their museum trips more worthwhile," said Wang Jiali, another volunteer.
Wang said her eight-year old son is now much more into traditional culture and history: "I hope he could go far along this road."
Close to 3,000 people have registered since the museum began recruiting volunteers in 2004, and have provided more than 130,000 hours of service, according to Shan.
To celebrate International Museum Day, the Palace Museum hosted events including a heritage protection workshop and folk music performance.
The National Museum of China released its first collection catalogue online Friday to celebrate International Museum Day.
The catalogue unveiled covers 306,447 items, such as porcelain and ancient books.
Cultural venues across China are hosting events to observe International Museum Day on Friday. Shanghai History Museum launched two exhibitions, respectively, a picture show of entry-exit cultural relics since 1978 and an exhibition of silverware.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage Friday announced China's 10 top exhibitions in 2017. Awarded exhibitions include one on the history and culture of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), hosted by Inner Mongolia Museum, as well as one featuring archeological discoveries concerning the Marquis of Haihun, who lived in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25).
