Rural museum in E China's Jiangsu makes foreign industry insiders its fans

Chen Lyusheng talks about cultural relics to young visitors at the Chen Lyusheng Museum. (Photo/Yu Jiarong)

"I'm quite impressed by the size and quality of the rural museum," said Sun Haoliang, principal of Xin Jin Shan Chinese Language and Culture School in Australia, during a visit to the Chen Lyusheng Museum, located in a village in Yangzhong city, east China's Jiangsu Province, on May 18.

Sun said he will take students from his school to the museum so that they can feel the profound culture displayed at the museum.

Cong Zhiyuan, a professor at William Paterson University in the U.S., and Zhang Yi, a Chinese-French artist, also carefully watched the exhibits at the museum while taking pictures of them to recommend the museum to their friends.

Rainer Vollkommer, director of the Liechtenstein National Museum, is also a fan of the museum. About 10 days ago, he became an honorary curator of the rural museum.

A video showing a foreign volunteer discussing four pieces of bamboo wares from China recently caught the widespread attention of Chinese museum fans. The four artifacts are exhibits preserved at the Chen Lyusheng Museum.

Jointly established by Chen and the local government of Yangzhong in 2020, the museum has three areas, including a museum displaying more than 3,000 exquisite bamboo products, an art gallery displaying more nearly 100 works created by Chen since 1977, and a Han culture museum showcasing over 2,000 cultural relics of the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD).

Since it was opened free of charge on May 18, 2020, the museum has received more than 170,000 visits and over 1,200 tourist groups, and held nearly 100 study activities.