Feature: Samaranch Memorial, an everlasting Olympic landmark in N China

TIANJIN, July 18 (Xinhua) -- As the 2024 Paris Olympics approaches, Olympic fever has already ignited, particularly in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, home to the Samaranch Memorial.

Founded in 2013, the memorial has seen a surge in visitors recently as people come to commemorate Juan Antonio Samaranch, former president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and embrace the upcoming Paris Olympics.

The memorial houses more than 16,000 items from Samaranch's lifelong Olympic collection, including badges, books, stamps, calligraphy, and paintings.

From an aerial view, the memorial's architectural appearance resembles the letter "S," symbolizing Samaranch's name, and the infinity symbol, representing the eternal Olympic spirit.

Samaranch had a deep friendship with China, but is it the only reason that the memorial's founder Wu Ching-kuo chose Tianjin as its home?

According to Wu, he was invited to Barcelona in September 2009, then 89-year-old Samaranch showed him his lifelong collections, and said, "After I am gone, all these will be given to you."

Seven months later, Samaranch passed away in Barcelona. In accordance with his last wishes, his personal belongings and collections were donated to Wu by his family.

"After taking photos of these collections, I packed them into more than 360 boxes and shipped them to China," recalled Wu, who married to a Tianjin native and personally has a deep affection for the city which is one of the birthplaces of modern sports in China.

Zhang Xiuli, the memorial's deputy director, said, "In addition to the regular exhibition, the memorial has held more than 60 exhibitions with different themes. As the 2024 Paris Olympics is about to open, the memorial plans to launch an Olympic-themed exhibition on its opening day."

According to the operators, the memorial has received around 800,000 visitors so far. It also cooperates with more than 200 schools in China to promote the Olympic culture through forums, community services, and other activities.

"Our goal is to build a bridge for international Olympic cultural and educational exchange and cooperation. The memorial is like a spiritual home for all friends who love Olympic culture," Zhang added.

The Olympic Games may have an end, but the memorials and museums will carry forward the Olympic spirit to influence more people.