Helen Deng

    THIRTY years ago, when Shenzhen was a small, underdeveloped township, Shenzhen Museum was a shabby building that could barely withstand a tropical storm. Now it is a first-class facility holding more than 30 exhibitions and attracting more than 1 million visitors annually.

“Our growth reflects that of the special economic zone,” said Ye Yang, curator of Shenzhen Museum, at a ceremony marking its 30th anniversary last Wednesday.

Shenzhen Museum was established Oct. 17, 1981. “The museum had no exhibition area or relics collections,” recalled Ye. Now the museum owns two venues — the Ancient Art Museum and the History Museum — with a total area of over 50,000 square meters, and more than 30,000 antiques, including 45 State-level antiques.

The Ancient Art Museum is located near the Litchi Park, displaying cultural relics and specimens. The History Museum is located at the Civic Center, exhibiting the history and folk culture of Shenzhen, in which the exhibition illustrating Shenzhen’s reform and opening up is the feature display.

The museum is holding an exhibition “Grow Together with Shenzhen Special Economic Zone” at the History Museum to mark its 30th anniversary. Old photos, precious antiques and specimens are on display.

Among the exhibits are old photos showing the excavation scenes of Xiantouling in Shenzhen. The remains excavated from Xiantouling, including precious white pottery and red pottery, showed for the first time that this area has been inhabited by humans since the Neolithic Age 7,000 years ago. The discovery was listed as one of the Top 10 Chinese Archaeological Discoveries of 2006.

Shenzhen Museum, the oldest in the city, carried out all archaeological excavations in Shenzhen until 2004. Another well-known discovery is the Shang-Dynasty (1600-1100 B.C.) tombs excavated at Wubeiling, Nanshan in 2001 and 2002. Ninety-four tombs were found. It was the largest example of Shang Dynasty group tombs discovered in Guangdong. Photos and documents recording the excavation are also on display at the anniversary exhibition.

Other exhibits include paintings and calligraphy donated by Deng Tuo, former editor-in-chief of People’s Daily, Chinese porcelain donated by a Japanese company, wildlife specimens donated by American philanthropist Kenneth E. Behring, as well as relics donated by relatives of Sun Yat-sen.

The exhibition also shows the history of the museum, its current projects, research achievements, as well as photos of State leaders visiting the museum.

Dates: Nov. 23-Feb.5, 2012

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Monday

Venue: History Museum at Shenzhen Citizens’ Center (深圳历史博物馆)

Add: Block A, Civic Center, Futian District (福田区市民中心A区深圳博物馆新馆)

Metro: Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit C, Longhua Line