2016年CRI Personal Collections Become Private Museums in Beijing

 

Kettles, teapots, and a pancake maker¹ form part of the collection of Wang Jinming's private museum. 

Wang is the co-founder² of the Beijing Old Items Exhibition, a 40-square-metre room packed with hundreds of objects that people used at home or in the street from the 1900s to the 1970s. 

Picking up a metal bell shaped like a donut, he explains that Beijing didn't used to have so many big hospitals, so doctors would walk the streets ringing the bell to signal that they were available. 

"What is this? This is a handbell. It is also called "hucheng." This is very hard and very loud. What is this bell used for? Many years ago Beijing didn't have so many big hospitals. When someone is ill at home, but there's no hospital to go, what do you do? Wait for the bell."

He delights having visitors attempt to guess what the objects are as they hold them in their hands. 

Needle holders³, a pancake maker, a wooden tool street vendors⁴ used to attract attention - they all form part of the collection built up by Wang and two co-founders since the 1980s.

Wang adds that although the objects all look old and shabby, they record real history.

12 year old visitor Feng Shuo is impressed. 

"I think these things are really interesting, I've never seen them before. In my grandma's home I've seen some quite old objects. Having seen these things I think the people in the past are really smart to create these things."

Some wealthy Chinese have invested in Chinese art and started private museums.

Some private museums have billionaires or banks behind them. 

Others are run by people who had a hobby that developed into a calling.

Founder and curator Ma Weidu opened China's first private museum in 1996, the Guanfu Museum. 

He started buying antiques⁵ for just a few yuan in the 1970s and 1980s which people were keen to sell to have money to buy fridges, TVs and washing machines. 

Now the antiques are worth much more and his museum has extended into three branches across China with two more due to open later this year.

Ma's latest marketing⁶ initiative⁷ is to turn cats into his assistant curators. 

"A lot of people who come to the museum, the whole family including the elderly and children, are interested in cats more than culture. But some may visit here because of the cats and in doing so learn something about antiques."

The cats, some of which were previously⁸ homeless, sit in their own "Cat Office" in a part of the museum building and pull in more visitors.

Museum visitor Ms. Ying says the cats create a homely⁹ feel to the museum. 

"When I arrived just now all the cats were sleeping. I think in the daytime it's normal for nocturnal animals to sleep but I feel that it makes the environment warm and cosy¹⁰."

Some experts say these museums are an important part of Beijing's developing cultural landscape as the capital has become an international cultural metropolis¹¹.

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

4 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 antiques   

n.古玩，古董，古物( antique的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The room was furnished with antiques. 房间里摆放了古董。
• a priceless collection of antiques 价值连城的古文物收藏

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 initiative   

n.主动性，首创精神，主动权（的行动），倡议

参考例句：

• He went to see the headmaster on his own initiative.他主动去看望校长。
• His employer had described him as lacking in initiative and drive.雇主说他缺乏进取心和干劲。

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

9 homely   

adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的

参考例句：

• We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
• Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭，好吗？

10 cosy   

adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的

参考例句：

• We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
• It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。

11 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。