2017 Annual MeetingSeminar of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee of Chi

The preliminary meeting of 2017 Annual Meeting of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee of Chinese Museums Association was held on the evening of November 30 in the Former Residence of Zhu De, Yilong, Sichuan. All the members of the standing committee of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee of Chinese Museums Association attended the meeting. Xu Jianping, former Secretary of the CPC Committee and former Curator of Chen Yun Memorial and Chairman of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee, Chen Linhui, Secretary of the CPC Committee and Curator of Chen Yun Memorial, and Peng Beijun, member of the Party leadership group of the Management Office of the Former Residence of Deng Xiaoping presided over the meeting successively. At the meeting, the candidates of the Chairman of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee of Chinese Museums Association were elected, the preparation for the Annual Meeting was reported and some specific work was discussed.

On the afternoon of December 1, 2017, Annual Meeting and Seminar of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee of Chinese Museums Association was convened in the Former Residence of Zhu De. Xu Jianping, Chairman of the Committee of Celebrity Former Residence of Chinese Museums Association reported the results of the election for the new Chairman of the Committee and submitted the results to the meeting for approval. Chen Linhui, Secretary of the CPC Committee and Curator of Chen Yun Memorial, was elected by a unanimous vote. Xu Jianping ceased to serve as the Chairman of the Committee because of age and change of post.

Xu Jianping expressed his gratitude to all the member units for their support to the Committee. It was the help of the member units that enabled the Committee to succeed, go abroad and be highly acclaimed by the Chinese Museums Association. Meanwhile, he hoped all the members to learn the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and consolidate the achievements in order to share resources, complement each other's advantages, and realize win-win development under the leadership of the new Chairman. Chen Linhui pointed out in his speech that he is a freshman in the field of cultural relics and museum, and he still has a long way to go in the museology sector compared with the far-sighted, open-minded and learned seniors. He understood that the vote stood for the trust and support to Chen Yun Memorial and extended his gratitude to member units for their long-term support and help to the Memorial. In the meantime, the Committee will strive for the consolidation of cultural confidence and the construction of the nation with strong cultural influence. To achieve the goal, the Committee should fulfill the responsibility of organization, communication, coordination and development by pooling the wisdom and strength of member units by virtue of the continuous support, joint efforts and the original achievements. Chen Linhui proposed expressing sincere appreciation and great respect to Xu Jianping for his unremitting efforts and outstanding contributions to the Committee over the years.

He Yingxiao, Member of the Standing Committee and Director of Publicity Department of the CPC Nanchong Municipal Committee, Long Tengfei, Member of the Standing Committee of Nanchong Municipal People’s Congress and Director of the Committee for Ethnic, Religious, Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs, Long Shisheng, Member of the Standing Committee and Director of Organization Department of the CPC Yilong County Committee, and over 100 leaders, experts and paper authors of almost 50 memorials of the Committee attended the meeting. The opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting was chaired by Deng Chenggong, Deputy Director of the Administration Bureau for the Former Residence of Zhu De.

He Yingxiao, Member of the Standing Committee and Director of Publicity Department of the CPC Nanchong Municipal Committee, on behalf of the CPC Nanchong Municipal Committee and Nanchong Municipal People’s Government, expressed warm congratulations to the convening of the meeting. She expressed that the 2017 Annual Meeting and Seminar of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee of Chinese Museums Association held in Nanchong, the famous historic and cultural city and Chinese Outstanding Tourism City, delved into the contemporary value of celebrities thoughts and carried great significance for better inheriting the Red Culture, carrying forward revolutionary tradition, consolidating the leadership of the Party, and inspiring the member units.

Long Shisheng, Member of the Standing Committee and Director of Organization Department of the CPC Yilong County Committee, noted in his speech that Yilong is General Zhu De and Comrade Zhang Side’s hometown and a vital part of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base. As a revolutionary base, its special contribution to Chinese revolution has been acknowledged by the State Council. The meeting is a source of wisdom for Yilong to explore and carry forward its resources of former residences of celebrities, and boost the celebrity effect, thus promoting its popularity, influence, as well as cultural confidence of Yilong.

Deng Chenggong, Deputy Director of the Management Office of the Former Residence of Zhu De, gave a brief account about the development of red culture tourism of Zhu De’s Former Residence. According to him, over the recent years, Zhu De’s Former Residence has mainly worked on making good use of and bringing into full play its advantages. Looking to the future, underpinned by the reputation as a red-tourism brand, the influence as a patriotism education base and the platform as a national 5A scenic area, it will set its sights on a national red tourism demonstration area themed by great man’s native place and a national first-class museum, and follow a development path full of   cultural connotations.

Fang Fang, Secretary-General of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee of Chinese Museums Association, member of the Party Committee and Associate Curator of Chen Yun Memorial, made a report on the work of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee in 2017. In the report, she started with a summary of achievements attained by the Committee in work in 2017 and then brought forward a work plan for the upcoming year. The Committee will comprehensively learn and fully implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, remain true to its original aspiration, keep our mission firmly in mind and widen ways of working with new thoughts, new theories and new technologies in a bid to scale new heights in its work in a new leg of journey.

Luo Xiong, Director of the Management Office of Liu Shaoqi Former Residence and Curator of the Memorial Museum of Comrade Liu Shaoqi, presided over the seminar. At the meeting, the conferees had a lively discussion about the “Contemporary Value of Thought of Celebrities”. In addition, Pang Tingya, Director of the Management Office of the Former Residence of Zhou Enlai, Zhang Lingzhi, Deputy Director of the Management Office of the Former Residence of Zhu De, Peng Beijun, Curator of Deng Xiaoping Former Residence Museum, Liu Dongfang, Curator of Bingxin Literature Museum, Wu Sheng, Curator of Li Hongzhang Former Residence Museum, Liu Xinqing, Deputy Director of the Research Office of the Memorial Museum of Comrade Liu Shaoqi and other leaders and experts delivered keynote speeches.

In addition, Chen Linhui, Secretary of the CPC Committee and Curator of Chen Yun Memorial, also made a keynote speech themed on “Thoughts on How to Strengthen the Educational Function of Memorials of Celebrities from the Inter-subjective Perspective”. According to him, as the cultural environment has become an increasingly important indicator of urban core competitiveness in modern times, we should press home the pulling power of celebrities so as to do their bit to strengthen cultural confidence and build a culturally strong country. And to that end, a holistic construction in implanting the memorials of celebrities in social and cultural environment is necessary to achieve a shift from major activities, which used to highlight the educational function of the memorials and subjective activities and focus on the learning effect of visitors, to the establishment of the co-building, win-win and co-sharing relationship between the public and other social subjects. He put forward that memorials of celebrities should strike a balance between three roles – “a new space for cultural experience”, “a junction station for crossover cooperation” and “an incubation base for life wisdom”. Meanwhile, considering the development status of the memorial, he offered a suggestion on specific measures taken to play well the three roles, namely improving interactive commentating modes through further subdividing the public, catering for a diversified clientele through expanding voluntary participation channels and creating an environment for the all-round experience through strengthening the support of technologies, so as to achieve interaction and co-building, drive the cultural cooperation between cultural institutes and business tourism providers and bring mutual benefit and win-win results. Meanwhile, a plenty of work should be done in building new landmarks for urban culture, pooling new forces to benefit the people and creating new life styles featured by voluntary services in a bid to realize the fusion and co-sharing between the Memorial and the public.

At   the end of the conference, Luo Xiong attributed the success of this annual meeting to the following aspects: firstly, well preparation of Chen Yun Memorial as the Director Unit of the Celebrities Former Residences Committee; secondly, warm reception of the Management Office of the Former Residence of Zhu De as the undertaking unit; thirdly, proactive assistance of all member units; fourthly, high attention paid by leaders from the Party and governmental departments of Nanchong City and Yilong County. He added, the meeting delved into a variety of contents and set up heavy tasks in vivid forms. And we made a review of the work of the past year with mixed feelings, and exchanged and discussed academic research achievements, which is of great significance and far-reaching influence. Looking into the future, we will forge ahead hand in hand with our original aspiration and mission in mind to strive for a new leap-forward in the cause of museology.

Held on November 30, the meeting coincided with the 131th anniversary of Comrade Zhu De’s birth. Before the meeting, all conferees, Zhu Xinhua, Comrade Zhu De’s granddaughter, as well as leaders from local Party and governmental departments, citizens, visitors and so on visited Zhu De’s Former Residence Scenic Area together and presented flower baskets at Zhu De Statue Square to commemorate Comrade Zhu De, a great leader of the People’s Republic of China.