Beijing, (People's Daily app) - National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) has finished its 10-day exhibition of modern and contemporary masterpieces, attracted a myriad of visitors.

Huge poster of the exhibition outside the museum. (Photos by Chi Jingyi from People's Daily app)

A rare chance to enjoy the collections at one time

The concept of the exhibition is “Beauty in the new era” celebrating the 19th CPC National Congress held in October. Some of the most precious collections together with personal collections of Lao She couple are exhibited to public for the first time from November 17 to November 26. Artists include: Zhao Zhiqian, Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Chen Shiceng, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Pang Xunqin, Wu Zuoren, Fu Baoshi, Li Keran, Ye Qianyu and Wu guanzhong.

Passionate visitors

At 9 am, opening time of the NAMOC, a long queue of 2 kilometers already in front of the museum’s entrance. Despite cold and windy weather, enthusiasm of the visitors woke up the museum.

Start point of the long queue in front of the museum's entrance.

Endless queue in zigzag, more than 2 kilometers at 9 am. 

According to museum staff, the museum has an average of 20 000 visitors per day. A reservation quota of 2000 has been reached long before the exhibition. The most famous modern and contemporary masterpieces: paintings and calligraphies, short period of exhibition and free entry are the main inducements. The visitors have a wide age range, from 3-year-old to more than 80 and diversity, parents with kid, retired group, young passionate people, etc.

Too crowd to be polite

The NAMOC has underestimated the number of visitors and the passion so that it only opens a few halls to demonstrate the works, far not enough to accommodate all the visitors at the same time, making the exhibition hall extremely crowd as rush hour metros.

Visitors packed like sardines in the hall exhibiting works of Qi Baishi, Pang Xunqin and Lin Fengmian. 

While some visitors are enjoying the painting, others are struggling to move forward, making the front row visitors pass the security line accidentally. Some people complained that the size of captions is too small so they have to head out to watch. “Kid artists” sit in the middle of the floor or right in front of the works to create their own “masterpieces” with proud parents standing aside, not realizing that they are on the way of someone else.

A museum that embraces modernization

Another exhibition is held simultaneously. International Exhibition Exchange Series of NAMOC: Masterpieces of National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. Most of the paintings have a QR code next to its caption. Whenever a visitor scans the QR code with a smartphone, he or she can listen to the audio guide of the painting, which reduces caption space, cost of human guide and decibel.

Work "March Twilight" with its audio guide QR code.

At the entrance of every hall, the NAMOC provides wifi code and QR code of its official account on WeChat, also applications for IOS and Android systems. Visitors can find lots of information by using their smartphones. 

Wifi code and QR code of official account on WeChat, application for IOS and Android.