Wartime collection

Incredibly, all 13,492 boxes escaped damage and were fully accounted for, according to Yan.

"In spite of going through the war, all the artifacts survived, safe and sound," Yan says. "It can be seen as a miracle.

"The memorial hall is a key venue to enable people to remember monumental moments of our wartime history, inherit traditional culture and prolong our country's psychological strength."

In 2017, a research institute studying files concerning the southward relocation project was established in the Palace Museum.

The research was listed among key academic programs in social sciences with national-level funding in 2019.

The newly renovated architecture in Chongqing is expected to not only review the history, but also get closer to people's modern life. Perhaps, the dialogue between the new and the old can be reflected through the renovation.

The original craftsmanship and materials were upheld during the renovation of the four old warehouses. A cable-car track and the stone steps of Anderson Firm was also kept as key witness to history. However, the surrounding buildings were damaged and new steel frames and glass curtain walls were installed.