Museum face-lift to offer new perspective of Great Wall

Public participation

Overall planning for the museum improvements began at the start of 2020.

Tang Yuyang, a professor at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, who is responsible for the design of the upgraded venue, spent a year from August 2020 drafting the renovation plans.

"A museum at a World Heritage Site is vital in providing an insight into learning about such a venue. However, the floor area and exhibitions at the China Great Wall Museum were far from meeting the requirements for such a site," Tang said.

The main aim of the face-lift is to better showcase the history of the Great Wall and to house artifacts found on the structure from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Tang said: "People are aware of the Great Wall, but few understand its heritage. Tourists come to Badaling intending to climb the wall. A well-established museum with a viewing platform for the Great Wall can attract tourists."

In view of the proximity of the museum and the Great Wall, Tang said heritage protection rules are being strictly observed.

"After the museum is upgraded, its overall area will not exceed the existing space. We have submitted a report to the World Heritage Committee, explaining our approach to renovating the museum," she said.

Tang cited the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece, as setting a good example. Situated near the foot of the Acropolis, with a direct view of the Parthenon, the museum stands on an extensive archaeological site, where visitors view excavations below through a glass floor.

"The New Acropolis Museum pays full respect to the historic environment through rigorous and meticulous design, making the 25,000-square-meter facility the best choice for interpreting the value of the Acropolis," Tang said.

"It also prompted us to decide that no matter what type of design approach we adopted, our museum and the Great Wall landscape needed to be combined."

Wei said design proposals started for the China Great Wall Museum were first sought in April, and the full process took three months. The renovation aims to transform the institution into a top-quality national museum.

Three main areas of the venue will be open to the public after the renovation－an exhibition hall, a visitors' center and a Great Wall international research and exchange institute, Wei said.

He added that after the renovation, the museum also plans to focus on research to carry forward the "Great Wall spirit" and enhance the institution's research, education and communication functions. The aim is to turn the site into a center for monitoring Great Wall heritage, experiencing the wall's culture, exhibiting the structure's intangible cultural heritage, and developing related cultural and creative products.

"Strengthening public participation is the development trend for world cultural heritage site protection in the modern era," Wei said. "I hope that by upgrading our museum, more members of the public can become involved with the venue."