As the director of the Palace Museum, Shan Jixiang must be a cool and personality person, and his personality is not only reflected in the protection of cultural relics, but also in the respect for the Forbidden City.
Everyone knows that the Forbidden City is currently the largest and best-preserved palace complex in the world.
It is also one of the most famous museums in the world, which houses numerous historic treasures and artifacts.
Many foreign friends, especially foreign leaders, basically choose to visit the Forbidden City on their first stop.
As a foreign leader, visiting the Forbidden City has a special courtesy, that is, it can directly take a courtesy car directly into the Forbidden City, while ordinary people can only walk in.
In 2012, after Shan Jixiang took over as the director of the Palace Museum, he immediately sent a report to his superiors, applying to cancel the privileges of foreign guests, so that their concierge cars would all stop in front of the Forbidden City and enter on foot.
He felt that this was a respect for cultural relics and historical culture.
However, the reply from his superiors to him was very unfriendly: it was a special courtesy for foreign VIPs.
But think of the other four major museums in foreign countries, such as the Louvre in France, the British Museum of Great Britain, the Metropolitan Museum in the United Kingdom, and the Hermitage Museum in Russia.
Yes, why is there such a special courtesy for foreign guests in our Forbidden City?
Although Shan Jixiang retorted, his superiors did not give feedback.
This annoyed Shan Jixiang.
But even so, in his eyes, foreign VIPs have no privileges, their courtesy cars must be parked outside the Forbidden City, and everyone must enter on foot, without exception.
In 2013, French President François Hollande ate one of his closed doors.
On that day, Hollande and his girlfriend came to visit the Forbidden City, and all the visits were arranged and the guards were ready.
But Shan Jixiang thought twice, and he decided not to let Hollande's motorcade enter the Forbidden City, and the motorcade had to stop in front of the Forbidden City.
But the guards who had come to guard had already waited for Hollande in the Forbidden City, and the guards said that they were ordered by their superiors not to stand in front of the noon gate.
This made Shan Jixiang very anxious, seeing that the convoy was about to drive in, he immediately ordered the security guards of the Forbidden City to close the noon gate and told the concierge convoy not to collide with the noon gate.
Well, the concierge team had no choice but to stop at the noon gate, while Shan Jixiang personally greeted Hollande at the door.
Moreover, Hollande got out of the car from the noon gate, and was not angry because the convoy was stopped, but was impressed by the momentum of the huge noon gate of the Forbidden City and felt adoration.
And under the guidance of Shan Jixiang, he happily entered the Forbidden City.
Of course, Shan Jixiang's reckless personal action this time was not punished by his superiors, but because of his action this time, a new rule was formed.
That is, no matter whether it is a domestic or foreign guest, no matter how high his authority is, they must walk to visit the Forbidden City.
In the words of Shan Jixiang: Whoever goes to visit the Forbidden City must be respectful!
"They don't know the grandeur and thickness of the Forbidden City in the car, and the long history of the Forbidden City has not been properly respected."
The 81-year-old Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, even if his legs and feet are inconvenient, he could not get Shan Jixiang's sympathy and exceptions, and finally could only take a battery car to visit the Forbidden City.
Of course, since then, the entry of motor vehicles into the Forbidden City has completely become history. Shan Jixiang's boldness overcame privilege and solved the politically sensitive problem that no one dared to touch.
"Buckingham Palace in Britain, Versailles in France, and the Royal Palace in Japan are not allowed to pass through, which is a matter of cultural dignity!"
Of course, Shan Jixiang's coolness is also reflected in his smoking ban.
The Forbidden City is afraid of fire, everyone knows.
But I can't ban smoking.
Shan Jixiang did not believe in this evil and must ban smoking.
For the old employees of the Forbidden City, I am afraid that it is another fake.
However, for Shan Jixiang, who dared to be tough, his fierceness came up, "there is nothing that cannot be done, and there is no smoke that cannot be forbidden."
First of all, he started from the employee, one person smoked, and the whole department fined.
"Don't let me smoke, I can't find inspiration for this job."
"If you don't have inspiration, you quit",
Shan Jixiang is also not afraid of many things.
In addition to Shan Jixiang's lack of kindness to "his own people", he also hurt the tourists, soft and hard.
First, through the anti-smoking signs and posters, education and publicity will be carried out, calling on tourists to leave the "tinder" outside the noon gate.
Later, professional security forces were simply introduced to deal with "disobedient" tourists, which fundamentally eliminated the phenomenon of smoking in the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City needs such a person with personality, he represents not only the Forbidden City, but also the culture and history of China for thousands of years, and he represents the Five Thousand Years of Chinese Civilization.