A joint initiative of 60 curators and scholars called on museums to actively participate in the construction of the metacosm

Xinmin Evening News (Reporter Jiang Yan) On March 26, 60 curators and scholars jointly issued the "Initiative on The Museum's Active Participation in the Construction of the Metacosm", calling on the museum to grasp the strategic direction of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and new opportunities for industrial change, give full play to their own advantages, and actively participate in the construction of the metacosm. The initiative was jointly initiated by curators, scholars and cultural relics media from 60 heavyweight museums and universities in China, including Shanghai Museum, Nanjing Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, Fudan University and Jilin University.

Photo: Hunan Museum Virtual Exhibition Hall. Screenshot of the official website of Hunan Museum

Duan Yong, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai University, introduced the background of the initiative on behalf of the initiator: "Although there are still uncertainties and certain bubbles in the fiery meta-universe concept and its application scenarios in the past two years, it is undoubtedly the strategic direction to seize the new round of scientific and technological revolution and new opportunities for industrial change. In the process of virtualizing and digitizing the real world, the metacosm needs a large number of material specimens and cultural elements from the physical world to construct a digital living space that integrates with the real social system. The best place in the real world to have rich material specimens and cultural elements at the same time is a museum. The purpose and concept of the museum are interconnected with the metacosm, and the future and mission of the museum are integrated with the metacosm. ”

The Initiative points out that the open sharing of digital resources is increasingly becoming a code of conduct universally recognized by museums around the world. As a public cultural service institution, museums should enhance the awareness of open sharing of collection resources, especially digital resources, establish the concept of win-win cooperation, and let limited resources create unlimited possibilities in the metaverse.

The "Initiative" believes that in the face of the surging metaverse like a tidal wave, the museum should fully recognize its own resource advantages, give full play to the functional strengths of research, exhibition, education, etc., collaboratively explore and create high-quality application scenarios, and achieve the high-quality development of the museum itself in participating in the construction of the metaverse.

The "Initiative" calls for the face of the metacosmology, museums should seize new opportunities to meet new challenges with the times, actively participate in the construction of the metacosm, explore the standards and norms for the construction of the metacosm in the museum field, and make a Chinese voice in the international dialogue on related topics.

The Initiative emphasizes that integration into the metacosm is only the latest step for museums to adapt to the wave of social development. Museums in the metaverse should also follow the ethics and principles recognized by real-world museums, adhere to the non-profit nature and public attributes, develop in inheritance, innovate in the integrity, and make the museum transcend time and space, never-ending, and timeless through integration into the metaverse.

Museums are serious about using new technologies to bring cultural relics to life and explore new paths of cultural heritage in the digital age. Museums are gradually creating the prototype of a "cultural metacosm" to explore new ways to bring cultural relics back to life. In 2021 Henan Spring Festival Gala, a song "Tang Palace Night Banquet" was out of the circle, and the creative team used 5G +AR technology to achieve the perfect combination of virtual scenes and real stages, and put the song and dance performances together with the cultural relics in the museum to achieve a perfect visual effect. This new form of using modern science and technology to display traditional culture has awakened the new charm of historical heritage and is also highly sought after by the majority of young netizens. The Hunan Provincial Museum also used AR, VR, three-dimensional image production and other technologies to plan the special topic of "Idle to Get Elegant - Mirroring the Slow Life of the Song Dynasty People" in the online exhibition hall, and produced a 360-degree panoramic online virtual exhibition hall, presenting more than 80 cultural relics in an all-round three-dimensional manner, reproducing the "slow life" of the Song Dynasty people in the melodious guqin sound.

The following is the full text of the Initiative and the list of its sponsors

Yang Zhigang Shanghai Museum

Gong Liang Nanjing Museum, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism

Duan Xiaoming Hunan Provincial Museum

Ma Xiaolin Henan Museum

Hou Ningbin Shaanxi History Museum

Fang Qin Hubei Provincial Museum

Chen Shuihua Zhejiang Provincial Museum

Ma Baojie Liaoning Provincial Museum

Cheng Wuyan, Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum

Han ZhanMing Capital Museum

Zhang Yuancheng Shanxi Museum

Wang Xiaoming Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai Museum of Natural History

Chen Zhuo Tianjin Museum

Luo Xiangjun Hebei Museum

Chen Yongzhi Inner Mongolia Museum

Li Gang Jilin Provincial Museum

Hu Min Anhui Museum

Wu Zhiyue Fujian Museum

Ye Rong Jiangxi Provincial Museum

Zheng Tongxiu Shandong Museum

Xiao Haiming Guangdong Provincial Museum

Wu Weifeng Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum

Chen Jiang Hainan Provincial Museum

Wei Quan, Sichuan Museum

Li Fei Guizhou Provincial Museum

Ma Wendou Yunnan Provincial Museum

Jia Jianwei Gansu Provincial Museum

Wang Jinxian Qinghai Provincial Museum

Li Jinzeng Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Museum

Yu Zhiyong Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum

Xue Feng Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China

Zhao Feng China Silk Museum

Chen Ruijin Suzhou Museum, Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics

Hu Jiang Shanghai Municipal History Museum

Du Jiale Nantong Museum

Zhang Ting Zhengzhou Museum

Wang Lihua Changsha Museum

Ren Ye Chengdu Museum

Wang Juzhong Sanxingdui Ruins Management Committee, Guanghan Municipal Party Committee

Shi Jiazhen Longmen Grottoes Research Institute

Fan Jianchuan Sichuan Jianchuan Museum

Zhang Yuteng Taipei Museum of History

Li Chen, China Cultural Relics Newspaper

Hang Kan Peking University, Yungang Grottoes Research Institute

Siyu Wang, Peking University

Pengfei Du, Tsinghua University

Jianqiang Yan Zhejiang University

Shi Jixiang Jilin University

Li Jianmao, Hunan Normal University

Jiansong Lu Fudan University

Wei Jun Fudan University

Yi Zheng Fudan University

Jingjing Zhou Fudan University

Yong Duan, Shanghai University

An Laishun Shanghai University, International Association of Museums

Pan Shouyong, Shanghai University

Mingbin Li, Shanghai University

Huang Yang, Shanghai University

Siyi Wang, Shanghai University

Mei Haitao, Shanghai University

(Proposal Writers: Duan Yong, Li Chen, Huang Yang, Mei Haitao)