Tbih 2020: China National Silk Museum

Today is Mr. Chao Feng, the director of the museum. A warm welcome to you, Mr. Chao. Hi, thank you so much. Thank you. So, could you kindly first briefly present your first project, first your project and then your museum. Okay. Yes, the project is actually in China, we call it Hanfu Festival. Hanfu, yes, literally it's the same meaning as the Chinese traditional costume, especially from the Han people. So, in China, usually with the Chinese people, the Han people, they did not have, we don't wear our traditional costume nowadays. But the young people, they like to have such kind of beautiful traditional costume on these days. So, then they have a moment in different ways in China. So, then our museum find such kind of trade in the communities, then we try to make a special festival for these people, for these communities. So, then we try to design such kind of proposal for the whole project. So, almost we finished that one, first started in 2018. The first time we do this is including several programs. The first one is to have a special exhibition of the traditional costume. So, the first time we bought pieces from other museums for this special exhibition. Then we give a special tour, professional tour, to tell all the visitors, all the people from this Hanfu communities. Then we also show them some real textiles and costumes from our storage room. So, we invite them get into this storage room. And also we give some broadcasting, live broadcasting to the other people. Then we give a special lecture, invite senior researchers to give lectures to all these people. In the evening, we choose some teams of the Hanfu team, then they can make some performance for the other people. So, what they have made for the Hanfu, they show them in the evening. In the next day, we have a special lecture forum. We invite different people that are dealing with the Hanfu. Some of them are from the university, and some of them are individuals, and some of them are designers. They communicate together and discuss some things about the future of the Hanfu activities. Then in the afternoon, we still have another show. It's a baby show. I mean, it's a children's show. They are wearing the traditional Han costume, too. So, I mean, it's a set of the whole process, the whole program. This is the main part of our Hanfu festival. So, after that, I think many, many people, they see, they also listen, and they understand what we are doing. So, we have done this since 2018. So, it's already three years. The first year, we deal with the Hanfu for all the time, the styles, because the Hanfu in Chinese history, we have the Han dynasty or Tang dynasty, different time dynasty. Actually, the styles are different. So, the people there try to follow different styles of this kind of Hanfu. But the second year, last year, we did the Ming dynasty, which was like 400 years ago. I mean, this is very close to some parts of our costume. But this year, we did Hanfu in Song style. You know, this year is the COVID-19. So, we did this mainly online, online show and online conference, online lectures. So, that's what we have done. Okay, thank you. It's extremely fascinating. And while you already commented a little bit about the rational and objectives of this project, of this program, but would you like to add something about your primary goals? What did you want to achieve by creating this kind of approach? I mean, yes, the first time, because I think we have to serve the society for today, we have to serve for the community, especially in the last year, because the International Museum Day, that the theme of the museum day is the museum is the cultural hub. So, we have, I mean, it's very good for us too, because the museum now plays a very important role in our society. And we hope to be seen everywhere. And we have hoped to do more things to everyone. So, that's why we think, because there are normally, that the silk industry, our city is a town of the silk. So, we used to produce silk in a very large quantity. But now, this scale is getting very smaller. But the life is still on. They don't use silk, but they use the other things. Sometimes, they will have something new. So, we have to find that the people, we can do something for them. So, once we see the young people, especially the young people, I find that they are interested in the traditional one. So, once they have the traditional style, traditional culture, the museum people should go there to meet them, to meet their needs. So, indeed, we have different groups of the community, of the handful people. Actually, they have different ideas. They're not always together. But, I mean, what the museum can do for them. So, I find that they don't have enough knowledge about the real traditional costume. So, we should, yes, in some cases, we should tell them to teach them. But at least, we can show them what the history has. So, then we communicate with them. Do you want to have such a festival for you? And do you want to come to see the real objects? And do you want to meet here to have a special platform for you to get performance? Then they agree. Yes, they are very kind. We have got very warm response. So, we design this program and send to them. Then they come. So, I mean, it's the same aim, just like the International Museum Day last year. The museum should play a more important role for the society. The museum should be the cultural hub. The museum should serve our community. Because the silk community now is very small. But the community of the handful, the traditional costume, they're still very big, even bigger than before. So, we have to meet them. So, that's our aim. That's our purpose. It's wonderful. And I think you are really in the core of the museum mission itself, when you are bringing the tradition up to date to meet the needs of young generations. So, my next question is, what was the particular quality or innovation that impressed the jury? Yes, I mean, the jury, actually, they have several people. I mean, they have different peoples. And they will look at our projects from different point of view. So, I mean, for some of them, they are the museum managers. So, they very much appreciate our purpose. I mean, our actor to this new generation, young generation, who loves the traditional costume. But some of them, they very much appreciate what we have done. Because we are doing different handful activities. Because in China, we have many different types. But what the museum can do? So, the museum should make the objects in the storage room alive. So, we provide them what we have. I mean, we tell them what material they used to use. Not only silk, actually. They also use cotton and rameen or other materials. And what's the technique they used to use. The wave structure and the embroidery stitches and the dyeing and the printing method and this kind of traditional techniques. And even more, we provide more patterns. The patterns, actually, we did one project. It's another project. We collect more than 10,000 pieces of the silk, ancient silks from our Chinese collection and also overseas collection of the Chinese silks. Then, we make 10 volumes of the patterns, Chinese silk patterns. So, then we provide this pattern to them. They can all use this pattern for their new design. And we also tell them what kind of structure for the costume style they used to use. In the Han Dynasty, in the Tang Dynasty, in 10th century, in 18th century, they have different structures. So, we tell them they can understand. And even we collaborate with one or two small teams to make a new brand for the new products. So, we collaborate, but we dye it in different colors or we make a new style. So, we also try to bring the old piece, bring the antiquities to the real life, to today. So, I think that's what they are appreciating us very much. It's probably, probably. Yes, it's really, really impressive. So, I'm sure you also have had some challenges and difficulties along the realization of the project. Can you tell something about them? Yes. I mean, basically, it's still okay. But when we started to do this one, because, you know, in China, we have different people. So, they have a different opinion. And also, it's very hard to know if we do this, if people like or not, they don't like. They will give comments on the, especially in the social media. So, actually, sometimes if we do it too big, then those people, they don't like. They will get criticized. And if we do it very small, the other people, they don't like. So, it's very difficult to judge. It's very difficult to make decision if we do this or do that. And some people, they will be very sensitive to the real objects. Because we bring all the very fragile textiles and costumes out of the storage room and show them to these people. Because normally, the museum people never do that. They just show them to the museum staff, the museum curators. They never show them to the individuals or some people like that. So, it's very, I mean, there's something we are not so familiar with. And also, how to do it like a museum does, it's very difficult too. So, we have to keep it as a museum quality. So, it's very professional and very, yes, we should do something professional academic, but people can learn from us, then they do something more. So, anyway, it's a new thing. So, we don't know very much, but the whole process is still good. And after we finish it, we got very good comments, I think. Oh, that's wonderful. And now we have time just for one more question. So, I will ask you, according to you, what does the popularity of the costume tradition among young people tell about? What is in the tradition that appeals to the young people in your mind and why? So, I mean, now this popularity tells us they do like the traditional ones and they do want to have the scenes from the ancient to, we can bring this one to today. And they don't want to, the museum are still, I mean, the museum is not very old now. Now, yes, I understand because when I came to this museum, I thought the museum is very old. Everything is old inside and the people coming to the museum is old. But now I see many, many more, much, much more young people, they're coming to the museum. Not only for this kind of fashion exhibition, but they come sometimes mainly they are for the very old pieces, old objects, older cultures. So, I mean, the museum is different now. It's a museum now getting younger and the visitors and the audience, they come to the museum, they're getting younger. So, I feel the future of our museum, the future of our museum, the museum society is very bright. It's very young. This is really impressive to listen to your description of the project and how you came to this success and how you found the contact with your community and the younger generations. And I think in your case, you have really a wonderful example here about how the tradition and the present day meet, how you have succeeded in bringing together the tangible and the intangible heritage and created a future and relevance for the new generations through the museum mission. So, I congratulate you very, very warmly. Thank you. And I want to wish you very good luck for the conference and the competition in the Best in Heritage. And I hope I can also visit your museum one day because it really sounds very, very fascinating. Thank you. Yes, you're welcome.