Chengdu Museum is the largest comprehensive urban museum in Southwest China and a national first-class museum with a history of 67 years. Since the opening of its new building in 2016, it has welcomed more than 21 million visitors. The museum also holds the title “Chengdu Chinese Shadow Play Museum”, as conferred by the State Council in 2006, making it the first national-level museum in Sichuan and the only one of its kind in Chengdu. Over the years, it has garnered numerous honors, including “National Advanced Collective in the Cultural Relics System”, “China’s Most Innovative Museum”, and “Advanced Party Organization at the Grassroots Level in Sichuan Province”.

     Occupying about 17 mu (approximately 1.1 hectares) with a total floor area of around 65,000 square meters, the museum boasts 20,000 square meters of exhibition space and three permanent exhibitions: “The Brocade City in Full Bloom: Chengdu’s History and Culture” (featuring ancient, modern, and folk sections), “Shadow Play and Puppetry of China”, and “Man and Nature: Donations from Kenneth E. Behring”. The museum houses nearly 300,000 artifacts, spanning a complete chronological sequence from the Neolithic period to modern times. The museum currently employs 92 staff members with an average age of 37-47, including 34 senior professionals and 56 holders of master’s or doctoral degrees.

      In recent years, with strong support from the Party committee and governments at all levels, Chengdu Museum has embraced its core philosophy of “a museum by the people, for the people” and adhered to the guiding principle that “every museum is a university”. Institutional and operational reforms have effectively stimulated its internal vitality, yielding remarkable outcomes in preserving cultural heritage, shaping urban cultural identity, and fulfilling its role as the city’s cultural parlor.

      In 2022, in response to the call issued by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee jointly with eight other ministries and departments for the “high-quality development of museums”, the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee and the Chengdu Municipal People’s Government launched the “Implementation Plan for Institutional and Operational Reforms” for public cultural institutions (referred to as “One Museum, One Policy”), effectively bridging the final gap in policy implementation. The policy addresses three core areas: firstly, differentiating management between public service and industrial functions, with core operations handled as public undertakings while derivative functions are industrialized–thus establishing a virtuous cycle where public services drive industrial growth, and industry, in turn, supports public development; secondly, integrating existing policies at national, provincial, and municipal levels on talent incentives, technological innovation, and high-quality development; and thirdly, implementing positive incentives with performance-based rewards prioritizing technical experts and front-line staff, while establishing a multi-stakeholder evaluation system among government, industry, and society to achieve closed-loop management This policy has effectively unleashed internal potential and was recognized by the National Cultural Heritage Administration as a “National Model Case for High-Quality Development in the Cultural Relics Sector”.

      A museum should serve as the “spiritual home of a city”, a vital space for public learning, spiritual enrichment, and aesthetic cultivation. In recent years, under the “Chengdu Museum Exhibition Season” brand initiative, we have curated and launched a series of original, high-quality exhibitions showcasing China’s outstanding traditional culture and regional characteristics, including “China in Light of Hanzi”, “Five Most Developed Cities”, “Exploring the Beauty of Traditional Chinese Medicine”, and “Spirit of the Silk Road: The Land of Abundance and the Silk Road”. Additionally, we have hosted major international exhibitions, including “European Painting over 500 Years” and “Ancient Mexican Civilizations”, which have attracted large audiences from both home and abroad. The museum now receives over 3.3 million visitors annually, with 70% coming from outside Sichuan Province and 3% from overseas, providing Chengdu residents with a viewing experience of “exploring the world within Chengdu Museum”.

      In addition to its diverse and high-quality exhibitions, the museum has enhanced visitor services through a series of pioneering initiatives. These initiatives include extended-hour programs such as the “Children’s Museum on the Weekend”, extended opening during holidays, 14-day advance booking, increased daily capacity during peak seasons (summer/major holidays), and improved payment convenience for international visitors. In expanding its educational outreach, the museum has launched programs such as “Bashu Culture on Campus” and the “Young Pioneers Docent Program”, extending the museum’s reach into schools, communities, and rural areas. These initiatives not only attract broad public engagement but also expand the museum’s reach while enhancing its educational impact.

      In promoting the creative transformation and innovative use of cultural heritage, Chengdu Museum has built “The Gift of Chengdu” cultural brand and successfully hosted five consecutive cultural and creative product design competitions. These events have attracted over 200 top-tier universities and research institutions, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts, as well as more than 300 enterprises and designers, resulting in 9,600 original cultural products. This endeavor has driven significant growth in creative industry revenues, reaching RMB 83 million in 2024 and RMB 52 million in the first eight months of 2025, up 4% year-on-year.

      As a universal cultural institution and a bridge for international cultural exchange, Chengdu Museum has actively built a global partnership network under the leadership of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee and the Chengdu Municipal People’s Government. It has established friendly collaborations with 27 renowned museums in sister cities around the world, including the British Museum, the Musée du Quai Branly and Fabre Museum in France, as well as prominent museums in Bologna (Italy), Hamburg (Germany), and Victoria (Australia). Looking ahead, Chengdu Museum is scheduled to co-host an exhibition on traditional Chinese medicine in Montpellier next year, in collaboration with the Fabre Museum and the Musée Guimet.