Geological Museum of China holds class to celebrate Int’l Museum Day

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Today marks International Museum Day. Many activities have been held in museums across China to celebrate this occasion. A lesson was taught to teenagers about mineral pigments at the Geological Museum of China.

Mineral blue is a color which has been taken from azurite stone. /CGTN Photo

Mineral green and blue, colors often seen in ancient Chinese paintings, are made from a type of stone called azurite.

The leading role in this activity is mineral pigments. Participating teenagers were told the main characteristics of the pigment and its usage in history.

"The class is mainly about the development of mineral pigments and the way to use them. Let them know that the stones can turn into such beautiful colors, and can last for hundreds or even thousands of years without fading," said Tang Chi, docent at the museum.

The famous Chinese painting "A thousand Li of rivers and mountains" is mostly painted in mineral green and blue. /CGTN Photo

Then, he added, the famous Chinese painting "A thousand Li of rivers and mountains" is mostly painted in mineral green and mineral blue.

"The same colors we present our students with today. We want to use this opportunity to popularize the mineral pigments," said Tang.

The video of this lesson will be uploaded on the internet where other people interested in this subject can also learn.

The Geological Museum of China is founded in 1916, as the first national natural science museum built by Chinese people.

Students painting the round fan with famous Chinese painting "A thousand Li of rivers and mountains". /CGTN Photo

Deputy director Zhang Yajun said the museum is devoted to popular science education for the younger generations.

"We have held a series of science education projects for children and teenagers, including lectures and interactive activities. We want them to learn more about our earth and its geology, and raise their awareness in protecting our planet and our environment," he said.

Students also get the chance to paint a round fan with the pigments they've just learned about.

The colors may change a bit with time due to oxidation. But they can last for hundreds of years.

"It is the first time that I learnt minerals can be used to paint. I appreciate this opportunity to learn more about our Chinese traditional culture," said one of the students.

Students painting the round fan with mineral colors. /CGTN Photo

This event is only one of the 42 activities that have taken place in Beijing on the International Museum Day. The city has gone all out in celebrating this occasion, with 99 national and private museums open to the public for free on Friday.

This year’s theme for International Museum Day is “Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics”, where museums explore new ways to approach more audiences by means like digitalizing their collections and adding multimedia elements to their exhibitions.

China officially joined the International Council of Museums in 1983 and has since celebrated the International Museum Day every year.