UNESCO chief hails development of Chinese museums

A top UN official commended China's museums, saying she was "very impressed" by the facilities and Chinese culture in general.

Irina Bokova, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the inaugural UNESCO High Level Forum on Museums, which concluded Saturday in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

"I think it is very emblematic that we have this conference in Shenzhen and China, because in China there are more than 4,000 museums, and this is something that is still developing," she said.

"There is much more thinking about the role of museums, and the achievement of this forum is precisely to give this modern vision about museums," she said.

Recalling her own visits to museums across China, she called them "the embodiment of China that is both ancient with a long history, and also very modern and very dynamic."

She noted that Chinese museums feature collections that are testament to the long traditions of China.

She added that UNESCO and China have been working very closely in the cultural sector, giving a big boost to its advocacy for international cultural development.

Many Chinese cities have been involved with UNESCO's Creative Cities Network program, which was created in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that have creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans, said the UNESCO chief.

She said that a whole list of cities in China are part of the drive to promote cultural industries and contribute to the development of both economic growth and inclusiveness. Endi