Photo: Courtesy of the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau

Film Week, part of the 2024 Beijing Museum Month campaign, was launched on Saturday, which is International Children's Day, at Shen Cang Courtyard of Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum. During Film Week, at least 20 museums will host about 40 movie screenings. More than 10 remarkable films will be on show. 

The viewing venues set up in the museums in open-air areas or public spaces will offer a different movie watching experience.

Bai Chong, director of the museum division of Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, told the Global Times that the third week of the museum month encourages museums to select some films that are highly relevant to their own themes. 

"Almost all 3,500 tickets to the film week have been sold out," Bai said. Only some tickets on weekdays and during working hours are still available. 

The film playing team are professionals from movie theaters, keeping the protection of the ancient architectures in mind, he noted. 

The opening ceremony was held in the open air in the Shen Cang Courtyard.

Audience watch a movie titled the Little Canned Men at Shen Cang Courtyard of Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum on Saturday in Beijing. Photos: Dong Feng/GT

To celebrate the International Children's Day, the museum selected the Little Canned Men, a serial story of fantasy adventures of primary school students. 

"We have chosen this film as a gift for both the adults and children for today's occasion," said Xue Jian, director of the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum. 

At the launch ceremony of the Film Week, two children, Xu Jiayi and Xu Jiahe from the Little Bear Orchestra, performed chorus "Growth Adventure" and "The Xiannong Altar" for the audience. The latter song is inspired by the ancient Central Axis of Beijing, and the name of the song is also the venue of the event. 

Beijing Longzaitian Shadow Cultural Museum staged a shadow puppet drama "The Return of the Swallows" with the theme of the Central Axis culture to the audience. In his keynote speech, Song Haojie, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, said the first two weeks of the museum month has been quite popular among visitors. 

Museums are expected to expand their circle of friends and create a vision of museum plus, to roll out more social education activities that are favored by visitors, Song said.

Audience watch a movie titled the Little Canned Men at Shen Cang Courtyard of Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum on Saturday in Beijing. Photos: Dong Feng/GT

After the launching ceremony, the Beijing Museum of Ancient Architecture arranged an experienced narrator to organize the audience to carry out an exhibition activity.

Participants walked to the Xiannong Altar, an important ceremonial place for the ancient emperors to worship the ancestors and cultivate the fields in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The location is one of the important ceremonial buildings with a symmetrical pattern in the Central Axis of Beijing and an indispensable and important part of the ancient Chinese royal sacrificial system. It presents the most magnificent historical and cultural value of Chinese agricultural civilization. 

"Visitors can harvest wheat from the Xiannong Altar, this is another unique experience we offer our visitors," Xue said.

I Am What I Am, The Wandering Earth and other films will be on show at museums including Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum, the Beijing Confucian Temple and Beijing Stone Carvings Art Museum. 

Some museums have also selected some films that are relevant to their own theme. For instance, China Railway Museum will play revolutionary films from the 1950s. The setting will take the audience back to the real scenario. 

The Miaoying Temple, also known as the "White Pagoda Temple," will play The Shadowless Tower on June 8, allowing audiences to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the temple and the surrounding hutong.

Meanwhile, each movie activity will also offer online lectures to help participants understand the museums and their exhibitions. 

The Film Week marks the first large-scale cooperation between the museum and film sectors, with the museums seeing it as an opportunity to provide new services and find new ways to attract visitors. 

Based on the Film Week, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau and the Beijing Municipal Film Administration are pushing for more cooperation, so that they can provide audiences with unique experiences.