A loud buzz of excitement was in the air on September 10th, 2016, as the opening ceremony for Tsinghua’s new art museum was set to start.

A light show was held that evening. Beginning with ancient Chinese calligraphy and moving through the ages of Chinese art, the broad face of the museum served as a canvas as the audience was presented with a myriad of moving images.

Da Vinci himself showed up at one point, serving to remind the audience of the 60 original works by Da Vinci that are housed inside.

The mission of Tsinghua University Art Museum is to spread the historical achievements of human civilization. For the purpose of enhancing cultural accomplishment of both Tsinghua students and the public, we will spare no effort to build up an open window for international cultural exchanges and to carry forward the traditional culture and create the modern culture as well.

The policy of establishing Tsinghua University Art Museum is to “manifest humanistic spirit, gather artistic essence, exhibit quality collections, conduct academic researches, facilitate domestic and foreign exchanges, communicate information, cultivate new cultural trend and educate talents”. In addition to the main functional organs for exhibition, collection, research and public education, the art museum also pays attention to exhibition planning, quality collection presentation, various academic activities, public service and education platform building, playing an irreplaceable role in spreading historical, humanistic and artistic essences as well as modern technological innovation outcomes.

Tsinghua University Art Museum owns more than 13,000 pieces of collections, covering six major categories, namely, painting and calligraphy, embroidery, porcelain, furniture, bronze ware and comprehensive artwork. Most of the collections are from Academy of Arts & Design since 1956, and donations from Tsinghua alumni or some social elites. We aim to present diversified collections, to gather the latest original works, to promote exchanges with museums both at home and abroad and to share resources, so as to together sustain the development of human civilization.
(From Office of Global Communications and Outreach, edited by Li Huashan)