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By May 14, though not officially open, the Mengcheng Museum, the second museum in Bozhou city, Anhui province, had already started receiving visitors after its two-year construction.
On May 18, World Museum Day, the doors of the museum were opened.
Construction had started in June, 2012. The 12,000 square meter building has one floor underground and four floors above ground. Altogether 80 million yuan ($12.83 million) was invested into it.
As many precious cultural relics are on display in the museum, a number of security guards were standing by the entrance gate. On entering the gate, visitors first see a four-storey-high sculptured relief which reflects many famous historical events at the site.
The reception center, lecture hall and temporary display halls are on the ground floor; the Yuchi Temple display hall is on the second floor, and precious relics representing Mengchen county's rich culture are on display on the third floor. Considering that most of the relics are in fixed locations, temporary display halls were prepared to accommodate occasional events.
The Yuchi Temple display hall is divided into four sections: residences of ancient people, conditions of the original settlements, burial rituals, and documentations of the excavation. Sites were reproduced, and scenes were imitated through advanced technical means. In addition to all the stone artifacts and pieces of pottery, of particular note is a bird-shaped artefact. This kind of article with a "bird" on its top was discovered for the first time in China. Experts suggest that it might have been used as a kind of totem for worship or a symbol of power.
The third floor is divided into six parts. On this floor, various cultural relics, together with information about famous historical sites present a comprehensive picture of Mengcheng county's history. The county boasts a number of intangible cultural heritages, such as Mengcheng soup, shortcake, and a kind of drum music. Of course, as Mengcheng is also the home of couplets, there are also thorough explanations about this art form.
From the very beginning, the museum was built to display Mengcheng county's history, historical transitions and regional culture, and great emphasis was placed on integrating educational and entertaining functions. Now that the construction has been completed, the museum will serve to let local residents know more about their hometown, to enrich their life, and to publicize Mengcheng county to visitors and businesses.
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