Development Plan for the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou City during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period

The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou was completed and opened to the public in October 1995. The building is designed in the style of a Jiangnan garden and is situated on Quejia Mountain, in the southern suburbs of Fuzhou. It covers an area of over 100 mu, with a total floor space of 6,133 square meters, including more than 2,000 square meters dedicated to the Yumingtang exhibition hall. Since its opening, the memorial hall has operated smoothly, its role has become increasingly prominent, and its social influence has continued to grow, making due contributions to the promotion of China’s fine traditional culture, the advancement of economic development, and the enhancement of people’s quality of life.
The 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025) marks the first five-year phase in embarking on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country, and it is also a critical five-year period for the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou City as it strives to advance to the status of a national second-level museum and achieve high-quality development. The “Development Plan for the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou City during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period” aims to clarify the museum’s development goals and key tasks for the next five years, serving as an important basis for carrying out all operational activities and initiatives.　　
I. Guiding Principles
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, closely follow General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on cultural and heritage work, and earnestly carry out the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. We will strengthen our “four consciousnesses,” firmly uphold our “four confidences,” and ensure “two safeguards.” With the goal of meeting the people’s aspirations for a better life, we will grasp the stage‑specific characteristics of museum development, adhere to the principles governing museum growth, and fully leverage the vital role of museums in promoting China’s fine traditional culture and bolstering cultural confidence. We will comprehensively elevate the professionalism, modernization, and social engagement of museums, striving to achieve designation as a national second‑level museum.
 
 
II. Overall Objectives
Continuously strengthen the institutional framework of the museum and strive to achieve designation as a National Level‑II Museum; further enhance the museum’s functions and roles, working to establish new national and provincial‑level research bases; persist in expanding the museum’s collection and further refine the holdings of the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou City; integrate resources from multiple stakeholders, bolster academic research, and host or co‑host nationwide academic conferences and events dedicated to Tang Xianzu studies; leveraging its cultural relics and collections, innovate exhibition design and public education initiatives, and vigorously promote China’s fine traditional culture and the legacy of Tang Xianzu, thereby making a positive contribution to strengthening cultural confidence.

III. Main Tasks
(1) Construction of Facility Infrastructure and Establishment of a Security Assurance System
Further enhance the infrastructure of the museum complex, maintain the parkland and landscape, and strengthen the functional zoning within the facility as well as landscape planning and design. Upgrade security and fire‑safety systems, elevate the standardization of safety measures, establish a scientific and effective safety‑protection framework, and bolster the museum’s overall security capabilities.
(II) Collection Acquisition and Preservation
1. Registration and documentation of collections. Leveraging modern scientific and technological tools, we will refine the systems for protecting and managing all types of collections, as well as establish rigorous safety protocols, ensuring clear inventory records, accurate authentication, meticulous cataloging, proper storage, and convenient access. We will also complete the development of a museum‑wide collection database and further promote the sharing of collection‑related information.
2. Further enrich the museum’s collection system. Increase investment in acquisitions, refine the acquisition framework, and streamline procurement procedures. Prioritize donations and purchases as key channels for acquiring new items, steadily expanding both the quantity and quality of the collection and establishing a robust institutional holdings framework. Additionally, leverage loan exhibitions and inter-museum exchanges of collection resources to effectively integrate and optimize resource allocation, thereby enhancing the efficiency of collection utilization. Over the next five years, focus acquisition efforts on addressing gaps and strengthening weak areas within the existing collection, continuously building and augmenting the holdings. On the basis of the current number of cultural relics, persistently advance acquisition initiatives, with the goal of doubling the total number of cultural relic items during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
3. The protection of cultural relic collections has become more scientific and comprehensive. Priority should be given to the principle of preventive conservation, with further improvements made to the construction of storage facilities to ensure that cultural relics are housed in optimal conditions. Efforts should be intensified to cultivate professionals in the field of cultural relic preservation, elevate the standards of collection care and restoration, and enhance overall capabilities in the safekeeping and management of cultural heritage.
(3) Exhibitions and Displays
1. Continuously enhance the quality of our museum’s permanent exhibitions. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, in line with the acquisition and collection of new items, we will periodically revise the permanent displays, enrich their content, and elevate the overall standard of the exhibitions.
2. Centering on Fuzhou’s historical and cultural heritage as well as the legacy of Tang Xianzu, we will strengthen research into our museum’s collections and regionally distinctive cultural resources, and delve deeply into the contemporary relevance of our cultural relics. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we will develop 20 new temporary exhibition plans tailored to diverse audience segments, further promoting China’s fine traditional culture and fostering core socialist values.
3. Innovate exhibition models by leveraging touring exhibitions, mobile exhibits, and online platforms to enhance the presentation and utilization of cultural relics, bringing them to life. Foster inter-museum exhibition exchanges, strengthening collaboration with domestic museums through reciprocal loan programs and joint curatorial initiatives. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, annually present high‑quality thematic exhibitions to the public.
4. Establish a curator system, integrating exhibition themes, curatorial outlines, spatial design, scholarly underpinnings, and educational programming into the exhibition planning and production process, while exploring diverse display formats to present more high‑quality, original thematic exhibitions.
(4) Social Education
1. Relying on exhibition and display, we will expand our social education functions, deepen the museum’s educational mission, and further develop it into a premier social education hub. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall will continue to organize well‑planned cultural events around festivals, ensuring that culture serves the public and benefits the people. We will actively plan “Four‑Entry” cultural initiatives, offering diversified educational services, with no fewer than 200 external outreach events over the five-year span. We will strengthen collaboration between the museum and schools, supporting teachers and students in conducting study‑tour activities on site, and continuing to bring our programs into campuses. In addition, we will develop ten high‑quality courses covering Tang Xianzu’s cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage, thereby continuously building a “second classroom” for young people. We will fully leverage the museum’s pivotal role as a base for patriotic education and as a destination for study‑tour programs for primary and secondary school students.
2. To meet the public’s diverse visiting needs, our museum provides free live docent-led guided tours and complimentary audio guides. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we will establish and consolidate a public education and outreach team anchored by docents and including researchers, curators, volunteers and other personnel. This team will be able to support official reception activities for leaders at the central, provincial and municipal levels, and to carry out thematic, academic and discussion‑oriented local history education programs for specific groups. We will establish and improve a comprehensive set of regulations and evaluation methods adapted to new circumstances and requirements—covering docents’ ethics, competence, diligence and performance—and implement practical, effective systems for training, appraisal, management, assessment, rewards and penalties, as well as recruitment and retention.
(5) Building Smart Museums
1. In response to the province-wide initiative for digital museum development, we will establish a digital cultural resources platform and further enhance our “Internet Plus” comprehensive digital exhibition system. Leveraging our official website, WeChat official account, and other social media channels, we will expand cloud‑based exhibitions and online educational programs, strengthen the development of virtual online galleries and digitized cultural heritage resources, and refine an integrated online–offline exhibition framework. By harnessing digital technologies and drawing on our collection holdings, we will promote online exhibitions, virtual educational activities, and digital guided tours, thereby broadening the scope of our public cultural services.
2. Optimize the existing collection management system and promote the application of modern science and technology in areas such as acquiring high-definition images of cultural relics, generating relic‑related video data, conducting relic restoration, and implementing environmental monitoring for heritage preservation.
3. Maintain and enhance the museum’s existing VR and AR systems to provide visitors with a comprehensive, immersive exhibition experience.
(6) Scientific Research
1. Strengthen academic exchanges with relevant institutions and venues, and foster collaborative research with universities and research institutes. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, organize or host high‑quality academic symposia, lectures, and other major scholarly events, aiming to secure two provincial‑level projects and three municipal‑level projects, thereby continuously expanding the library’s academic influence and its capacity to drive research and innovation.
2. Deepen academic research by taking the museum’s collection of cultural relics as its core, and conduct foundational training and research in areas such as relic studies, conservation and restoration, authentication, exhibition design, and educational outreach.
3. Attract high-caliber professionals in the cultural heritage and museum fields, strengthen the training of academic researchers, and build a talent pool that meets the needs of the sector’s development. Actively participate in training programs organized by national and provincial institutions to enhance professional expertise and research capabilities.
4. Encourage our staff to conduct in-depth research on Tang Xianzu culture and the museum’s cultural relics collections, and to compile and publish a series of scholarly works. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we aim to publish five academic papers in journals at various levels and to release no fewer than three publications with publishers at all levels. We will also continue to strengthen the museum’s external publicity efforts through its website, WeChat, and Douyin.

IV. Safeguard Measures
(1) Organizational Support
Refine the museum’s safety plans, operational procedures, and emergency response protocols; clearly designate responsible individuals for each task, establish corresponding accountability mechanisms and reward‑and‑penalty systems, ensure the effective implementation of responsibilities in key construction projects, and advance the standardization and scientific management of our institution.
(II) Talent Assurance
Build a high-caliber team of museum staff, recruit top‑tier professionals in cultural heritage and museology, enhance the expertise and overall competence of our workforce, establish and refine a robust personnel training system, improve the education and professional development framework, optimize the organizational structure, and strive to cultivate a highly qualified, specialized workforce.