Integration of culture and tourism is on the rise! Professional tour guide "certified" to enter Shanghai History Museum to explain tour guide | Xu Dandan | Culture and Tourism

Visiting major exhibitions and cultural relics in Shanghai has become a new trend for many tourists. During the peak summer travel season, major museums have become popular destinations for parent-child travel. Just after 9 o'clock this morning, the research and learning group of primary and secondary school students dressed in various team costumes and wearing red scarves in the Shanghai History Museum was quite lively. Among them, a small research group of 12 people looks a bit different. They are led by Xu Dandan, a tour guide for Spring and Autumn tourism, and can listen to professional tour guides throughout the journey after receiving earphones.

As one of the first "dual certificate" tour guides in Shanghai to hold a tour guide certificate and a qualification certificate for explanation at the Shanghai Museum of History, Xu Dandan has undergone extensive learning and successfully passed the assessment of the Shanghai Museum. In the coming period, she and 19 colleagues who have passed the assessment of the basic exhibition and explanation qualifications of the first session of Shangli Bo will timely share the latest developments of Shangli Bo with citizens and tourists. This is also a new attempt made by Shangli Bo to further balance the management of the museum and the needs of visitors, and provide more standardized and high-level explanation services for citizens and tourists.

Follow a professional tour guide to explore the history of Shanghai

At 9:30 am, 12 members of the research group and parents of primary and secondary school students had all arrived. After receiving wireless earphones one by one, Xu Dandan led everyone on a museum exploration tour.

Before starting the explanation of museum exhibits, Xu Dandan first explained the origin of Shangli Museum architecture to everyone. Originally, this five story building was the former building of the Jockey Club, with a history of 90 years. On the rooftop garden of the fifth floor, you can also see a close-up view of the clock tower on the roof.

Among the exhibits on the first floor, two majestic bronze lions are particularly eye-catching. "Do these two lions look a bit familiar? Where are the lion sculptures we usually see placed?" Xu Dandan asked the children to think for a moment before introducing the origin of the sculptures. Originally, as early as the completion ceremony of the HSBC Bank building on the Bund in 1923, these majestic bronze lions were placed at the bank's entrance, symbolizing the suppression of evil and the preservation of wealth. The mouths of two lions open and close, symbolizing the flow of bank lending and deposit business. Now, these two bronze lions have become the treasures of Shangli Bo, known as the "HSBC Lion".

Xu Dandan will explain the origin of the "HSBC Lion" to everyone. Photographed by Meng Yuhan

While explaining, Xu Dandan opened the picture of the stone lion on the iPad in his hand and compared it to the children's narration. Her explanation further piqued the children's interest, as they carefully examined the lion in front of them and raised their phones to take photos.

As parents and children passed by another "treasure" of Shangli Bo - the Wuhua Hao Baizi Grand Salon, their eyes were firmly drawn to it. The intricately carved and colorful sedan chair stands out with its appearance. The ritual sedan chair is carved with flowers, birds, fish, insects, immortal birds, auspicious beasts, folk legends, and opera stories, containing auspicious meanings everywhere. There are originally 100 small electric beads on the sedan body, which are said to have been completed by 10 woodcarvers in 10 years. Guess, can this sedan chair accommodate people? If so, where can people enter?... This question once again puzzled the members of the research group. Everyone looked left and right without a definite answer. When Xu Dandan unraveled the mystery behind it, everyone couldn't help but marvel while observing the intricacies of the sedan body more carefully.

As he led the tourists from the first floor to the second floor, Xu Dandan reminded everyone to turn their heads and take a look at the staircase handrails and their carvings around them. The carved patterns on the handrails of the stairs are actually horse heads, indicating the identity of this building as the former building of the Jockey Club. During the following hour long visit, Xu Dandan led everyone to learn about the development history of ancient, ancient, and modern Shanghai. While explaining the exhibits themselves to everyone, she also occasionally supplemented them with pictures and materials, allowing the members of the research group to acquire some extended knowledge.

Sun Yicheng, a member of the upcoming 5th grade research group, said that what he is most interested in today is the ancient and ancient history of Shanghai. "I used to think that Shanghai's history was very short, but I didn't expect it could be traced back more than 6000 years ago. It was also the first time I found out that Shanghai was not as big as it is now, but gradually 'grew up' under the impact of waves. This knowledge makes me feel very novel."

Citizen Lu Jingwen, who accompanied her child on a visit, said that visiting this museum today brought some unexpected gains. "Although living in Shanghai, I didn't have such a deep understanding of Shanghai before. Especially, I have gained more knowledge about why there is the Guangfulin Site in Shanghai and why it was once called Huating County. My husband happens to be from Songjiang, and after learning about these things, I will feel even better when I go to Songjiang."

Cultural and Museum Venues Collaborate with Professional Institutions to Launch New Attempts

During the visit to Shangli Bo, the reporter found that in addition to some visitors who rent voice guides and VR navigation equipment, more visitors in the museum mainly study the introduction of exhibits on their own, and there are not many who can enjoy professional guides. In front of the famous "Current Situation Map", several high school students wearing school uniforms were watching and guessing which countries the animals in the pictures represented. After staying for a few seconds, they hurriedly left without gaining a deeper understanding.

This time, a group of certified tour guides, including Xu Dandan, went through a long period of preparation to enter Shangli Bo for explanation. Usually, most museums have limited professional teaching resources, and a unified arrangement of teaching time and visiting routes is also difficult to meet the diverse needs of visitors; On the other hand, some internet celebrities, in pursuit of hot topics, may distort history to some extent, or use excessive volume and exaggerated body movements to break the quiet atmosphere that visitors should enjoy. Therefore, most cultural and museum venues hold a reserved attitude towards external explanations or require early application.

How did the water town of Zeguo Shanghai gradually "grow up"? The children listened very attentively. Photographed by Meng Yuhan

How to better activate the public cultural service function of museums, balance the management needs of the museum, and provide more standardized and high-level explanation services for citizens and tourists? In January of this year, Zhou Weihong, Deputy General Manager of Spring and Autumn Tourism, submitted a proposal as a representative of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, pointing out that some cultural venues and venues lack sufficient explanatory power. It is suggested to make good use of the existing high-quality tour guide team of travel agencies to supplement the explanatory power.

Under the promotion of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the Shanghai Museum of History took the lead in piloting museums to open guided tours to licensed tour guides, which facilitated the itinerary of this first research and study group. This kind of cultural and tourism integration practice is pioneering in Shanghai and also innovative nationwide. The joint cooperation between cultural and museum venues and professional tourism institutions will bring more diverse and extensive "museum+" experiences to citizens and tourists visiting museums.