Case Study

Beijing Cultural Relics and Museums Development Centre: Bridging Cultures through International Exchange Programmes

Guo Jiaqiang Director of the Cooperation Department, Beijing Cultural Relics and Museums Development Center

Background

Beijing Cultural Relics and Museums Development Centre is a department-level public institution directly under the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau. It undertakes key functions such as talent development in the municipal cultural relics and museums (CR&M) sector, think tank construction, and international exchange and cooperation. As a core supporting organization for the development of CR&M undertakings in the capital, the Centre comprehensively advances the construction of Beijing as a National Cultural Center by conducting operational work related to professional and vocational qualification certification in the CR&M field, and organizing international cooperation and exchange activities in overseas CR&M sectors.

In the overall layout of Beijing’s CR&M undertakings, the Centre plays a dual role as a strategic promoter and resource coordinator, and its work directly impacts the implementation effect of the 14th Five-Year Plan Period (2021-2025) for the Development of Cultural Relics and Museum Undertakings in Beijing.

As Beijing’s construction of a National Cultural Center enters a critical phase, the Centre’s functions have become increasingly important. According to the Medium- and Long-Term Plan for Promoting the Construction of Beijing as a National Cultural Center (2019-2035), Beijing must adhere to its strategic positioning as a city with “four centers” (political, cultural, international exchange, and sci-tech innovation), vigorously inherit and promote the capital’s culture, and continuously drive the high-quality development of Beijing’s cultural industry. Against this backdrop, the Centre has become a vital bridge connecting government decision-making with CR&M practice, professional research with public communication, and international experience with local innovation. Through multi-dimensional and systematic efforts, it provides solid support for the sustainable development of Beijing’s CR&M undertakings.

Approaches

The centre faces several challenges:

  • Difficulties in Resource Integration: The Centre needs to integrate cross-departmental and cross-field CR&M resources. However, restricted by the institutional framework of public institutions, it faces great challenges in coordinating different government departments, CR&M institutions, and social forces, making it hard to form an effective collaboration mechanism.
  • Severe Shortage of Professional Talents: While undertaking the responsibility of talent cultivation for the entire sector, the Centre itself faces a shortage of interdisciplinary talents. Particularly in fields such as international exchange, digital transformation, and cultural and creative (CC) product development, there is a lack of talents who possess both professional CR&M knowledge and modern management skills.
  • Inadequate Funding Guarantee Mechanism: As a public institution, the Centre mainly relies on government financial funds, resulting in a single source of funding and a lack of a stable project-based funding guarantee mechanism.
  • Pressure from Digital Transformation: Faced with the wave of digitalization in the CR&M sector, the Centre has obvious deficiencies in technology application and digital talent reserves, making it difficult to effectively guide the entire sector in digital transformation.
 

The aim of the centre, hence, is to work and strenghten:

  • Talent Development: Build a multi-level CR&M talent cultivation system to alleviate the talent shortage in the sector.
  • Think Tank Construction: Establish a new-type CR&M think tank to enhance policy research and decision-support capabilities.
  • International Exchange: Expand the international cooperation network to elevate Beijing’s international influence in the CR&M field.
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Through a multi-dimensional and systematic approach, the centre is working on:

  • Brand Building for Projects: Create a demonstration effect through the development of brand projects such as Culture and Museums Academy, the “Youth Training Program”, and the “Beijing Museum Craftsmen Project”.
  • Regional Collaborative Development: Promote collaborative talent cultivation in the CR&M sector across Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, realizing resource sharing and complementary advantages.
  • Construction of International Platforms: Build a regular international exchange platform by organizing high-end international seminars and lecture series.

Resources

Rethinking Heritage Futures, Online Workshop “Developing International Collaborations and Creative Partnerships”, 24 June 2025, Nottingham Trent University (NTU), Communication University of China (CUC).

PDF Presentation - Bridging Cultures: International Exchange Programmes, by Guo Jiaqiang, Director of the Cooperation Department of Beijing Cultural Relics and Museums Development Centre.

Projects

1. Implementing CR&M Sector Talent Development Programs

1.1. Culture and Museums Academy Construction Project

As a key brand project developed by the Centre to cultivate professional talents in the CR&M field, Culture and Museums Academy aims to enhance the scientific and standardized level of management and decision-making in Beijing’s CR&M work through dual pathways of think tank construction and talent cultivation. The project consists of two specific components:

  • Think Tank Construction: By organizing a series of seminars and compiling/publishing research outcomes, the Academy focuses on major theoretical and practical issues in the CR&M field, and organizes experts and scholars to conduct policy research and strategic consultation. It also holds an annual think tank work conference to summarize achievements, plan research directions, and improve the think tank’s operation mechanism.
  • Talent Cultivation: Through recording professional courses in the CR&M field and developing online thematic training programs, the Academy systematically imparts CR&M knowledge and builds a comprehensive CR&M curriculum system. It designs training programs for CR&M talents at different levels and in different fields, providing professional and personalized learning resources to effectively enhance the professional quality and capabilities of CR&M talents.

1.2. "Youth Training Program"

As a brand project for cultivating young CR&M talents developed by the Centre, this program has been implemented for three consecutive years. With strong targeting, it is divided into three professional tracks-museum studies, cultural relics conservation, and archaeology-and adopts a diversified teaching model combining online and offline learning, as well as theory and practice. Its goal is to cultivate backbone young talents for Beijing’s CR&M undertakings.

1.3. Beijing Museum Craftsmen Project

As a key component of the “4-3-2-1” talent strategy in the 14th Five-Year Plan of the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, this project aims to cultivate high-skilled cultural relics restoration talents. The Centre undertakes the specific responsibility of implementing talent-related work under this project. Through organizing vocational skills competitions, conducting specialized skills training (e.g., joint cultivation of young craftsmen with Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei), and establishing high-skilled talent studios (adopting the “leader + backbone + apprentice” model), the project systematically advances the development of the talent team.

For example, the 2025 “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Young Craftsmen – High-Skilled Talent Training Program for Cultural Relics Restoration” covered 6 professional fields, including ceramics conservation, paper and calligraphy painting conservation, woodworking, and masonry. It invited renowned industry experts to teach, promoting the skill improvement of young craftsmen in the three regions and the coordinated development of regional talents. By 2025, multiple batches of high-skilled talent studios have been recognized, achieving remarkable results in the inheritance of traditional craftsmanship and talent cultivation.

2. Promoting International Cooperation in the CR&M Field

As a dedicated institution responsible for international cooperation and exchange in overseas CR&M sectors, the Centre actively carries out various forms of international cooperation projects to enhance the international influence of Beijing’s CR&M undertakings.

2.1 "Mutual Learning & International Cultural Relics and Museums Lecture"

Co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, Communication University of China, and the Research and Exchange Centre of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), this lecture series is co-organized by the Centre. It aims to highlight internationalization, professionalism, and cutting-edge perspectives, bringing together top experts in the global cultural heritage and museum fields.

For instance, the first 2025 session focused on “Digital Transformation and Future Trends of Museums”, discussing the application of new technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the CR&M field. The 2024 session conducted in-depth discussions on “How Museums Fulfill Their Social Education Functions”. Both sessions adopted a hybrid model of online and offline participation, building a direct dialogue platform for young CR&M talents, university students, and international experts.

2.2 International Seminars by the Beijing CR&M Development Think Tank

The Centre also undertakes the construction of the CR&M think tank and organizes high-end international seminars. For example, at the 2023 “High-Level International Forum on the Construction of a Museum City”, cutting-edge topics such as “When a City Becomes a Museum” were discussed. Experts from Italy, Germany, the United States, and other countries were invited to share experiences, aiming to introduce a global perspective to Beijing’s “Museum City” construction and establish a sustainable international exchange brand. At the forum, the Beijing CR&M Development Think Tank established a strategic cooperation relationship with the Research and Exchange Centre of ICOM, agreeing to collaborate in forward-looking policy research, decision consultation, and the cultivation of interdisciplinary international talents.

Challenges and Successes

Challenges

  • Resource Integration:  interdisciplinary and cross-field expert resources, involving multiple professional fields and regional collaboration, leading to high coordination difficulties.
  • Complexity of Curriculum System Construction: Design targeted courses for three professional tracks;  needs to balance the inheritance of traditional craftsmanship.
  • Regional Collaboration:  policy coordination, resource integration, and standard unification. The inheritance of traditional craftsmanship requires long-term practice and mediates conflict with modern talent cultivation models.
  • Pressure of Brand Building: As an emerging brand, it needs to highlight its characteristics among numerous international exchange activities and build sustained influence.
  • Integrating High-End Resources: Inviting top global experts to participate in activities while ensuring the professionalism and cutting-edge nature of the content.
  • Inadequate Outcome Transformation: How to effectively transform the outcomes of international seminars into specific practices for Beijing’s “Museum City” construction.

Successes

  • Successful implementation of multiple lecture series and museum visits, involving over 130 international and domestic students from leading universities.
  • Creation of a growing network of five partner institutions supporting cross-cultural exchange in heritage education.
  • Strong engagement through field experiences that fostered practical understanding of China’s material culture.
  • Positive feedback from international participants who reported a deeper appreciation for Beijing’s heritage and cultural philosophy.
  • Expanded global visibility through coordinated media coverage and integration with major cultural festivals such as the Great Wall Cultural Festival, Grand Canal Cultural Festival, and Xishen Yongding River Cultural Festival.

Discussion

As an important driving force for the development of Beijing’s CR&M undertakings, the Beijing Cultural Relics and Museums Development Centre has achieved remarkable results through clear goal positioning, systematic implementation paths, and specific project promotion, despite facing multiple challenges. Focusing on its core functions of talent development, think tank construction, and international exchange, the Centre has launched a series of innovative and effective solutions, providing strong support for Beijing’s construction as a National Cultural Centre. Looking ahead, the Centre needs to continue its efforts in the following aspects:

  • Deepening Mechanism Innovation: Break down sectoral and departmental silos to facilitate resource integration and sharing, and foster a dynamic environment for innovation.
  • Strengthening Technology Empowerment: Further enhance the application of digital and intelligent technologies, promoting the digital preservation, intelligent management, and innovative expression of CR&M resources.
  • Expanding International Influence: Actively participate in the formulation of international CR&M rules and standards, promote the international dissemination of China’s CR&M concepts and practices, and contribute Beijing’s wisdom to the development of global CR&M undertakings.
 

The work effectiveness of the Beijing Cultural Relics and Museums Development Centre directly affects the progress and quality of Beijing’s construction as a National Cultural Center. Through continuous exploration and innovation, the Centre is gradually developing a path for CR&M undertakings with distinctive capital characteristics, making positive contributions to the cultural prosperity of Beijing and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Further Resources

Websites:

https://english.beijing.gov.cn/government/departments/202006/t20200625_1932667.html