Changsha receives crowds of culture lovers during Spring Festival

Cultural centers, including museums and libraries, in Changsha city became hot tourist attractions during the Spring Festival holiday from Feb 15 to 21.

The Hunan Museum was open from Feb 16 to 21, with the exception of Feb 15. Thanks to the new exhibition buildings opened last November and the exposure given by the CCTV program National Treasure, it was the most popular museum in the capital city of Hunan province during the holiday, drawing more than 100,000 visitors.

Changsha Museum was opened on four of the seven festival days and received approximately 19,000 visitors. Artifacts unearthed from the tomb of China's first female general, Fuhao, were exhibited to celebrate the 90th anniversary of discovery of tombs from the Shang Dynasty (1,600 BC to 1,046 BC).

A photograph exhibition featuring dogs was held to welcome the Year of the Dog, and a series of activities were put on to help children and parents gain closer associations. Commentators and volunteers provided free guide services for visitors. 

People guess riddles in Changsha Library during Spring Festival. [Photo by He Wenbing/icswb.com] 

Changsha Jiandu Museum received more than 5,800 visitors in four days. Activities were held for children to help them learn about Jiandu, or bamboo and wooden slips on which ancient people wrote Chinese characters, giving them a glimpse of traditional culture. 

A record of 11,200 holiday visitors flocked to the former residence of Jia Yi, a scholar of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD), located on the downtown area's Taiping Street. 

Changsha Library opened to the public on Feb 18 and had received some 23,200 readers by Feb 21 in response to a series of activities celebrating Spring Festival.

The lantern riddles hanging in the library's hall invited readers to guess the answers. On the second floor, an exhibition was held to introduce folk customs like "jizao" (kitchen god worshipping) and "shousui" (staying up late or all night on New Year's Eve). 

Visitors were also able to learn about the development of Changsha city on the third floor where videos and photos were displayed.

Riddle guessing will also be held on Lantern Festival which falls on March 2 at the library and its other 79 branches.