Products find way into museums

By Leng Yue (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-01 09:35Museums in Beijing are collecting Olympic licensed products to mark the occasion and promote Chinese culture.

A set of Beijing 2008 licensed products,Treasures of a Study,is collected by the National Museum of China.[File Photo]

For example, the latest set of Beijing 2008 official licensed products, Treasures of a Study, was collected by the National Museum of China last Tuesday.

Treasures of a Study is a set of high-quality traditional Chinese stationery, including a writing brush produced in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, an inkstick produced in Huizhou, East China's Anhui Province, Xuan paper, a Duanxi ink-slab, a jade seal and a rosewood paperweight.

Only 9,999 of these sets will be issued. The museum has kept set No 29, marking the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 29th Games.

"We hope to promote traditional Chinese culture through these Olympic licensed products," said Liu Jun, vice-director of Marketing Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

The National Museum of China collected the first sets of Beijing 2008 Olympics licensed products in October 2005, badges representing China's 56 ethnic groups and a series of badges related to Olympic sports events.

The badges of China's 56 ethnic groups were issued to mark China's 56th national day last year. A total of 20,080 sets of 56 badges will be issued. It was also the first set of Beijing 2008 licensed products to have China's minority groups as its theme.

The Olympic events badges represent all 37 disciplines of 28 sports at the 2008 Games. Altogether there will be 45 different sets, with the numbers of sets issued ranging from 15,000 to 80,000.

The special value of these licensed products is winning growing public recognition, according to museum officials, who added that the institution will monitor the development of the products and is ready to include some in their collection.

Apart from the National Museum of China, Beijing's Capital Museum is also collecting Olympic products.

Last September, the Capital Museum collected a set of Chinese surname badges to mark the 700-day countdown to the opening of the Games.

The surname badges represent China's 100 most popular surnames and are in the style of traditional Chinese characters inscribed on bronze. Only 20,000 sets will be issued.

"The surname badges skilfully combine Chinese characters with the Olympics, and have a unique cultural significance," Wang Wuyu, vice-director of the museum, said at the ceremony to receive the set.

"So far, there are over 10,000 Olympic-related relics in the Capital Museum. The collection of surname badges will further enrich this category."

So far, more than 4,000 types of Beijing 2008 licensed products are being sold in over 500 licensed stores in 20 cities across the country.