Scroll shows culture's growing appeal

VISITORS HAD WAITED UP TO THREE HOURS for a chance to view the Song Dynasty (960-1279) landscape painting titled A Vast Land, which went on display at the Palace Museum on Friday. People's Daily commented on Monday:

The pictures of men and women literally racing to be among the first to view the landscape masterpiece indicates, to some extent, people's growing awareness and appreciation of culture. The 12th century painting Along the River during Qingming Festival also attracted a great many exhibition-goers when it was displayed at the Palace Museum two years ago.

Statistics suggest that an increasing number of Chinese attend art exhibitions, be they exhibitions showcasing folk art or foreign artworks. China is now home to more than 4,000 museums which were visited by some 850 million people last year, a year-on-year increase of nearly 9 percent. This has triggered innovations such as the animated figures representing emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).