Shanghai to open China's first press museum

SHANGHAI -- China's first press and publication museum will complete construction in 2021 in the eastern metropolis of Shanghai, local authorities said.

The museum on press and publication in China's modern history will be located in the city's Yangpu district, said Xu Jiong, head of Shanghai press and publication administration.

Tens of thousands of articles have been collected since preparation for the museum began in 2003, including newspaper, journals and books before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xu said.

Among the museum's collections are also 2,200 autographed books and 2,134 manuscripts of letters by renowned Chinese authors like Mao Dun and Ye Shengtao, according to the official.

The museum will include an archive center, a cultural relic repair center and an exhibition center for innovative cultural products.

Shanghai is a cradle of modern Chinese journalism and publishing. Between 1912 and 1949, more than 80 percent of the country's 300 publishing houses were located in Shanghai.

The city is also an important base for revolutionary publishing. The first Chinese translation of The Communist Manifesto was printed and published in Shanghai in 1920.