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Angry neighbors close museum

2014-10-21 09:09 Shanghai Daily Web Editor: Qian Ruisha
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A sign outside the museum reads: “This is a private residence, do not enter.”— Sun Zhan

A sign outside the museum reads: "This is a private residence, do not enter."— Sun Zhan

A museum in the former home of influential 20th century artist Feng Zikai has had to close after angry neighbors refused to let visitors in.

Complaints about noise and disturbance had led to confrontations with residents in the villa on Shaanxi Road and access being blocked, said the museum owners.

"These residents were pursuing their own agendas and were extremely rude to people trying to visit," said Song Xuejun, Feng's grandson.

Outside the villa yesterday was a sign stating, "This is a private residence, do not enter."

Song said they decided to temporarily close the museum to avoid clashes with neighbors.

The three-story villa, known as the "Sun and Moon Mansion," was the main residence of Feng from 1954 through to his death in 1975, at the age of 76.

Born in neighboring Zhejiang Province, Feng was a painter, illustrator and pioneer of manhua comic books, as well as a writer, art and music educator, translator and chairman of China Artists Association Shanghai.

In 2010, Huangpu District government and groups researching Feng's work put up the money for his family to purchase the rights to use the artist's former residence as a private museum open free to the public.

Feng's family restored the five rooms covering 65 square meters to their former state and exhibited original books and artworks by Feng.

Open Wednesday through Sunday, the museum had attracted 54,000 visitors since opening.

However, neighbors on the ground floor complained of disturbance and demanded compensation or relocation, said the neighborhood committee director surnamed Wang.

But as the museum didn't charge admission and was supported by subsidies, this was impossible, Wang said.

Wang said the committee and the district cultural authority met with the three households involved, but could not reach an agreement with them.

A ground floor resident told Shanghai Daily yesterday that the museum had made residents' lives a misery.

"The impact of the museum was huge. I could hear nothing but the footsteps of visitors on the upper floors," he said.

"Relocate me, or give me money to rent another house," he added.

Huangpu District government told Shanghai Daily that as the museum was privately operated by Feng's family, it could not intervene.

But local political advisor Feng Maolun said the government should do more than merely offer subsidies to the owners of private museums.

Feng suggested that the city government move some exhibits to public museums if the dispute is not resolved.

"Many former homes of famous people converted into museums are in residential communities, which can lead to clashes with neighbors," said Ning Yuemin, director of the China Modern City Research Center with the East China Normal University.

In 2009, an award aimed at promoting original, quality Chinese children's books was named after Feng.

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