The number of museums in China has increased by 14 times over the past four decades, according to Liu Yuzhu, head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
China currently has more than 5,000 museums in total. Some 87.97 percent of them are free to the public. Some 855 have been rated as top museums, Liu said on Friday at the opening ceremony of the 8th International Exposition of Museums and Relevant Products and Technologies in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province.
According to Liu, with the emerging of special interest museums, theme museums, eco-museums and intelligent museums, an increasing number of social forces have taken part in museum establishment.
Non-state-owned museums comprise nearly 30 percent of the country's museums.
"A sound museum system has been seen in our country with a steadily improving quality," Liu added.
"With the further promotion of cultural projects aiming at benefiting the people, museums have been integrated into society in a faster pace."
In 2017, more than 20,000 exhibitions and special education activities related to museums were held nationwide, with more than 970 million participants.
Additionally, as television programs such as National Treasureand Every Treasure Tells a Storyare gaining popularity, museums have become an important part of people's cultural life.
The exposition drew more than 60 foreign guests from 42 countries and 613 museums and enterprises. Twelve activities including cultural expositions, seminars and social events were included in the schedule.
