International journalists visit National Museum during 19th CPC National Congress

On Oct. 21, a group of nearly 100 international journalists from around 70 media organizations in China and abroad visited the National Museum of China to take a glimpse of China’s history since ancient times for a better understanding of the nation. The journalists were in Beijing to cover the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

“This week is critical to China,” said Spanish journalist Guillermo Benavides from CGTN. “But if you really want to know what happened in China this week, you have to understand the history of this country in the first place.”

The critical week was the start of China’s 19th National Congress of the CPC, where new members for the CPC Central Committee and the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection are to be elected.

During the museum tour, the journalists visited the Ancient China exhibition, the Road of Rejuvenation exhibition, and the exhibitions of the Civilization of Qin and Han Dynasties. The tour route took the visitors from China in the feudal era to the country in the 21st century as a powerful economy in the world.

“President Xi even took the government officials to the exhibition of the Road of Rejuvenation after he took office in 2012, and there he elaborated on the Chinese dream of rejuvenation,” Chen Chengjun, vice curator of the National Museum of China, told the international journalists and visitors as he welcomed them and explained the significance of this tour.

The three areas compose the most important exhibitions of the National Museum of China. The Ancient China exhibition presents the splendid civilization of China of different dynasties since the Stone Age; the Road of Rejuvenation exhibition displays the arduous explorations and efforts of Chinese people to revitalize the nation since the Opium War, and the one themed on the Civilization of Qin and Han Dynasties showcases the cultural strength of the Chinese nation during those periods, Chen said.

Hoda Abdo, clad in a red jacket, stood out from the group of journalists and visitors. She graduated from the Beijing Language and Culture University last year and adopted the Chinese name Xin Yue. Now she hosts a program at China Arab TV and works to introduce China to 500 million audiences in 22 Arabian countries.

Stunned by the profound Chinese culture even though she has been in China for seven years by now, Abdo said she still had to refresh her knowledge about Chinese history and culture now and then.

“I get to know more Chinese history and culture through the informative exhibition,” Abdo said in fluent Chinese.“It is not easy for the nation to have gone through all those hardships, and I feel very happy to have witnessed the progress of China along the way to become a powerful country today.”