The opening ceremony of new Shandong University museum was held on the morning of October the 4th at Zhixin Building in the Central Campus. Li Jianjun, deputy secretary of CPC Committee of Shandong University, and Xie Zhixiu, director of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, unveiled the new museum plaque. Prof. Claire Smith , from Flinders University of Australia, president of the World Archaeological Association,, and Prof. Anne Underhill, from Department of Anthropology, Yale University, winner of the National Friendship Award, also attended the ceremony.

At the ceremony, Li Jianjun, representing Shandong University, extended his high regards and gratitude to the officials who have been showing support to the construction and development of the university museum, and his thanks to experts and scholars from the U.S, Britain, Australia, Japan and other universities in China who have

come to attend the ceremony.

He said in his speech that as a cultural facility on campus, a university museum should aim at serving and supporting the higher education and play a role in showing the school's history and achievement, providing quality and academic education for the students, protecting and managing the cultural heritage. He adds that university museums are not only defenders and inheritors of the traditional culture, but also motivators of adoring the science and pursuing the culture innovation. A high standard school museum is not only the symbol of the profound academic atmosphere and culture accumulation, but also an important symbol of a great university. The completion of the new university museum of Shandong University not only marks the news stage in university museum, but also is symbolic of the achievements of the university in university culture construction, culture inheritance and creativity. The museum will also play an irreplaceable role for Shandong University in its process of becoming a world-class university.

You Shaoping, Deputy Director of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, made his congratulations on the completion of the new museum on behalf of Shandong heritage authorities. He said that the establishment of the museum is a typical achievement showing the constant growth of school cultural heritage, which will be bound to boost the museum to reach a higher goal. It will not only add glamour to the culture of Shandong University, but also is one of the highlights of cultural relics and museum in Shandong Province. Prof. Anne Underhill, Prof. Song Xiangguang, Deputy Curator of Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University, and Prof. Shi Jixiang Curator of Museum of Art and Archaeology at Jilin University, extended their sincere congratulations, respectively representing foreign scholars, Committee of University Museums and domestic university museum. Officials from Hanban, Shandong Provincial Museum, Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural relics and Archaeology, Jinan Municipal Institute of Archaeology, Qingdao Municipal Museum, University of Science and Technology of China, and overseas guests Prof .Stephen Shennan, from University College London, Prof .Jiao Tianlong, from Bishop Museum in Hawaii, U.S., Mrs Susan Mikalauskis, President of Anthropology Association, Mr Li Jingze and Mr Li Jinghao, from Li Rukuan Foundation, attended the ceremony. Cultural Heritage Division of the State Cultural Relics Bureau, National Museum, Museum Association of China, Chinese Committee of University Museum, Royal Ontario Museum in Canada, Tokyo National Museum in Japan and many other units from home and abroad sent their congratulatory messages.

The ceremony was presided by Prof. Fang Hui, deputy deirector of the Department of Academic Research of Shandong University and the Curator of the university museum. Responsible officials from the Office of CPC Committee, General Administration Office, Propaganda Department, Department of Graduate Studies, International Office, Department of Planning and Financing, Equipment Department, Department of Infrastructure and Institute of International Education of Shandong University were present at the ceremony. In the afternoon, guests from home and abroad participated in the "University Museum Forum" hosted by Shandong University Museum, during which they had a discussion on the function and operation mechanism of university museums.

Shandong University Museum was first founded in 1995 and its origin could go back to the Archeological Heritage Room of the History Department of the University. It was moved from the Building for the School of Economics and Management at the Central Campus to the Comprehensive Research Building at Baotuquan Campus when the new Shandong University was founded in 2000. Under the unified plan and great support of Shandong University, the Archaeological Museum of the new museum will be first put into use before the forthcoming 110th anniversary of Shandong University. This is a great event in the history of Shandong University in the protection and study of cultural heritage. It will also create a better environment for the university museum to serve teachers, students and friends from home and abroad and to show the achievement and culture of Shandong University.

Written by: Hu Nailin, Liu Yang, Cui Liwei, Mohammed Ali Chowdhury

Photo by: Liu Tingting, Peng Xin

Edited by: Jing Zizhao

Source:www.en.sdu.edu.cn,www.view.sdu.edu.cn