The Museum and Relevant Products and Technologies Exposition, which kicked off today and runs until Friday, is the first museum exposition to be held in China and probably the biggest event that has happened in recent years in the country in celebration of World Museum Day.

It is hosted by the Chinese Society of Museums, the Chinese Association of Natural Science Museums, Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Agricultural Museum of China.

The museums in attendance include comprehensive museums, as well as museums of art, nature, and science and technology.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has organized 12 museums in the region to join the expo, including historical, art, astronomical, tea, coastal defense museums and HK's film archives.

In addition to museums, more than 60 companies are attending the expo to promote their museum-related products.

The Beijing Summit of World's Museum Directors is being held during the expo. Around 150 museum directors and experts will discuss the theme of this year's World Museum Day - "The Global Concept of Heritage and New Approaches to Today's Museums," which is also the theme of the 20th convention of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) during the summit.

Jacques Perot, president of ICOM, Amareswar Galla, chairman of the ICOM regional organization for Asia and the Pacific, and representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization are to give speeches on subjects related to the theme.

Tea, folk music and dance, and astronomy shows are also being held at the agricultural museum during the expo to add an interesting bit of variety.

| China Travel Update |