Iran, China ink deal to expand museum cooperation

The National Museum of Iran and Peking University in China signed a memorandum of understanding to expand museum cooperation.

The agreement was signed virtually with the head of the Iranian museum, Jebrael Nokandeh, and the Chinese university counselor, Jian Yuan, in attendance, IRNA reported.

The Chinese counselor considered China and Iran as the birthplaces of human civilization.

“Although there is a great geographical distance between the two countries, since ancient times, both countries have had close exchanges along the Silk Road via land and sea. And this created cultural and economic exchanges, and the prosperity of Eastern and Western civilizations.”

The National Museum of Iran has numerous collections with strong research capabilities and is highly rich in terms of Iranian civilization.

This museum is one of the international exhibition halls for research on the origins of human civilization and cultural exchanges between East and West, Yuan said.

He also reminded that Peking University is the first university established in China with the purpose of studying the Chinese civilization and to understand other civilizations of the world.

“Although we live in East and West Asia and our meeting is only virtual, the desire for understanding allows us to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors and move closer to each other so these countries’ ancient civilizations will shine,” he noted.

Nokandeh said, “The National Museum of Iran has expanded its ties with Chinese institutions and museums, and by attending two exhibitions of ‘The Splendor of Asia: An Exhibition of Asian Civilizations,’ and the ‘Longquan of the World: Longquan Celadon and Globalization,’ it has been able to take effective steps to strengthen cultural cooperation.”

He added that the National Museum of Iran enjoys a huge treasure trove of archaeological findings and a great history in holding exhibitions and conducting research.