Nanjing Museum (CFP Photo)

The Department of Culture and Tourism in Jiangsu Province released a report on the development of museums in 2022 during a press conference held on May 11, as part of the celebration of the International Museum Day on May 18.

The number of museums in Jiangsu increased steadily to 349 by the end of 2022, in which there are all together 262 state-owned museums, or 75.07% of the total. The largest proportion of museums are those related to history and culture, accounting for 44.13% of the total.

An increasing number of museums are now open to the public for free. By the end of 2022, Jiangsu had 303 museums offering free admission, or 86.81% of the total.

Sheng Zhihan, secretary general of the Jiangsu Museum Association and also vice-president of Nanjing Museum, said the province's museums had a total of 1,753,737 pieces (sets) of collections by the end of 2022, including 3,793 pieces (sets) recognized as first-class cultural relics, or 0.22% of the total.