Nantong Museum～The Time Capsule of Zhang Jian by the Haohe River

In Nantong, there is a place gently caressed by the years—Nantong Museum. It is like a thick history book, quietly telling the stories of the past, and like a delicate scroll, slowly unfolding the context of history and culture. Stepping into the museum is like entering another time and space. It consists of the historical and cultural area, the Haonan Villa area, and the new museum area, each with its own unique charm. In the historical and cultural area, the South, Central, and North Pavilions stand quietly, witnesses of the years. They constitute the main exhibition halls of the museum's cultural relics and specimens, carrying Nantong's past. The South Pavilion was built in 1906 and is a two-story British-style building with battlements on the edge of the roof. The red roof complements the pavilion-style balcony. It initially displayed four departments: natural products, history, art, and education. Now, it displays the historical traces of the museum. The Central Pavilion was completed in the same year, originally called the Meteorological Observatory. It is a Chinese-style bungalow with a two-story spire building on top. It was once used to observe the climate and verify the relationship between Nantong's agriculture and climate. Now, it often hosts exhibitions of inscriptions, etc. The North Pavilion was completed in 1911, with a unique blend of Chinese and Western styles. It was originally built to display long scrolls and later displayed unearthed whale skeletons and various fossils. The Haonan Villa area is Zhang Jian's private residence, built in 1915. The British architectural style exudes an elegant atmosphere. Here, you can see Zhang Jian's life trajectory and feel his love and pursuit of life. The new museum was built in 2005 and designed by Professor Wu Liangyong. The exhibition area is spacious, perfectly integrating Nantong's unique regional culture with modern aesthetics. The basic display shows Nantong's natural and historical features. When you come to Nantong Museum, exploring the origin between Zhang Jian and it is an essential journey. In 1905, after Zhang Jian inspected industry and education in Japan, he was deeply inspired. Relying on his personal strength, he transformed the public botanical garden of the Tongzhou Normal School under construction into the "Museum." Since then, the first public museum independently founded by the Chinese was born. Zhang Jian served as the general manager of the museum, and he devoted a lot of effort to the construction of the museum. From the design of the venues and the collection of collections to the creation of the garden landscape, his wisdom and expectations are condensed. He hoped that the museum would not only be a collection of cultural relics, but also a place for people to learn knowledge and broaden their horizons. "Set up as a school to teach, and learn the names of birds, animals, plants, and trees" was his purpose for running the museum. Thanks to his efforts, the museum gradually developed, its collections continued to enrich, and its functions became increasingly perfect. The journey to Nantong Museum is also full of expectations. Take bus No. 5, 8, 12, or 51 in the city and get off at the Nantong Museum Station to easily reach it. If you depart from Nantong Xingdong Airport, you can take the airport bus city line to Xiaoshiqiao Station and transfer to bus No. 5; or take bus No. 622 to Youyi Bus Parking Lot Station and then transfer to No. 5 to reach; From Nantong Railway Station, you can take bus No. 32 to Yiyuan Beicun Station and transfer to No. 51; You can also take No. 41 to Tongning Bridge South Station and transfer to No. 51 to reach. Walking into the museum, it seems that you can see Zhang Jian's busy figure. He shuttles between the pavilions, worrying about the placement of each collection and thinking about the design of each landscape. His spirit, like the towering ancient trees in the museum, is deeply rooted in this land, affecting the development of Nantong. The museum he founded not only left a valuable cultural wealth for Nantong, but also opened a new chapter in Nantong's cultural development, inspiring generations of Nantong people to continue to move forward, to inherit, and to innovate. Here, history is no longer the boring words in books, but becomes vivid and moving, allowing people to immerse themselves in it and feel the temperature of the years and the power of culture.