China's First Public Museum – Nantong Museum Restores Normal Operations
A beautiful scene at the South Tong Museum on the shores of the Houhe River in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, taken on April 4, 2020. After more than two months of closure, the first public museum in China, the South Tong Museum, resumed normal operations on April 4, accepting only individual visitors ().
The South Tong Museum is located on the shores of the Houhe River in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, which was awarded the 'People's Habitat Environment Example Award.' It was founded in 1905 by Zhang Lota, a pioneer of China's early modern civilization and a Qing Dynasty scholar, and was later designated as a scholar. The South Tong Museum has over 50,000 pieces of collection, divided into historical artifacts, folk customs and natural specimens, with historical artifacts reflecting local history being the most distinctive. In 1988, the South Tong Museum was designated as a 'National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit' by the State Council.