Zhao Feng, executive board member of the International Council of Museums, speaks at the M20+ International Museum Conference on Dec 3. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Leaders of 21 museums from abroad and 17 museums from all over China are gathered in Shanghai for the inaugural M20+ International Museum Conference at Shanghai Museum East from Dec 3 to 4.

Featuring the theme Evolve and Everlast, about 100 museum leaders from some of the most celebrated institutions in the world, such as the Palace Museum in China, Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK and France's Guimet French National Museum of Asian Arts, will share their experience and insight on subjects such as heritage preservation and reinterpretation, global reach and local roots, as well as technology and public engagement.

The conference also coincided with the complete opening of Shanghai Museum East, which took seven years to construct. The new wing of the Shanghai Museum on the east bank of the Huangpu River showcases more than 15,000 objects in 20 galleries and interactive spaces. It is expected to receive more than 6 million visitors annually.

Lou Wei, executive deputy director of the Palace Museum (China) speaks at the M20+ International Museum Conference on Dec 3. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

"Museums in China have made rapid progress in the past few years and achieved great improvement in many aspects including our facilities, talents and so on," Chu Xiaobo, director of Shanghai Museum, told the media on Nov 3. "We decided to invite colleagues from abroad to witness our development, and meanwhile we are aware of the big gap between us and the top-notch museums in the world, and that's the direction we are heading to in our hard work for the future."

The communications with overseas colleagues and counterparts is of vital importance, he said. "I'm sure the conference will bring up new ideas, methods and ways of work, which will lead the direction of development of museums in the future."

Today the world is faced with more complexities and challenges, such as war, cultural differences and technology, so "I think it is important that leaders (in the international museum community) have a sounding board so that we can come together to think about complicated topics and find power together to think about how we can best serve the worlds," said Jameson Kelleher, chief operating officer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States.

Participants in the M20+ International Museum Conference, which takes place at Shanghai Museum East from Dec 3 to 4. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]