The National Museum of China is... Open?

Finally, after over a decade, one of Beijing's largest and most prominent buildings will have purpose again.

National Museum of China during National Holiday

The National Museum of China, located in the heart of Beijing (and CCP headquarters), makes up one fourth of the glorified perimeter of Tiananmen Square, with Qianmen Gate, the Great Hall of the People, and Tiananmen Gate making up the other three sides. Recently, it has been a silent testament to the confusion felt by many over the tight-lipped nature of the Chinese Communist Party. For over ten years, it has been shut down for "renovations," although very few people could tell you what those renovations were. From every Beijinger I asked, the answer was always the same, "Who knows what they're doing? Who knows if the museum will ever open?"

Now that the doors are open, it will be interesting to see who chooses to walk through them. On one hand, the glorification of Chinese history that the museum purportedly displays may be uplifting to some citizens, while to others, it may only give rise to further frustration if the museum is found following a political agenda. This New York Times article suggests it very much does:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/world/asia/04museum.html?hp

I think many foreigners will go not only because it's a classic tourist trap, but also because it's a source of political, intellectual and historical fascination. How can a country so open be so closed at the same time? How can they present a historical narrative that is so obviously false? You would think that they couldn't, but people also thought that they couldn't open up their markets and continue to maintain a Communist regime. I suppose only time will tell.