STORY: Slovenian collector's Chinese museum dream fulfilled as artifacts debut
SHOOTING TIME: May 28, 2024
DATELINE: May 30, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:57
LOCATION: Ljubljana
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the exhibition
2. SOUNDBITE (English): NATALIJA POLENEC, Director of Slovene Ethnographic Museum
3. various of the exhibition

STORYLINE:

Over a century after its arrival in Slovenia, a stunning Chinese wooden model depicting a three-bay ancient gate with a saddle roof made its public debut in Ljubljana on Tuesday.
   
It is one of the 130 exhibits showcased at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum, all belonging to the collection of late Slovenian collector Ivan Skusek who brought them from China a century ago.

SOUNDBITE (English): NATALIJA POLENEC, Director of Slovene Ethnographic Museum
"It will be about 130 pieces. So (we need) not only to look into the Slovene heritage, but look to the worldwide heritage. And of course, China's culture is one of those which I think are very well researched to be very good practice for our further practices in the museum."
   
Skusek lived in Beijing between 1914 and 1920 where he met his wife. They had planned to build a private museum in traditional Chinese architectural style in Slovenia to demonstrate their collections from China.

Several Chinese experts from China's Palace Museum spent months assembling the ancient gate and decorative partition, which were in small wooden pieces when brought to Slovenia by Skusek, who died in 1947.

Unfortunately, Skusek's dream did not come true during his lifetime. He was not wealthy and many artifacts he bought in China were lost or damaged during his family's multiple moves. Some 500 Chinese artefacts were donated to the country after Skusek and his wife Marija passed away.

The Slovene Ethnographic Museum hosted the exhibition in cooperation with the Slovenian Confucius Institute, China's Palace Museum, the Science and Research Centre Koper, and several other academic research institutes.

Skusek is recognized as one of the first collectors of Chinese furniture in the West. He was interested in the daily life of the Chinese people, so his collections include postcards, fans, snuff bottles, pipes and wine bottles.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ljubljana.
(XHTV)