Music as a bridge, the 2024 China-Russia Year of Culture bears fruit in Dalian. 

On April 8, at the invitation of Dalian Century Gramophone · World Music Culture Museum, Mikhail Brezgalov, Director General of the Russian State Museum of Music, and his delegation arrived in Dalian for a five-day international cooperation exchange. On the 11th, the two museums jointly launched the "Tchaikovsky Star" themed photo exhibition at Dalian World Music Culture Museum. They successfully held the Sino-Russian National Music Museum International Cooperation Exchange Conference.

The musical works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are regarded as pinnacles of Russian cultural and artistic achievement and are deeply cherished by the Chinese people. Jointly curated and produced by the Russian State Museum of Music and the State Museum-House of P.I. Tchaikovsky (Kalin), this exhibition was introduced by the Dalian Century Voice Museum of World Music Culture. It marks the first time these precious records of the Russian musical master have been presented to Chinese audiences.

At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Zhang Jingxuan, Director of the Dalian Century Gramophone · World Music Culture Museum; Mikhail Brezgalov, Director General of the Russian State Museum of Musical Instruments; Jin Yongcai, Deputy Inspector of the Liaoning Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; and Wang Wenyong, Deputy Director of the Dalian Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. Directors of both museums exchanged traditional musical instruments from their respective countries as gifts. The exhibition will run until the end of 2024.

Guests and industry experts from the Municipal People's Congress Ethnic Affairs, Overseas Chinese Affairs, and Foreign Affairs Committee; the Zhongshan District Committee Propaganda Department; the China Museum Association's Musical Instruments Committee; Hubei Provincial Museum; Dalian Museum; and Dalian University's School of Music attended the launch ceremony and participated in the "Sino-Russian National Music Museums International Cooperation Exchange Meeting."

The Russian State Museum of Music is directly affiliated with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Dalian Century Gramophone · World Music Culture Museum is a nationally recognized non-state museum. Director Mikhail Brezgalov praised the Dalian World Music Culture Museum as the most representative and authoritative music-themed museum following the Russian State Museum of Music and the Vienna Museum of Music in Austria. He noted that the rarity of its artifacts, the comprehensiveness of its collections, and the innovation in its curation and cultural creativity are all at the forefront internationally, forming a crucial foundation for the collaboration. Director Zhang Jingxuan stated that, remaining true to the founding mission of "reviving China through culture and conveying the Chinese dream through sound," the museum will continue to strive to become a cultural bridge between nations and cities. He expressed hope that the museum will serve as a gateway to new lifestyles for contemporary people.

This exchange event in Shenyang serves as a reciprocal visit to the Russian State Museum of Music. On October 16, 2023, Zhang Jingxuan, Director of the World Music Culture Museum, accompanied a Liaoning economic and trade delegation to Russia. During that visit, he successfully signed the International Museum Cooperation Agreement and the International Museum-Academy Cooperation Agreement with the Russian State Museum of Music and the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Over the past six months, international cooperation between Chinese and Russian music museums has continued to advance.