Newman Huo

THE new exhibition hall of Shenzhen Museum, which will open in the Citizens’ Center in Futian District on Dec. 18, is calling for donations of cultural relics from the city’s expatriates and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

At the beginning of March, the museum started soliciting donations of cultural relics in 12 categories, including documents, photos, books, videos, newspapers, magazines and household items, in preparation for the exhibition entitled “The History of Reform and Opening Up in Shenzhen.”

So far, the museum has not received any donations from expatriates or foreign-funded companies, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan companies, according to Mo Xiaopei, director of the exhibition’s relics collection office.

“We want documents and relics from foreign-funded companies related to the city’s opening up and reforms over the past three decades,” Mo said.

“Family letters or photos from individual expatriates, such as French experts working in the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant or foreign experts working in foreign oil companies based in Shekou, Nanshan District, are also welcome to contribute relics,” he said.

“We also want to see the earliest investors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan reach out to us with donations related to how the city attracted foreign investment in the early 1980s,” he said.

Since March, the museum has collected more than 900 objects and more than 1,500 photos for the December exhibition.

They include 560 stock notes and other articles donated by a Shanghai collector Zhao Shanrong. The donated articles will help record the development of the stock market in China as well as in Shenzhen.

Zeng Fanxin, 56, donated the original documents issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission approving moving soldiers to Shenzhen in the late 1970s to help with construction work.

Zhu Risheng, 36, a migrant worker from Anhui Province, donated more than 180 paysheets, which he received from a Hong Kong company he has been working for in Bao’an District over the past 15 years.

Individuals are welcome to provide important historical items and information by calling 8210-1704, 8209-7941 or 820-9141 (Chinese only). They can also download application forms for their donation from the museum’s Web site: www.shenzhenmuseum.com.cn.