Eight pieces of scientific instruments related to the research of the quantum anomalous Hall effect in the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University have been officially collected in the National Museum of China. For those who care about museums, they should be able to appreciate some new ideas from it. For a long time, when people think of museums, what appears in their minds are "the mother-in-law's great Ding Ding", "golden jade clothes", "Qingming Shanghe Tu", and even if they are touched by technology, they are also "earthquake instruments" and "ququ plows". In short, Not antiquities, cultural relics, or even treasures. However, the scientific instruments in Tibet this time seem to be far from these.
In fact, the National Museum is a microcosm of the development of a country. In contemporary society, technology is not only a sector of social development, but also the most important driving force. As a portrayer of the spiritual map of the times, museums are bound to be imperfect if science and technology exhibitions are missing. In the struggle for the realization of the "Chinese Dream", the significance of science and technology is self-evident. Today, the reason why we have never been closer to the goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is inseparable from decades of scientific and technological progress, and China must continue to vigorously develop science and technology to become strong and rejuvenated, and strive to become the world's major scientific center and Innovation Heights. Therefore, building a systematic collection that reflects the development of contemporary scientific research and industrial technology has become an important task for museums.
However, there is a saying that "the value of a museum lies not in what it owns but in what it does". The entry of scientific instruments into the Tibetan Museum was just the first step of the Long March. Because the value of scientific instruments to future generations is mainly to carry forward and convey a scientific spirit in the form of physical objects. The mission of these instruments as scientific tools may have ended as soon as these instruments entered the museum, but the mission of being a recorder of science and technology and a witness of the spirit of science is far from over, or even just begun. As precious material evidence of the development of China's scientific research, the wisdom and sweat of China's scientific and technological work are condensed behind these instruments, and they contain extremely vivid scientific research stories. Therefore, as important as organizing, keeping, researching, and displaying scientific instruments, is to tell the science and technology stories of the new era, so that people today and later generations can understand the unremitting struggle and glorious achievements of science and technology workers in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
This puts forward higher requirements and challenges for the museum's exhibition design, explanation methods, and event organization. The eight scientific instruments donated this time are different from the porcelain, ancient paintings or sculptures in the museum. Although the latter also involves specialized studies, even those who do not understand its "knowledge" can still appreciate its aesthetic value from the external form. However, scientific instruments such as "molecular beam epitaxy source furnaces" do not have the "viewability" of works of art, and are not rare or unique in themselves. Without a clear explanation, most people who visit the museum may not even be aware of their names. On the contrary, if the exhibition is accompanied by the popular science work of the Hall effect, Academician Xue Qikun and the Tsinghua University's Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect research team will make a story in the form of stories for more than 1,000 days, or In the form of video and even immersive exhibitions, people are like being in a laboratory and experiencing the meticulousness and rigorous truth of scientific researchers when they are pursuing the truth. It is entirely possible to create a "net red" exhibition full of scientific spirit. Similarly, the “Aluminum mesh glass outside the roof of the Daxing New Airport Terminal” and the “Chang'e 4th Test Team Team Flag” that were previously included in the National Museum of Tibet can only be used as a carrier for the introduction of scientific achievements, the popularization of science popularization, and the promotion of the scientific spirit. Really play its due role.
"Not in the museum, but on the way to the museum" is becoming a cultural lifestyle that people nowadays love, so adding a scientific spirit to this life will surely make life more full of positive energy.