Incredibly, all 13,492 boxes escaped damage and were fully accounted for, according to Yan.

"In spite of going through the war, all the artifacts survived, safe and sound," Yan says. "It can be seen as a miracle.

"The memorial hall is a key venue to enable people to remember monumental moments of our wartime history, inherit traditional culture and prolong our country's psychological strength."

In 2017, a research institute studying files concerning the southward relocation project was established in the Palace Museum.

The research was listed among key academic programs in social sciences with national-level funding in 2019.

The newly renovated architecture in Chongqing is expected to not only review the history, but also get closer to people's modern life. Perhaps, the dialogue between the new and the old can be reflected through the renovation.

The original craftsmanship and materials were upheld during the renovation of the four old warehouses. A cable-car track and the stone steps of Anderson Firm was also kept as key witness to history. However, the surrounding buildings were damaged and new steel frames and glass curtain walls were installed.

Such hybrid work made the memorial hall more interesting to visitors.

"The relics that were once relocated to the south also needed to 'go' beyond the courtyard of the Forbidden City," Xing says.

"The memorial hall in Chongqing can also be a venue to promote the awareness of protecting cultural heritage among the public."

Consequently, a so-called Forbidden City classroom was set up in the memorial hall to host relevant education programs on cultural relics from the palace. Digitized exhibitions of more relics will be held at the hall in the near future.

A bookstore, cafe and post office in the Palace Museum theme have opened to connect history to people's daily life.

"To keep the dignity of our cultural heritage, the best way is not to enclose it or store it in an attic," says Shan Jixiang, director of Chinese Society of Cultural Relics. "We'd better usher it into people's real life, and make them a way to contribute to the dynamic development of our society."

The second Saturday of June is set as national Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. Chongqing was this year's main venue hosting events, including symposiums, lectures and special exhibitions.

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