Jing Zheng

Zheng Jing serves as director of the Grand Canal Museum of China, a thematic museum that collects, exhibits, studies, and educates about canal-related cultural relics. The museum is home to more than 10,000 artefacts, including ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, tablet inscriptions, porcelains, potteries, and metalware.

As well as three main exhibitions, the museum offers a small theater for performing traditional Chinese operas, an interactive experience gallery for children aged 10 to 15, and two galleries for temporary exhibitions. These exhibitions showcase the history, culture, ecology and technology of the Grand Canal of China, the longest artificial waterway in the world.

Zheng took the helm of the museum in 2021, which started from scratch with no collection. “She led her team to build a differentiated, multi‑dimensional exhibition system from the ground up, launching permanent exhibitions such as ‘The Grand Canal – China's World Cultural Heritage’, ‘Boats on the Canal’, and ‘Born of the Canal – Impressions of Grand Canal Street Markets’,” said one person who nominated her.

“Through innovative means such as 1:1 replica sand boats and 5G immersive experiences, she brings cultural relics to life.”