On the Move Exhibit in China.
Doha, Qatar: The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) opened yesterday the ‘On the Move’ exhibition at the National Museum of China, marking the first collaboration between the two institutions and a new milestone in the exhibition’s international journey as a legacy project of Years of Culture.
Presented in South Gallery 3, the exhibition will remain open to the public until 9 September. First presented at the National Museum of Qatar in 2022 as part of the Qatar–MENASA Year of Culture, On the Move has since evolved into a travelling cultural platform, extending Qatar’s cultural dialogue with international audiences.
As NMoQ’s first travelling exhibition, it was later presented at the National Museum of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar in 2024 as its inaugural presentation outside Qatar, before arriving in China.
The opening ceremony was attended by diplomatic representatives from across the Arab world, senior officials from China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and leaders from key cultural institutions, including His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Dehaimi, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the People’s Republic of China, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani, Director of the National Museum of Qatar, and Luo Wenli, Director of the National Museum of China.
For its Beijing presentation, the exhibition features more than 150 artefacts from Qatar alongside photographs, films, oral histories and archival material, inviting visitors to discover the lives, knowledge and creativity of Qatar’s nomadic and semi-nomadic communities from the 18th century until the discovery of oil.
Director of the National Museum of Qatar Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani said: “The National Museum of Qatar is proud to bring On the Move to audiences in Beijing. The exhibition shares an important part of Qatar’s heritage, exploring the traditions, knowledge, and ways of life shaped by generations of movement across our landscape. Through this exhibition, we aim to foster greater understanding of the cultural values, resilience, and ingenuity that have defined nomadic communities in Qatar.”
Tania Al Majid, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the National Museum of Qatar, added: “One of the most rewarding aspects of curating On the Move has been the opportunity to share a more nuanced understanding of nomadic history in Qatar. Through historical objects, photographs, oral histories, and multimedia installations, the exhibition highlights the experiences, knowledge, and traditions of communities that not only adapted but thrived in a challenging environment. It is a human-centred narrative that we are proud to present to the Chinese public.”
Marking the inaugural collaboration between NMoQ and the National Museum of China, the Beijing presentation builds upon the cultural legacy established during the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture.
A key feature of the exhibition is Mapping Migration Memories, an immersive and sound installation created in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Qatar (VCUarts Qatar).
The international journey of On the Move reflects the continuing impact of Years of Culture, which creates platforms for long-term cultural dialogue, institutional collaboration and people-to-people understanding between Qatar and communities around the world.
