Is visiting museums the best way to learn about a country?

Museums are known to have cultural significance and bear wide-range knowledge. But when it comes to visiting, are museums really the best way to learn about the country? I believe not and the reasons are as follows.

First and foremost, museums may contain some of the past of a country, but they have nothing to tell about a country’s present. What are presented in museums are most commonly artifacts from ancient times that reveals the lifestyle of local people’s ancestors. As the old saying goes, don’t dwell on the past, hold on to the future. I believe the present means so much more than the past when it comes to the topic of learning about a country. In my opinion, a lively laughter heard at a town square is more precious and acknowledging than an artifact buried in dust, simply for its liveliness and close relation with present life.

What’s more, museums let tourists see the still image of society while being in the crowds enables tourists to see the whole picture. Take the traditional Peking opera for example, in museums you get access to old masks and costumes, you read about what the opera is mainly about, and you even get to see some footages of operas. But still, they are one-sided in the sense of art and only being present at an actual opera performance let you understand fully what this art is about.

Last but not least, museums focus on the positive sides of its country and being able to explore that society gives tourists a comprehensive understanding. Given the fact that `public museums are founded by local governments, they tend to express a brighter aspect of society than what it really is, in a motivation to acknowledge the good deeds the government has done. I by no means find this situation harmful, but still insist that tourists will get a more all-rounded understanding about the country outside the museums.