Xu Zecheng

Biography

Zecheng works for the Cultural Exchange Office of the Shanghai Museum, a department focusing on fostering international engagement. As a trilingual translator and interpreter, he provides language assistance and conducts guided tours in English and Russian. Zecheng also writes and edits English-language newsletters, yearbooks and other promotional materials.

Zecheng is one of the core members of the social media team, developing strategies and creating content for the Museum’s channels on international social media platforms. The team works alongside curators and other museum departments to develop genuinely engaging tailored content for international audiences to bridge cultural differences.

Additionally, Zecheng’s responsibilities encompass the coordination of outbound exhibitions, delegations, and international partnerships and programmes. He contributed to the gallery interpretation, text translation, and visual identity development for Shanghai Museum East. In 2024, he took the lead in the thematic planning, content development, and visual direction for the M20+ International Museum Conference – an original dialogue platform initiated by the Shanghai Museum to connect the global museum community. The two day event brought together representatives from 20 international and 18 Chinese museums to exchange insights on the challenges facing museums in a rapidly changing world.

During the ITP, Zecheng looked forward to learning about museum communications, including social media management, exhibition interpretation, and international partnership development, particularly as in his current work his team are in the process of establishing a long-term international seminar programme. He was also excited for opportunity to network with international museum professionals to exchange knowledge and ideas and establish connections.

At the British Museum

During his time at the British Museum, Zecheng was based in the Department of Asia and his UK partner placement was spent at Norfolk Museum Service.

Zecheng’s participation on the International Training Programme was generously supported by the Sino-British Fellowship Trust.