Museums and art galleries have become prevalent choices for the public to learn culture, whether it be local residents or incoming visitors. Whether exhibitions should focus on displaying local works instead of those foreign ones is a controversial issue. From my perspective, the idea is reasonable.
Admittedly, presenting alien artworks provides inhabitants with chances to be exposed to different cultures, especially under the context of globalization. By visiting museums and galleries which hold exhibitions showing foreign artworks, local residents can intuitively understand and comprehend exotic cultures, thus becoming inclusive towards differences and developing international perspectives.
However, local artworks should be the principal components in museums and galleries. For one thing, the sense of belonging among citizens can be enhanced. Considering that inhabitants are encouraged to appreciate local culture through viewing collections that reflect and convey local history and customs, the cultural identity can be established. Therefore, inhabitants of the same root are more likely to take initiative to preserve and inherit the unique culture. For another, exhibiting sites filled with local artworks function as the platform for foreign tourists to perceive the charm of culture. For instance, chances are that foreign visitors can easily explore the farming civilization in ancient China when captivated by paintings describing the scene and objects representing the lifestyle on display. Hence, museums and art galleries, as an essential part of sightseeing, should take responsibility in spreading and promoting local culture.
Given the arguments above, although museums and galleries play a crucial role in strengthening cultural communication, the emphasis should be put on displaying local cultural relics.