Despite light drizzle on the morning of March 3, pupils in a school in Taicang eagerly welcomed a special exhibition jointly hosted by the Celebrity House and Taicang Industry Investment Development Company. The exhibition was designed to introduce the life stories of Taicang’s 115 famous citizens and teach students about the historical figures. A commentator from the Celebrity House explained old pictures and answered questions.

The Taicang Celebrity House has successfully organized many activities over the past three months after its opening. At first, relevant workers only performed regular reception and interpretation work. But things did not work well over time. Therefore, the house adopted a co-construction model, organizing perennial activities on ordinary days and hosting periodic activities during the holidays. It also hosted a riddle contest during Lantern Festival in cooperation with Suzhou Kaida (a landscape construction company). Two-hundred riddles during the guessing game were related to Taicang’s famous figures. The co-construction model helped enhance cooperation with other companies, promoting adequate funding to cover the costs of activities and, most importantly, enabling direct participation and interaction of more units and citizens.

This year, 115 panels of celebrities created by the Celebrity House will be displayed in enterprises, communities, troops and the Association for the Handicapped. Commentators will provide visiting interpretation service. Apart from carrying forward the heroic deeds and noble virtues of these historic figures, the house plans to host a series of activities to attract students and citizens, including the shows Inside the Forbidden City and Loudong Celebrities in My Heart as well as a writing competition. In addition, an alliance of celebrity houses in Suzhou has been formed, enhancing interaction and resource sharing and bringing historical figures back to life.