Louis Vuitton Exhibition at the Nathional Museum of China

A Chinese celebrity is looking at the trunk of Louis Vuitton at the opening ceromory.

The best known luxury brand Louis Vuitton is holding an exclusive exhibition that will last for three months at the National Museum of China in Beijing. The 200 items on display, which range from the famous trunks to the fashionable leather bags, show the brand's spirit of art and innovation, and its long history back from 1854.

However, to the Chinese, there is not only curiousity but also confusion floating in the exhibition hall. As a serious national museum, is it too commercial to have such a huge space displaying luxury goods? On the internet, some people says they can't wait to see it, but some says the museum is losing its honor as a national historical and academical organization. People from outside and inside the fashion industry also give their point of view.

The National Museum of China, a Soviet architecture located to the east of Tianmen Square, the political symbol of China

Bedi, the chief editor of FashionTrendDigest.com, the leading consulting fashion website in China, thought that the reason for luxury brands holding exhibitions at historical places was that they do have a history that they are eager to show. 'The consumers need to be taught with the sophisticated part of the brands, instead of the glory of money.' The famous fashion blogger 'Dancing Catwalk' also said that people were too sensitive to the word 'luxury'. 'Many important museums in Europe also hold some retrospective exhibitions for luxury brands. As long as it shows the creativity and bright side of human history, there's nothing to do with who's staining whose hornor.'

Lvsheng Chen, the vice manager of the National Museum of China said he could totally understand how people felt about holding an exhibition for a brand, since it was the second time for a national museum to do so. "The selection process was more strict than any exhibition we've held before. Our standard was to reach a balance between art and historical meaning. Louis Vuitton has a history of 150 years, and it also has a lot of fans in China. We hope the exhibition could inspire the creative industry of China." In 2009, Cartier had shown its classic jewelry and the stories behind them in the Palace Museum. The exhibition, which combined Cartier's delicate treasures with the stories of celebrities in history attracted millions of people to come and gained a big success.

Besides Chen's explaination, the leading Chinese newspaper <Economic Observer News> says the problem is not about the museum but the brand. The logo and stores of Louis Vuitton are spreading in a very sharp and rather high-key way in China. In 2010, it opened two flagship stores in Shanghai within one day, followed by a 5-month exhibition. Then in 2011, they have another exhibition in the top museum of art and history in China. It is like the brand is fiercely invading the Chinese market instead of exloring it.

The reports that consulting companies have shown in the past few years tell that Louis Vuitton has become the best accepted luxury brand in China. However, on the contrary, those 'fans', who overly worship the brand and the material life, have made Louis Vuitton a symbol of  upstarts. Consumers can build a brand but they can also destroy their images as well, especially in China. Here, people used to hate being rich have just become rich. They worship fortune and success but don't know how to deal with them in the right way. At this point, an exhibition displaying commercial goods with a cultural background may be educational.

by Yoanna Liu