Book Review: Gail Dexter Lord, Guang Qiang, An Laishun, Javier Jimenez (eds), Museum Development in China: Understanding the Building Boom

摘要

What has changed in the Mainland China museumscape since the introduction of the Reformand Opening Up policy when, in 1978, only 349 museums existed across the country? Accordingto the speech given by Liu Yuzhu, the director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration(NCHA), on the 2020 International Museum Day held in Hu’nan Museum, the total numberof museums in Mainland China soared to 5,535, 4,929 of which provide free admission forthe public. This adds up to one museum on average for every 250,000 people, and in someareas like Beijing, Gansu and Shaanxi, the average becomes one museum for every 120,000-130,000 people. This huge increase in museums is often reported as ‘Golden Times’, anallusion to the similar phenomena that took place in the 1930s under the Republic of China,and in the 1950s under the People’s Republic of China. The volume Museum Developmentin China: Understanding the Building Boom (中国博物馆发展, Zhongguo bowuguan fazhan),issued at the twenty-fifth conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) inKyoto, Japan in 2019, is an official evaluation of this ‘unexpected’ phenomenon through thevoices of experts in the field.