Museum and Change: Regional Museums in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

Chinese museums have experienced dramatic changes during the time of thePeople’s Republic of China (1949 - present) at the same time as the country itself hasundergone dramatic changes. This thesis explores the correlation between museumand political and policy changes in the Peoples Republic of China with selectedregional museums as the research object. The objective is to study what changes havetaken place in selected Chinese regional museums and understand what roles politicaland policy changes in the country have had on the process.Six regional museums from four regions are examined. Major focus is on thebroad changes within the museums at the same time as close examination on thespecific museum representations has been carried out. Pertinent issues includediversity and unity, regional identity and national identity, representation of identity,regional development policy and cultural tourism. The research revealed that policyhas a strong influence on all the museums studied but there are also differencesbetween regions. Museums are not only the targets but also the instruments of policyand government.