Liu Chaoying, vice chairman of the Chinese Museums Association: Museums should avoid the abuse of scientific and technological means

This year, 18 May marks the 48th International Museum Day, with the theme "Museums Committed to Education and Research". In the view of Liu Chaoying, vice chairman of the Chinese Museums Association and chairman of the Beijing Museum Society, this means the return of the essential function and value of museums.

In 2020, Beijing officially proposed the construction of the "City of Museums", and after several years of layout and efforts, the construction of the "City of Museums" has begun to show results. "The release of the plan itself is a great achievement, followed by the cultivation of similar museums, which will open a broad road for the development of Beijing museums in the future." Liu Chaoying said.

Talking about the ideal museum, she said that museums should not be "one of a thousand museums", but should have their own characteristics; It is necessary to give people enlightenment and enjoyment of beauty, rather than blindly educating and disseminating knowledge; "A good museum should always be at the forefront of culture and lead the public." ”

Liu Chaoying, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Museums Association and Chairman of the Beijing Museum Society. Photo courtesy of the interviewee

The scientific research capacity of museums is generally weak

Beijing News: The theme of this year's International Museum Day is "Museums Committed to Education and Research", how should we understand this theme?

Liu Chaoying: The museum originally originated from people's sense of collecting, and with the progress of society, the museum in the modern sense is actually a public cultural and educational institution. In the mainland, museums are included in public cultural service institutions, and internationally, museums are also public welfare educational institutions, so museums and education have always been inseparable.

Museum education has always been an important part of the larger education system. School education is a kind of targeted education, with a specific age and range of audiences, and museums provide public education services for the whole society. In this relaxed and pleasant environment, everyone can draw nutrients from different angles, and it is a non-restrictive, non-compulsory education, not for the purpose of taking exams, you can accept some things, you can also accept some things.

In addition to education, the theme of this year's International Museum Day also emphasizes research. The museum does not mean that I have cultural relics and put them out for everyone to see, but that the collection should be studied, and the same types of cultural relics, museums, etc. should be studied. The museum holds an exhibition, not a simple display of cultural relics, but a comprehensive display of research results, to tell the audience the historical facts, tell the story of the past, these cultural relics and knowledge is not disorganized, but logical, which requires the research, planning, and organization behind it.

In fact, there is still a certain gap between our requirements for museum scientific research and the public's expectations for it, and the scientific research capacity of museums is generally weak. The fact that this is the theme of International Museum Day is a testament to the fact that this is a common issue, and that there is a worldwide awareness that research needs to be further strengthened in order to provide better educational services.

Beijing News: From a national perspective, what are the unique resources of the Beijing Museum? What do you think of the significance of holding Museum Month in Beijing?

Liu Chaoying: In terms of the number of registered museums, Beijing does not have the largest number of museums in the country, but it has the most complete categories. As a national cultural center and a famous historical and cultural city, Beijing has always adhered to the concept of running high-quality museums and high-quality exhibitions.

Beijing's holding of Museum Month is the first of its kind in the country. Whether it is the planning of the event or the continuous publicity, it can have a good promotion of the influence and popularity of the museum. I think this also requires museums to think about how to use this month to provide more and better services to everyone.

Museums should be based on "things", and scientific and technological means are the finishing touch

Beijing News: In recent years, in addition to public museums, some small private museums have also attracted everyone's love and attention, and Beijing has also introduced management measures for similar museums. How do you view the role of private museums and quasi-museums?

Liu Chaoying: Private museums and quasi-museums are an indispensable part of the museum system, without which the system of Beijing museums would be incomplete. In private museums, many collections are the personal collections of the curators, which are relatively more topical, focusing on one or several types of collections, which can make up for the lack of collections in state-owned museums.

For example, as one of the first private museums to be established in Beijing, the Guanfu Museum founded by Ma Weidu is very popular. In 2008, he held an exhibition on boxware, with a small theme but a complete collection, which is rare in many large-scale comprehensive museum exhibitions. There is also the Museum of Ancient Pottery Civilization, which has a lot of Qin bricks and Han tiles, and has a very strong and distinctive personality. There is also the He Yang Wu Qian Modern Painting Museum, which is the first private modern painting museum in China, filling the gap in the history of Chinese art and cultural relics. The two organizers are both painters from the Beijing Fine Art Academy, and when the exhibition is held, the audience can communicate directly with the painters, which is very different from the docents and curators, which is very interesting.

Quasi-museums originally came from the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Reform and Development of Museums" jointly issued by nine ministries and commissions, and Beijing issued relevant management measures to guide the "quasi-museum" institutions that have some museum functions but have not yet met the registration and filing conditions to gradually improve their level. The difference is that private museums have been recorded, and similar museums have not yet met the relevant requirements.

In short, the biggest feature of the museum lies in the word "Bo", each museum has its own unique value, regardless of size, in order to form a complete museum system.

Beijing News: In recent years, what new characteristics have been presented by museums in terms of exhibition methods and cultural creativity? What are the key directions for the development of museums in the future?

Liu Chaoying: On the surface, there will be more use of scientific and technological means, and there will be more forms of joint exhibitions with multiple museums. But personally, I think there is a tendency to misuse technology. Museums need to be based on "things", including the display and interpretation of "things". But many museums have actually replaced this display and interpretation with technology. A 50-square-meter exhibition hall may have an electronic device every two or three meters, which may be a touch screen, VR, projection, a bit of a waste of time. Technological means can be used, it can be the finishing touch, and if it is used too much, it is actually no longer a museum.

The physical thing is different from the virtual one, you can see all the angles and details, feel its temperature, and be able to create the feeling of dialogue with the ancients. I think that in the future, museums will return to their essence and collect collections and conduct research in a down-to-earth manner. I was very excited to see the theme of this Museum Day, and it seems that my colleagues around the world are realizing that we may be doing "too much" and that we really need to sink down and do more of the museum's own business.

My ideal museum should not be "one of a thousand museums", but should have its own characteristics. Moreover, museums must give people enlightenment and enjoyment of beauty, rather than blindly educating and disseminating knowledge. Museums should not blindly cater to the market and audiences, and good museums should always stand at the forefront of culture and lead the public.

Beijing News reporter Zhan Sheng

Edited by Bai Shuang and proofread by Wu Xingfa