Questioning Chinese Museum Goers

When I travel, I am an undeniable sucker for culture. On the road, you are very unlikely to catch me lazing around- I’ve got to go and see shit, or my mind simply won’t let it go. Of course, the go-to for any culture nerd is a good, old fashioned museum. So, when travelling China, I had a burning desire to learn as much as I could about this crazy country with its fascinating and extensive history. There is no way to better get on that than geeking out on some old ass objects.

Ok, so I geeked out hard. Ink paintings, embroidery, porcelain, mausoleum carvings, that shit gives me a serious lady boner. Every time I enter a museum, I depart as a new woman after whiling away the hours, bathing in its fountain of knowledge.

China does not disappoint in regards to the quality and quantity of its prized historical objects- surprising considering the scale of destruction that the Cultural Revolution caused to the country’s objects of heritage. What does disappoint, upon first glance, is the behavior of some Chinese museum goers in these spaces and how they respond to the museum’s display of objects.

Qing Porcelain, Sichuan Museum

Here comes my rant about my pet peeves regarding how many people act in museums in China. Let me just take this moment to emphasize that this judgement was an initial reaction, as the majority of my experiences in museums has followed museum etiquette. I have since come to understand that it is, sadly, an annoying product of both Chinese and museum culture. I was simply shocked that such spaces resulted in this specific set of, seemingly, unusual behavior, and regardless of race, that shit just grinded my gears.

Contemporary porcelain sculpture, Sichuan Museum

For example, the simple act of standing and observing objects and maybe having a cheeky read of their descriptions is uncommon. Instead, locals walk up to the object, snap a photo whilst occasionally elbowing observes out of the way, in order to get a perfect shot. In art galleries, art often goes unappreciated as in its own, but becomes a fun backdrop for a photoshoot. With no time to examine the object, and absolutely no time to read its description, some visitors move on, with seemingly little appreciation for what they are seeing.  Of course, as you can see in this post, I am also guilty of taking photos of objects in museums. But I read, examine, and pap if the object inspires me, they simply pap pap pap, move onto the next object, pap pap pap.

Then comes my biggest pet peeve, the ultimate absorbers of space- the tour group. Their leader bears a flag raised high on a stick, as to ensure that their followers don’t stray. These followers consist of an oversized squad of tourists, often wearing cool matching hats whilst wielding selfie sticks. They swarm around object after object, forming an impenetrable wall around whatever they are viewing. The most precious and beautiful objects are their most popular haunt- great for them, but lil’ old me, the average museum goer, can’t see shit. I would often have a nice leisurely read, to glimpse, out of the corner of my eye, a herd heading my way, having to make a dash for it for the sake of my own inner peace.

Teracotta Warriors, Xi’an

The thing is, many Chinese locals do a tonne of other seemingly weird things, even out of the museum. My personal favourite is the male go-to outfit for a hot day; the Beijing bikini (a t-shirt folded up to expose the gut- very sexy). Then there’s the hacking and spitting and the lack of ability to queue, which will always mortify me as a Brit. Many also seem to love taking photos of foreigners, which can often be obtrusive and irritating- I guess now I know how Beyonce feels.

It was easy to let this shit piss me off initially as it doesn’t exactly align itself with the British manners that I am used to. But, I think, out of respect as a visitor, we’ve got to tolerate it, and even join in if the situation asks it of us- if a someone pushes you on the train I’d say, push back. Rather than going on a fury induced rave, lets try and figure this out.

Firstly, museum practice; how we decide where to start in displaying these objects. We’ve got to remember that the concept of museums originated in Europe, designed to display the objects plundered during colonial endeavors. Side note- if you haven’t seen Black Panther, watch it now, and enjoy the beautiful Michael B. Jordan get sassy over the British Museum’s African collection, within which had objects looted from the fictional Wakanda. It perfectly exemplifies the issues with western museum practice.

So, what happens when the colonized have possession of their own badass objects and want to get on the museum train? How to they curate the objects for the gaze of the colonized, breaking free from the methods of the colonizer? Its definitely not a set of straightforward answers.

First I  wonder whom museums in China should aim to cater for- its western visitors or its citizens, with their contrasting spacial behaviors. As a westerner, I personally found this behavior frustrating, particularly when I got to see a little boy popping a squat right by the Terracotta Army or wading through an ocean of smart phones to see an ancient porcelain vase. But why should museums cater for my habits and behavior? I am merely passing through after all. And by whose standards do we have the right to judge people?

Sichuan Museum

I am sad that the current way in China dismisses the behavior of its people, and fails to find an individual identity. Critical thinking really isn’t a thing for them either. China needs its own identity in museum practice, and embrace the excessive need to touch objects, photo snapping and shouting that is happening within its museums. The unfortunate thing is, such an outcome will take decades to achieve, even if those working in heritage discovered their ability to criticize overnight, and realise their autonomy in their individuality. And, of course, the government opens that freedom to them.

For now, sadly all that I can do is rant. I still think that Chinese tour groups should be abolished forever and ever, and I’ll still be agitated if I don’t get my own personal space in exhibitions, but I don’t take it personally. If anything, I regret my initial judgement, with little regard for culture or history. The museums and their objects belong to China, and the agency is theirs. Hopefully, with time, they will find their own creative independence.

We forget how close China is to its era of controlled thought, and how they are still culturally trying to find their feet in a political climate that still restricts total freedom of expression. I guess that I’ll try and give them a break, and appreciate what I am lucky enough to see.