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China's Cultural Diplomacy Through Loan Exhibitions to British Museums

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China's Cultural Diplomacy Through Loan Exhibitions to British Museums IMAGING CHINA: CHINA’S CULTURAL DIPLOMACY THROUGH LOAN EXHIBITIONS TO BRITISH MUSEUMS Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Leicester by Da Kong School of Museum Studies University of Leicester August 2015 Abstract Imaging China: China’s cultural diplomacy through loan exhibitions to British museums Da Kong China’s worldwide cultural promotion has attracted considerable attention in the past decade. Art exhibitions sent out by the Chinese government, as an important part of such initiatives, have been ever more visible in Western museums. How and why the Chinese government uses such exhibitions, however, has rarely been explored. This study examines how such exhibitions have contributed to China’s cultural diplomacy, through shaping the image of China in the British media. It demonstrates how China’s loan exhibitions contribute to an advanced and civilised, democratic and humanist (with Chinese characteristics), innovative and creative, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, open, collaborative and peaceful image of China, and how such image is consistent with China’s cultural diplomacy in the new century. This study examines the factors which have an impact on the media interpretation of such exhibitions, namely the image of China in the media. It explores the involvement of the Chinese government and the influence of museum professionals on both sides (China and the UK) in producing and delivering these exhibitions, and the relationships between them. It demonstrates that the Chinese government plays a vital role in delivering loan exhibitions, but the role is more bureaucratic and facilitating, rather than didactic or propagandistic. The Chinese government is aware of the value of loan exhibitions for cultural diplomacy, but still allows the museums involved enough freedom in shaping the exhibitions. This study also considers the operation of China’s current system of managing loan exhibitions, and their implications for China’s cultural diplomacy and Chinese museums. It concludes that the Chinese government should reform the current system to encourage Chinese museums on all levels to actively engage in international collaboration, without intervening in their professional independence. 2 Acknowledgement The fieldwork for this research in China was largely funded by the Chinese Student Award provided by the Great Britain China Centre, and the fieldwork in the UK was partly funded by the College of Arts, Humanities and Law Postgraduate Fund provided by the University of Leicester. I greatly appreciate their kind support. This research would not be possible without the kind support of those people I interviewed or talked to, formally and informally, both in China and the UK. They were busy and enjoyed high reputation in the field but were still so generous to support my research. Some of them are listed in the thesis, and some are anonymous. But I must express my sincere thanks to all of them here. Thanks to the archive services at the British Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, Royal Academy of Arts and Victoria and Albert Museum. More special thanks to the School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester and all the academics and fellow students here. It is such a supportive and inspiring community and thanks so much for their encouragement and suggestions on my research. In particular, great gratitude to Professor Simon Knell, my supervisor, who is so insightful and illuminating, helping me to navigate museums and politics in the two countries, and who has had a great impact on my thinking and my career path and research in the future. Definitely, I owe the greatest debt of thanks to my parents and my younger brother, whom this thesis is for. Thanks to my parents for funding, encouraging and supporting me all the time, without condition. Without them, I would never have been able to live in a foreign country for years and finish my doctoral research here. I love them so much. 3 Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... 4 List of tables ............................................................................................................... 7 List of figures ............................................................................................................. 8 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................ 10 Aim and objectives ............................................................................................... 14 Research Context: soft power and cultural diplomacy ........................................ 14 Research Context: exhibitions as instruments of cultural diplomacy .................. 19 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 28 Structure of the thesis ........................................................................................... 32 Chapter 2: Cultural diplomacy in China: policy and process .................................. 39 Shaping the image of China ................................................................................. 42 Legal system for loan exhibitions ......................................................................... 52 Institutional system for loan exhibitions: Art Exhibitions China ......................... 58 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 63 Chapter 3: Cultural diplomacy in China: academic debate ..................................... 65 Cultural diplomacy vs. Cultural propaganda ...................................................... 66 Cultural soft power and ancient China ................................................................ 70 China threat theory .............................................................................................. 77 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 88 Chapter 4: China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795 and a state visit ..................... 90 Exhibitions and state visits ................................................................................... 91 Art patronage and a multi-ethnic and legitimate China ...................................... 96 East-West exchange and a multi-cultural, open, innovative and progressive China ............................................................................................................................ 103 4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 109 Chapter 5: The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army and the 2008 Beijing Olympics ................................................................................................................ 112 China-UK cultural partnership .......................................................................... 114 Beijing Olympics and China Now Festival ........................................................ 116 ‘Terracotta Diplomacy’: democracy, human rights and mass production ........ 118 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 128 Chapter 6: The Search for Immortality: Tomb Treasures of Han China and the London 2012 Olympics.......................................................................................... 132 Loan exhibitions and diplomatic relations ......................................................... 133 China’s contribution to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad ........................... 136 Chinese people and a civilised China ................................................................ 139 A multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, open and progressive China .............................. 146 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 152 Chapter 7: Twin cities and cultural diplomacy ...................................................... 155 Where to start a loan exhibition? ....................................................................... 157 Where to find funding? ....................................................................................... 164 Locality vs. Nationality ...................................................................................... 167 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 177 Chapter 8: China Design Now and Contemporary China ...................................... 178 ‘Made in China’ vs. ‘Designed in China’ .......................................................... 181 Modernity vs. Traditions .................................................................................... 185 A complex China with democratising power...................................................... 187 Exhibition propaganda? ..................................................................................... 191 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 193 Chapter 9: Conclusion...........................................................................................
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