The West China Union University Museum of Art, Archaeology and Ethnology: a global museum on China’s borderlands in the early 20th century

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Description/Abstract

This paper examines the role played by the West China Union University Museum of Art, Archaeology and Ethnology in shaping notions of provincial and global modernity in Sichuan province. Despite its seemingly isolated location this paper argues that the West China Museum was in fact at the forefront of global efforts surrounding the development of museums which sought to advance research and education for citizens of both China and the world. Not only did its unique geographical location on the Chinese borderlands warrant such a position allowing for a multi-ethnic encounter in the provincial narratives it presented to the world. The museum’s Christian missionary background along with the important role played by its curators, David Crocket Graham and Zheng Dekun, was also crucial for the development of a series of important transnational networks that strengthened the museum’s mission and scope throughout this period.