Record of the International Symposium for the 20th Anniversary of the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum:
Why Are Photography Museums Necessary?

Why Are Photography Museums Necessary:
A Chinese Perspective
Gu Zheng
Photographer and Professor at Fudan University, China

Why Are Photography Museums
Necessary: A Chinese Perspective

Gu Zheng
Like my fellow speakers, I have been given the topic “Why Are PhotographyMuseums Necessary?” Compared with the other four, I believe that I havemore reasons to make the case for photography museums, because technicallythere is not a single photography museum in my home country of China.
China has a long history of art collecting, but it was not until the end of theQing Dynasty (1644-1911) that modern museums, or the idea of modernmuseums, was introduced into this country. In 1905, the industrialist Zhang
Jian petitioned the Qing Court to establish an imperial museum; he founded
the Nantong Museum in the same year. As soon as the Republic of China
was established in 1912, the new government set up an office committed toestablishing a national history museum and in 1925, the Imperial Palace ofthe Qing Dynasty was renamed the Palace Museum. In 1936, the National
Art Gallery was established in Nanjing. After the establishment of the People’s
Republic of China in 1949, the National Art Museum of China was built in
1962 in Beijing. In the four decades since Mao Zedong passed away in 1976,
more and more museums have been built in China.
Counting from the Nantong Museum, the development of modern museums
has been going on for more than one hundred years. However, up till thisday, we do not have a single professional museum dedicated to the collection,
research, and display of photography. Obviously we cannot use the excuse
that there are too many artworks in China.
There are several reasons why there is not one photographic museum inChina. Firstly, in the country photography has long been considered asmerely a practical means for recording. Its creative value as an art form has
been overlooked. Secondly, war, revolution and social turbulence ruined
a great number of vintage photo works, undermining the basis on whichsuch a photography museum can be built. Thirdly, there is a serious lackof professionals who understand photography and the management ofa photography museum. Lastly, art museums in China are not naturalcollectors of photography, for no art museum in China has a photography
department. Serious efforts are often obstructed by personnel changes. For84example, the Guangdong Museum of Art — the first Chinese art museumthat took photography seriously as a visual art form — started systematicallyto add contemporary Chinese photographic works to its collection. From
2005, it held three Guangzhou International Photography Biennales. Thisencouraging momentum was lost when the director of the museum wasremoved from his position.
Despite this, we still can see some good efforts that could lead to a real
photography museum, thanks to the spread of photos via the internet and thedevelopment of Chinese contemporary photography. Allow me to give you
two examples.
The earliest prototype of a photography museum in China is the Photography
Museum of Lishui, China, in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province. Opened in2007, it covers 3,000 square meters. It houses a collection of 5,444 items
including 611 photography works, 617 vintage historical photos, and somephotography books and periodicals. At its current stage, it looks more like amuseum of antique cameras than a professional photography museum.
The latest news came in November from Lianzhou City, Guangdong
Province. At the Lianzhou International Photo Festival, it was announced
that the building of the Lianzhou International Photography Museum had
been completed. By this year’s photo festival, it will be officially opened. Codirected by a French and a Chinese curator, this museum is partnered with
the Musée Nicéphore Niépce, a professional photography museum in France.
The collecting policy of Lianzhou International Photography Museum will
focus on building its collection of Chinese contemporary photography, butthe Musée Nicéphore Niépce buys artworks from other countries in the global
art market; the goal is to form a permanent exhibition showcasing the historyof world photography. This museum is funded by the local government,
although the exact sum of the grant is currently unknown. The Chinese havefinally realized the importance of photography art museums. Better late thannever.
In Japanese, "photography" is translated as “shashin” ( 写 真 ), which literallymeans “recording the truth or fact.” In Chinese, it is translated as “sheying” (摄影)which literally means “capturing the shadow of the fact or reality.” Obviously,
these two East Asian countries have a slightly different understanding of
the nature of photography. The Chinese seem to be less confident in themedium: we appear to believe that photography captures not the fact itself,
only its shadow. We Chinese seem more pessimistic than the Japanese aboutphotography.
Such pessimism should not excuse China's lack of a photography museum.
After all, photography has been a loyal witness to the contemporary historyof China. It captures and displays in its own way the social changes we are85

going through, and the Chinese people have their own creative techniques
for taking photos. Many photos survived the wars, revolutions, and social
turbulence, coming to form material evidence and a cultural heritage withfactual, spiritual, emotional, conceptual, and artistic value. Whether it isa faithful record of history or a creative expression, a photo contains theunderstanding and interpretation by the Chinese photographer and artistof history, culture, and the fate of mankind. The absence of a photography
museum to collect, conserve, and study these photos simply reveals ourindifference towards and fear of our history. If we refuse to face history andthe visual evidence provided by photography, how can we face the future withintegrity?
What is more, a photography museum does more than conserve and sharephotography: its most important role and responsibility is to restructure thenarrative of history and redefine culture.
We are in an age where people, through the internet, are inundated withimages. Each individual probably has his own way of reorganizing the images
he gets, according to the life he experiences and the education he receives.
A photography museum, however, organizes the images with a higher
mission: it re-narrates the history of photography, reinterprets the practice ofphotography, and redefines itself as an institution. Reading history might lead
us to new aspirations and prospects for a better future, and possibilities ofnew action.
In conclusion, photography museums are what we particularly need now inChina. Speaking from the Chinese perspective, I think that I have answered
the question of “why photography museums are necessary.”(English Editing: Alex Dudok de Wit [Art Translators Collective])86