ReviewandProspectoftheResearchesonChineseUniversityMuseums

Liu Mingqian

Abstract:This paper takes university museum-related literature in CNKI database from 1956 to 2021 as the research object, analyzes the authors, institutions and keywords through a scientific metrological tool:CiteSpace. The results show that, the research topics mainly focus on four aspects: the construction, positioning, collection and educational function of university museums. But there is little cooperation between researchers and institutions, and most of the researches are independent, and the researches on core issues is weak. Also, the development trend of university museum researches are analyzed through the emergent function of keywords. At last, this paper makes the analysis and prospect to the important issues of the construction and development of domestic university museums from four aspects: cooperation mechanism, operation mechanism, smart museum and science popularization education.

Keywords:university museum, knowledge graph, bibliometric method

AResearchonPublicExperienceofUniversityMuseumsBasedonOnlineReviews

Hu Xiaowen Tan Xingye Chen Riyan Wu Baoyu

Abstract:This paper applies quantitative and qualitative content analysis methods to analyzing 134 university museums at home and abroad from five aspects: spatial distribution, visitor perception hot spots, integration of university/museum educational attributes, social functions of leisure/education, and influencing factors of emotional experience of educational learning. The result shows that the overall public evaluation of university museums at home and abroad is high. The positive affective factor in domestic university museums is the identity stimulating cultural self-confidence, while abroad ones are complete informatization, the improvement of peripheral services and perceived self-social status. The negative affective factors of Chinese university museums are inconvenience in visiting, improper management of exhibits, lack of safety management and low service standard. Meanwhile, low interpretation service quality and cost effectiveness are two main negative factors that affect the science popularization experience in abroad university museums.

Keywords:university museum, public experience, content analysis, influencing factors

Collections,DocumentsandHistoricalInterpretationinScientificInstrumentsResearch:TheCaseofTsinghuaScienceMuseum

Ma Xi

Abstract:In the past few decades, the rise of the research for history of scientific instruments is a remarkable phenomenon in the field of the history of science, largely due to the involvement of museum collections and museum practitioners in the study of the history of science. However, this trend has not been embraced in China. Since its establishment in 2018, the Tsinghua University Science Museum has attempted to explore the restoration of instruments and inventions, as well as the history of scientific instruments, in response to the attention paid to scientific instruments and scientific material culture in the field of history of science abroad since the 1980s. It also makes consistent efforts to connect the museum’s collections to the history of science, the history of Tsinghua University, even the history of modern China. This paper makes an analysis and summary of origins and results of these researches, reflects the existing works, also makes preliminary exploration and prospect of the relevant methodology of scientific instruments history research in domestic science and technology museums.

Keywords:history of science and technology, scientific instruments, Tsinghua University Science Museum

CurrentSituationandProspectofPaleontologicalSiteMuseumsinChina

Wang Xiaolin

Abstract:Paleontological Site Museum is a very important kind of natural history museum, which can truly record major life evolution events on the earth. Thus far, China has established many national geoparks focusing on paleontology, and built distinctive site museums in their important fossil sites, which has played a positive role in the protection of fossils and their sites. However, there are still some problems need to be solved,including natural weathering and effective protection of fossils. How to build a site museum that can display the glorious history of life on the earth, carry out popular science education, also effectively protect the fossil records of these major life events is a severe challenge we are facing now.

Keywords:natural relics, paleontological site museum, fossil protection, popular science education

RevisitingMuseumSocialFunctionsinthePerspectiveofMerton’sStructuralFunctionalismTheory

Liu Sha

Abstract:Robert King Merton, a structural functionalist sociologist, revised several popular hypotheses in early functional studies, namely, the hypothesis of integration of social functions, the hypothesis of universal functionalism, the hypothesis of necessity and the hypothesis of explicit functions. His researches provided important inspiration for the study of museum functions. According to his researches, each specific function is accomplished through different structural components of the social system; and it is necessary to consider the different functional influences of museums on different individuals, different subgroups and the broader social structure. The same function may be realized in various ways, and various factors related to each other in a social structure restrict the possible variation range of function substitution items and realization modes. The functional analysis of museums includes not only “positive function” and “explicit function”, but also “negative function” and “l(fā)atent function”.

Keywords:museum, Robert King Merton, structural functionalism, functional analysis

ThinkingandPracticeontheCharacteristicDesignofNaturalHistoryMuseums’ExhibitContent

Jiang Hao Hu Sheng

Abstract:The natural history museums often have some difficulties in the characteristic design of exhibit content. The scarcity of natural collections leads to the lack of the basis of the characteristic design. The lack of high-level planning talents with academic support ability, the lack of interdisciplinary talents and the huge natural knowledge system lead to the absence of depth and width of characteristic of content design. The deep-rooted traditional concept of exhibition leads to the lack of positive breakthrough in the educational function of exhibition content design. Measures to address these problems includes: analyzing collection characteristics and undertaking systematic supplementary collection, combining the regional natural geographical features, integrating interdisciplinary advantages and training the interdisciplinary talents, changing the traditional concept of exhibition, organically integrating educational functions to the exhibit content design, and etc..

Keywords:natural history museum, exhibition, content design, characteristic, countermeasure

ExplorationandPracticeofProblem-BasedCuratorialIdeas:TakingtheMarineExhibitionAsktheSeaofXiamenScienceandTechnologyMuseumasanExample

Yu Hongping Liu Jingjing

Abstract:How to change the traditionaltop-downmode and form anaudience-centeredexhibition design mechanism is a topic that many science and technology museums are confused and exploring. During the design process of theAsktheSea, Xiamen Science and Technology Museum investigated the marine problems concerned by the audiences, refined exhibition theme, extended the exhibition content, and guided the exhibition design fromaudiences’problems. It also adopts theexhibit-basedproblemlearningto design the exhibition visits and educational activities for the audience. With the help of questions, the audience can be guided to better explore knowledge and scientific thinking in the process of visiting and learning, and give full play to the popular science value of the exhibition.

Keywords:science and technology museum, exhibition design, audience-centered, problem-based learning, curatorial ideas

TheDisplayCreativityofSciencePopularizationExhibitsofScientificandTechnologicalAchievements:Taking the ExhibitionInnovationWinstheFuture:TheScientificandTechnologicalAchievementsExhibitionforCelebratingthe40thAnniversaryofChina’sReformandOpening-upas an Example

Li Bo

Abstract:This paper mainly discusses the exhibits creativity of planning scientific and technological achievements exhibition in science and technology museums. Aiming at the current situation and problems of relevant exhibitions, this paper analyses the exhibits’ purposes and their connections with the audience, combs and classifies the possible display points and means in the exhibits creativity, and explains their embodiment in the practical work by taking the exhibitionInnovationWinstheFuture:TheScienceandTechnologyAchievementsExhibitionforCelebratingthe40thAnniversaryofChina’sReformandOpening-upas an example.

Keywords:science and technology museum, exhibition of scientific and technological achievement, exhibits creativity, display point, display means

TheDesignandDisplayValueoftheFourGreatArmillarySpheresinSongDynasty

Tang Shenyu

Abstract:The armillary sphere was the most important instrument of astronomical surveying, used for observing and distinguishing astronomical phenomena in ancient China. Now we can see exhibits of armillary spheres in many science and technology museums. However, the shape and structure of armillary sphere were not consistent; many transitions had been made during the long history. The armillary sphere in the Han and Tang Dynasties had more prominent function of demonstrating the structure of the universe. After the Song Dynasty, the observing function of the armillary sphere had begun to receive attention. The Four Great Armillary Spheres had been cast during the Northern Song Dynasty; each one was different from the others in many details. The four great armillary spheres in the Northern Song Dynasty focused on the simplification of structure and the improvement of measuring accuracy, and directly promoted the invention of the abridged armillary sphere made by Guo Shoujing in the Yuan Dynasty. Nowadays, the diversified display of the armillary spheres of the Song Dynasty not only reflects the latest research results, but also reflects the new perspective of modern people on the science and technology of the Song Dynasty.

Keywords:armillary sphere, astronomical instrument, Song Dynasty

TheStriverofPaleolithicArchaeologyandNaturalHistoryMuseumsinChina:Mr.PeiWenzhong

Gao Yuan

Abstract:Mr. Pei Wenzhong is a famous geologist, paleontologist, prehistoric archaeologist and museologist in China. He had not only made great academic achievements in paleolithic archaeology, Quaternary mammalogy and biostratigraphy, but also made great contributions to the cause of modern museums in China. He had cultivated a lot of students earnestly, built a solid talent foundation for the development of China’s geology, paleontology, paleoanthropology and museology. He had left a rich, valuable and inexhaustible spiritual wealth for the future generations.

Keywords:Pei Wenzhong, natural history museum, paleolithic archaeology