China's National Cultural Heritage Administration announced a nationwide campaign on Wednesday, mandating piece-by-piece counts of collections in all state-owned museums this year to verify artefacts against records. The order responds directly to systemic mismanagement exposed at the Nanjing Museum, where a renowned Ming dynasty painting valued at US$12.3 million surfaced at a Beijing auction.
The National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) announced the nationwide campaign on Wednesday, April 1, posting a notice on its official social media account.
It requires every state-owned museum to conduct a meticulous, piece-by-piece physical count of its collections this year, verifying each artefact against official records to ensure accounts match physical objects. Local authorities should “fortify the security defence line” and “elevate the overall level of museum collection safety management”, the NCHA stated.
The move directly addresses systemic mismanagement uncovered at the Nanjing Museum, one of China’s top institutions. The scandal broke in December after the renowned Ming dynasty painting Spring in Jiangnan appeared at a Beijing auction with an estimated value of 88 million yuan (US$12.3 million), as reported by the South China Morning Post.
This audit aims to strengthen safeguards for state-owned cultural relics nationwide.
