Tangibility, Sensibility, and Efficacy: Museums’ Approaches to Forging a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.07.004

Abstract：

Museums， as quintessential public cultural spaces， possess characteristics of spatialization， scenario， and visibility. Consequently， this study has found that museums" can transform the sense of community for the Chinese nation from" a mere abstract notion into tangible experiences accessible to" the public. At the same time， their openness and frequent accessibility" can" enable museums to provide a robust platform for public outreach and education. This" could be very significant" for the work of fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation， which not only" seeks to address the whole society but also touch individual consciousness. As an important part of the public cultural service system， and" a key institution embodying a sense of knowledge authority and mainstream will，" this article also posits that" museums should strongly align" with" Chinese national plans and people’s" livelihoods， serving the national development strategy. What is more， they should actively participate in" establishing normalized mechanisms for the" publicity and education of the Chinese nation’s community consciousness，" carving out their unique expressions" in the new era.

To display and establish" a correct historical perspective of the Chinese nation， this paper has come to the conclusion that" museums should actively explore how to present and" narrate the underlying elements of territorial community， historical integration， cultural co-construction， and foundational interconnectedness through" museum discourse. This endeavor could then serve as a" “tangible” presentation of historical continuity， national unity， and cultural inclusiveness found in" Chinese civilization." Museums" can excel" at translating “intangible” things into “tangible” objects through physical" artifacts， image-text displays， videos， audios， and auxiliary props. In museums，" “tangibility” may serve as both" a strategy and action aimed at transforming abstract concepts， mindsets， or entities distant" in time and space from" people’s everyday lives into concrete， tangible" objects that can be watched， studied，" felt，" and experienced in the present. To foster the community consciousness of the Chinese nation" within society， it is regarded as necessary" to transform this communal consciousness in a tangible form， thereby enabling the public to recognize， feel， and remember it intuitively.

Generally speaking， results indicate Chinese museums possess the unique advantage of converting free and abstract expressions" of the Chinese" national" community into a specific narrative that can be seen and perceived by the public through the professional and authoritative language of the museum space." In other words， through a museum’s immersive， progressive， relaxed， and free cognitive approach， coupled with interactive experiences， sensory engagement， and exhibition-themed activities， members of all ethnic peoples can transition from mere observation to association， memory connection， touching the scene and resonating" subtly， thus forming a path of consciousness construction and" reinforcement， evolving from tangibility to sensory understanding and ultimately to effective action. In accordance with the Chinese governmental ethnic work guidelines of the new era， museums should" therefore further strengthen" their" tangible and meaningful space construction and concrete narrative capabilities， effectively constructing a shared spiritual homeland of the Chinese nation" through" museum language" and" telling the story of the Chinese nation community. In this way， museums may" truly become a" potent force in fostering the strong sense of the Chinese nation community.

Key Words：

museum; tangibly; sensibly and effectively; fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation