Renmin University of China Museum

Renmin University of China Museum

Renmin University of China (RUC) is a comprehensive research-oriented national key university primarily focused on the humanities and social sciences. It is directly under the Ministry of Education and jointly administered by the Ministry and the Beijing Municipal Government. The university’s predecessors were the Shaanbei Public School, founded in 1937 during the War of Resistance against Japan, as well as the later North China United University and North China University. On December 16, 1949, the 11th State Council Meeting of the Central People’s Government, based on a proposal from the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, passed the “Decision on Establishing Renmin University of China.” On October 3, 1950, Renmin University of China, formed by merging institutions based on North China University, held a grand opening ceremony, becoming the first new type of regular university established by New China. Noted educators Wu Yuzhang, Cheng Fangwu, Yuan Baohua, Huang Da, and Li Wenhai successively served as presidents. The current president is Professor Ji Baocheng, and the Party Committee Secretary is Professor Cheng Tianquan.

As a renowned research-oriented university primarily focused on the humanities and social sciences, Renmin University of China has strong comprehensive capabilities and a rich intellectual and cultural foundation in these fields, earning the reputation as “a flagship in the field of higher education for the humanities and social sciences in New China.” According to the latest round of national discipline evaluations released by the Ministry of Education’s Degree Evaluation Center in 2009, RUC ranked first nationally in seven first-level disciplines: Marxist Theory, Theoretical Economics, Applied Economics, Law, Sociology, Political Science, and Journalism & Communication. It led all universities in the humanities and social sciences and ranked third overall among all Chinese universities.

To strengthen disciplinary development, enhance talent cultivation, expand the university’s cultural influence, promote external exchanges and cooperation, and foster a sense of pride and loyalty among faculty and students, the university decided in 2003, while planning for the development of its history disciplines, to establish the Renmin University of China Museum. In 2004, based on its academic strengths and institutional needs, RUC set up an academic program and degree program in “Archaeology and Museology” within the History Department of the School of Humanities, and founded the “Renmin University of China Institute of Northern Ethnic Archaeology,” marking the beginning of preparations for the museum.

On November 16, 2004, Renmin University of China submitted a letter to the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau regarding the establishment of the museum. On January 27, 2005, the Bureau responded (Document No. Jing Wenwu [2005] 102), stating: “Renmin University of China is a prestigious national key university with international recognition, possessing strong faculty and excellent educational conditions, making it necessary to operate a university museum.” It recognized that the university’s “establishment of the Archaeology and Museology program,” “strong faculty,” and “certain collection of artifacts” formed the basic material foundation for a museum. It also noted that “collections are the foundation of a museum,” recommending “greater efforts in artifact acquisition” and promising “full cooperation and strong support from our bureau.” Following this response, the university immediately began work on personnel allocation, site selection, and artifact collection for the museum.

From 2004 to 2005, Renmin University of China invested nearly one million yuan in artifact acquisition, conducting four extensive collection and allocation trips to Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Henan, and Shandong. With coordination from relevant university departments and support from local partner institutions, the museum’s collection was significantly enriched in both quantity and quality. The number of artifacts grew from the original 262 pieces from the History Department to over 5,700. The artifacts span various historical periods from the Paleolithic Age to modern China, including many high-quality items, providing crucial assurance for the museum’s establishment.

With strong support from partners such as the Inner Mongolia Museum, Renmin University of China carefully selected over 200 (sets of) artifacts to organize the “Spring and Autumn of the North” exhibition. The exhibit opened successfully on October 29, 2007, on the occasion of the university’s 70th anniversary. Archaeologists, historians, and leaders and faculty from the Palace Museum, Inner Mongolia Museum, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University attended the opening ceremony. Vice President Feng Huiling cut the ribbon and delivered a speech. This exhibition was a significant step in advancing the university’s disciplinary foundation and added a remarkable highlight to its 70th anniversary celebrations.

Building on the success of the Northern Cultural Artifacts Exhibition and the growing richness of its collections, in July 2008, the university (Document No. Xiao Zheng Zi [2007–2008] 47) officially established the Renmin University of China Museum, operating under the same leadership as the Archives but with separate titles. On November 6, the museum’s leadership team was appointed: President Ji Baocheng as Honorary Director, Vice President Feng Huiling as Director, and Lü Xiaoming, Pan Ping, and Wei Jian as Deputy Directors. Five departments were created: Exhibition & Display, Collection Acquisition, Publicity & Education, Security, and Research.

On December 18, 2008, Renmin University of China submitted a request to the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau to register as an official museum. On March 13, 2009, a registration inspection team from the Bureau, led by Li Xuejun (head of the Museum Division), secretary Li Yang, and experts Zhang Chunxiang, Du Yaowei, Cui Xu’an, Zheng Guangrong, and Ma Fala, visited the museum. After careful inspection and presentations, the experts highly praised the museum’s progress in just a few years, its current exhibitions, the value of its important collections, and its future plans. They also offered constructive suggestions on the museum’s thematic focus, facility renovation, and public access, and drafted evaluation comments for the registration. On March 24, 2009, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau’s directorate approved the application (Document No. Jing Wenwu [2009] 335), stating: “We agree to your establishment of the ‘Renmin University of China Museum,’ located on the university campus, as a public museum.”

In April 2009, at the start of the new year, the museum’s first academic publication—“Spring and Autumn of the North: Illustrated Catalogue of Collections at the Renmin University of China Museum” (edited by Wei Jian, published by Renmin University of China Press)—was released. President Ji Baocheng, Honorary Director of the museum, wrote the preface and inscribed the message “Determined to build a great RUC Museum” on the title page, demonstrating the university leadership’s strong support for the museum. The book features over 200 high-quality artifacts selected from the museum’s collection of more than 5,000 items, reflecting the current level of the collection. It stands as a significant achievement in enhancing RUC’s academic strength, enriching its image, promoting humanities education, and contributing to cultural development.

The current exhibitions at Renmin University of China Museum are mainly divided into two parts: one is the “Spring and Autumn of the North” exhibition located in Mingde News Building, and the other is the university history exhibition in Century Hall.

The “Spring and Autumn of the North” exhibition is divided into eight sections: Unit 1: Sparks of Stone – Settlements and Ancient States on the Northern Land; Unit 2: Bronze Echoes – Rongdi and Feudal States in the Formation of Huaxia; Unit 3: Imperial Winds – Expansion from Old Qinzhong to New Qinzhong; Unit 4: Ethnic Integration – From Shengle City to Luoyang City; Unit 5: Distant Lands of the Celestial Empire – Chang’an and the Western Regions along the Silk Road; Unit 6: Inside and Outside the Great Wall – Division and Integration of Northern Ethnic Groups; Unit 7: The Heavenly Khan on Horseback – Unity under the Yuan Dynasty between Central Plains and Grasslands; Unit 8: Verdant Meadows Under Blue Skies – Convergence of Heartland and Frontier in Turbulent Times. This exhibition focuses on the northern regions, highlighting the historical interactions between northern ethnic groups and central dynasties over millennia, reflecting the formation of China’s diverse yet unified cultural structure.

The university history exhibition consists of four main parts: Part 1 covers the founding of the Shaanbei Public School in 1937 to the relocation of North China University to Beijing in 1949; Part 2 details the university’s construction and student life from its founding in 1949 to its forced disbandment in 1973; Part 3 outlines the university’s recovery and development from its reopening in 1978 to 2000; Part 4 highlights new developments in the 21st century. The exhibition briefly traces RUC’s journey from its origins as the Shaanbei Public School to its current status as a leading comprehensive university in the humanities and social sciences, showcasing its major achievements.

In May 2008, the public cultural initiative “Saving Family Letters Project” officially settled at Renmin University of China. The museum is planning an exhibition centered on family letters, and exhibitions of calligraphy and paintings by Shen Peng and the Mountains and Rivers Painting Association are also in preparation.

“Collection, Research, and Education” are the three internationally recognized core functions of a museum. Renmin University of China Museum aligns its development and future work with these functions. Its long-term goal is to build a globally minded, multidisciplinary, service-oriented comprehensive university museum with strong capabilities and broad influence.

The museum’s funding sources mainly include state allocations (such as special funds from the 985 and 211 projects) and self-raised funds (including donations and sponsorships from alumni, individuals, and enterprises at home and abroad). Since 2005, the university has allocated one million yuan annually to the museum, ensuring sufficient operational funding.

Since the new century, Renmin University of China has advanced under the guidance of the Scientific Outlook on Development, striving toward the goal of creating a “university that satisfies the people and ranks among the world’s best.” Guided by the philosophy of “for the people, humanistic, and people-oriented,” and adhering to the development path of “internal enhancement, distinctive strength, and quality first,” the university has achieved remarkable results in disciplinary development and various initiatives, realizing historic leaps. As the Scientific Outlook on Development continues to take root, the Renmin University of China Museum, now in its initial stages, is poised to achieve even faster and better progress, playing an increasingly vital role.