Unpacking suzhi in museum education in contemporary China: From cultivation to internalisation

Abstract

Suzhi education, as a long-term promoted slogan, has been promulgated for over two decades by the Chinese government. There is a heated debate over its meaning, utilisation and evaluation, which is important in comprehending China's recent educational reform. The current discussion tends to concentrate on the politically and institutionally embodied educational reforms in school settings, whereas how the suzhi discourse informs and reshapes informal/non-formal educational settings like museums remains scarce. Drawing on these gaps, this paper presents a deconstruction of suzhi discourse in a major Chinese museum, by exploring how the promoted suzhi discourse has influenced the educational practices at cultural institutions. It further examines the practices and experiences of participants through the notion of suzhi. The study finds out that the museum practice is deeply affected by this notion and participants buy into the idea, fostering its impact across different life stages and generations in various ways.