IN the pleasant air of spring, warm sunshine could be felt in every nook and cranny of Shanghai Normal University. Except, that is, for one place, where over 150 exhibits featuring ancient bronze ware, china, pottery and traditional Chinese paintings were quietly displayed.

The collection this publicly unnoticed museum has consisted of approximately 2,000 items. "But for nearly half a century, they spent their days in storehouses," said Professor Wang Tingqia, who was responsible for the management of the museum.

The historically valuable relics used to be stored in a nearby house, which was small and semi-derelict after years of neglect. "The tiles had gone and standing under the roof, I could see the blue sky clearly above," Wang said.

Yet a gleam of hope finally came when the Shanghai Municipal Government put forward a suggestion that the total number of Shanghai museums would be increased to 100 by 2005 and the "university museums" would play an important role in the city's cultural activities.

Showing off

Under the new circumstances, many universities started to attach importance to the development of their museums.

"Establishing museums is a way for universities to show off their advantages," said Shi Yin, vice-director of the Museum of Oriental Musical Instruments, which was established by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1985. "Yet some disadvantages restrict universities from developing museums of their own."

As a type of non-profit institution, the survival of museums, to a great extent, depends on government support, public funds and donations. Unlike public museums, which can attract a measure of financial aid from the government, university museums were generally confronted with more straitened financial circumstances.

"A long-term and stable financial resource-base was necessary if we were to maintain the museum," Wang said. However, it was not practical to count on the university for the money, since the funds that the government allocated to universities were mainly consumed by teaching expenses.

But many foreign universities were proud of having their own museums. "Museums provide a window for a university," said Yang Zhigang, the director of Fudan University's Museum Department.

"If libraries gather the records of human civilization and wisdom, museums display the carriers of human civilization and wisdom. Nothing can replace this role, not even advanced digital museums," Wang said.

The value of university museums lies mainly in the role they played in teaching, scientific research and knowledge popularization. Yet in China, they have not been able to fully play this role for a long time, and their situation was not given the attention it deserved. "They became no more than places for universities to boast about when important visitors came," Wang said.

Although money was a problem that troubled university museums, the crux of the matter was whether high officials in the educational field took them seriously or not, according to Wu Hongzhou, director of the Museum of Medical History belonging to the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Unprofessional management

Up to now, less than eight university museums have been built in Shanghai, among its nearly 30 colleges and universities.

Considering the potential scientific advantages universities are endowed with, those who have shown their zeal for this cause have been trying to find a way to add more research value to university museums. "It is indeed a cause that requires a wider horizon. In addition to seeking administrative help, we must find ways to gain outside assistance," Shi said.

Previously, university museums were scattered among research institutions on campuses, but now the situation is being changed, with an improvement in the status they enjoy in universities. "At least, we were not just considered 'housekeepers' any more," Shi said.

People have realized that they need culture alongside rising GDP, and this provides a social basis for the development of university museums. "But in developing this cause there is still a long way to go, despite the progress we have made in becoming conscious of its importance," Yang said.

In China, collecting ancient artifacts has been a long tradition. "Yet these precious historical objects were kept at home and not regarded as a social resource for education," said Ma Chengyuan, the former director of the Shanghai Museum.

But history should not be understood in a narrow sense. "As historical identification cards, museums were bridges to connect with history," Ma said.

Educational needs resulted in the existence of university museums. It was only by knowing how to manage museums and how to make them fascinating places for acquiring further knowledge that university museums could begin to operate appropriately.

"The question point is: what kind of role should people play in the museum? We are lacking qualified people to manage museums," Ma said.

In the museum of the Shanghai Normal University, there are a total of three people working. "You see, I don't even have any people to help me with the cleaning work," Wang said.

In Shanghai, despite the size of the city, none of the colleges and universities have an archaeology department. "We have students and professional staff who know history very well, but we do not have people who know museum work very well," Wang said, as he paid money to one of his students. "He came here to do cleaning work, so I have just paid him for that."

Wang once wrote a letter to the university administrators applying for research to be conducted into the museums run by foreign universities, but in vain. Now, he was thinking of introducing some professional people from Peking University and Jilin University, both of which have enjoyed a high reputation in archaeological studies and research into historical relics.

"Foreign visitors often visit our museum, since we have the largest collection of musical instruments in China, but we seldom have the chance to visit foreign university museums. The exchanges between us have not really reached the level of peer-to-peer equality," Shi said.