Curator suspended after museum event featuring Jackie Chan draws criticism

The curator of the Nanjing Municipal Museum in East China's Jiangsu province has been suspended for allowing a real estate developer's promotional event to be held at a State-protected cultural site without a permit.

Curator Peng Jian was penalized for failing to filing an application for the event on April 24 at Dacheng Hall of the Chaotian Palace that featured Chinese kung fu movie star Jackie Chan.

About 500 people attended the hourlong event, disrupting the museum's normal operations and attracting online criticism about potential harm to the palace's cultural relics. The Chaotian Palace is a well-preserved complex of building constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

City authorities started an investigation after local residents flooded the site to catch a glimpse of Chan, and view the performances and speeches.

Peng admitted that the museum failed to submit an application for the event for Taihe Yard, an exclusive residential development, but said no money changed hands with the developer.

"We intended to hold a cultural event about ancient architecture with the developer. The palace holds activities almost every day," Peng said. "We didn't expect that the presence of Jackie Chan would have drawn so much attention."

Other museum leaders received administrative and Party punishment for their roles in the event, which failed to follow heritage protection regulations that require approval for such activities.

Pan Shouyong, a museology professor at Minzu University of China in Beijing, criticized the event.

"By holding such a big business event during weekend, which should be a peak time for museum visitors, it is inevitable some sectors in the museum were closed," Pan said. "That sacrificed the function of public service and visitors' rights, which is not acceptable."

Pan recommended a thorough investigation of the museum's collaboration with the developer.

"If problems are really found, more people in specific positions in charge of the activity should be punished," Pan said. "Suspension of a museum curator cannot be the end."

Nevertheless, Pan said it is acceptable and sometimes worthwhile for public museums to cooperate with businesses, as museums need more diverse channels for promotion. Many overseas museums embrace such relationships, develop creative souvenirs and rent space for film shooting, he said.

A modern management system for museums, which is needed to better regulate business operations and manage their public service roles, is still being established in China, Pan said.

The National Rule of Museums was promulgated by the State Council last year, but the specific guidance for implementation has not yet been released.