Jiayi Chang

As a PhD candidate in Museum Studies at University of Leicester, my research examines the ideological functions of museums in contemporary China, with a particular focus on the role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in fulfilling political objectives through museums and heritage.

With a BA in Cultural Relics and Museology and an MA in Museum Studies, my academic background bridges practical museology and critical theory. My research engages with both archaeological heritage and red tourism, exploring how different forms of the past are curated to serve contemporary political narratives. Drawing on contemporary museology, cultural studies, and discourse analysis, I explore how museums and heritage operate as mediums of political performance and identity formation.

My research contributes to the understanding of museums as context-dependent institutions, challenging homogenizing and universalist frameworks in museological discourse. I aim to foreground the specificity of Chinese museum practices and to engage critically with how power, politics, and memory intersect in heritage representation. 

Chang, Jiayi 常嘉意. “The Museum’s Borders: On the Challenge of Knowing and Remembering Well 博物馆的边界: 论知晓和记住的挑战.” In A Companion to 21st Century Western Museum Studies (2000-2020) 21世纪西方博物馆学著作指南, edited by Kai Yin 尹凯. Jiangsu Phoenix Art Publishing House Co., Ltd. 江苏凤凰文艺出版社, 2025.

Chang, Jiayi 常嘉意. “From Ideology to Action: The Exhibitions in the Resist America, Aid Korea Campaign (1950-1953) 从思想到行动: 抗美援朝运动中的展览会(1950-1953).” Museum 博物院, no.6 (2023): 67-74.

Chang, Jiayi 常嘉意. “The Contemporary Perspective of the National Past in Museums – Taking the Palace Museum as a Case Study 博物馆中民族过去的当代视角——以故宫博物院为例.” In Inclusiveness and Cooperation: Global Contemporary Museum and Cultural Heritage 包容与合作: 全球当代博物馆与文化遗产发展, edited by Jin Yang 杨瑾. China Science Publishing & Media, 2022.

Chang, Jiayi 常嘉意. “A Preliminary Analysis of the Foundation of the Discourse System in China’s International Cultural Exchanges through Museums 浅析中国博物馆对外文化交流中话语体系的基础.” In Proceedings of the 2020 Academic Symposium on “Museums and the Construction of a Discourse System with Chinese Characteristics 中国博物馆协会博物馆学专业委员会2020年“博物馆与中国特色话语体系构建”学术研讨会论文集”, edited by the Museology Committee of the Chinese Museums Association 中国博物馆协会博物馆学专业委员会. Cultural Relics Press, 2021.

Chang, Jiayi. “Understanding the Future Through the Past: A Comparative Perspective on Prehistoric Exhibitions in Democratic Political Systems”. 28 Nov. 2024 Doctoral Academic Conference, School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, China.

Chang, Jiayi. “Others’ Past, Our Belief: Chinese Prehistoric Collections in The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm." (Ignite Talk) 6– 10 Oct. 2024 International Council of Museums, International Committee for Architecture and Museum Technique (ICOM-ICAMT) 50th Annual Conference 2024, Taitung and Taipei, Taiwan.

Chang, Jiayi. “Moving Beyond Depolicized Representations: Understanding the Emergence of Conflicts and Disagreements in the Exhibition-Making Process.”25 – 27 Oct. 2023 ICOM-ICAMT 49th Annual Conference 2023, Porto, Portugal.

Chang, Jiayi. “The Contemporary Perspective of the National Past in Museums: Taking the Palace Museum as a Case Study.”22 ­­– 24 Oct. 2021 Inclusiveness and Cooperation: Global Contemporary Museum and Cultural Heritage, Shaanxi Normal University, China.

Chang, Jiayi. “Facing the Future: The Patriotism Narrative in Contemporary Chinese Museums – Taking the Exhibition that Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ Army Entering the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to Help in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression as an Example.”15– 17 May 2021 The First China Museum Youth Symposium, Nantong Museum, China.

Chang, Jiayi. “From Static Symbols to Public Engagement: The Revitalisation of Indigenous Communities in the Museum Sector.”28 – 29 Nov. 2020 The Fourth Museum Studies Youth Forum, Shandong University, China.

Chang, Jiayi (invited speaker).“The Foundation of the Discourse System of Chinese Museums in Cross-cultural Exchanges.”21 – 24 Oct. 2020 Seminar of the Professional Committee of Museology, Chinese Museums Association.

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My research interests can be broadly summarised as follows:

• The interrelated dynamics between partocracy, propaganda, nationalism, and museums/heritage
• The ideological dimensions in the display of archaeological site museums
• Red tourism and patriotic education in revolutionary sites in China
• The presentation of Second World War memories in Chinese museums

I am currently seeking postdoctoral or fellowship opportunities, and I welcome discussions and collaborations with researchers working on related topics.

October 2020 - MA (with Distinction) Museum Studies - University of Leicester

July 2019 - BA (Hons.) in History, with specialisations in Cultural Heritage and Museology, Qufu Normal University