New Museum of Shandong University

Shandong University has a history of over a century, full of ups and downs, and its splendor is enough to evoke strong emotions and pride. It also embodies the vicissitudes and marks of early Chinese museums, leaving an indelible imprint on the educational history of Shandong University through its special role in enlightening the public and disseminating knowledge. In 1682, the British collector Ashmole donated his entire collection of coins, medals, weapons, clothing, artworks, archaeological relics, ethnic and folk artifacts, and various specimens of animals, plants, and minerals to the University of Oxford, which officially opened to the public. Hundreds of years later, in 1905, Zhang Jian, an advocate of modern industry and education in China, established a museum complex consisting of a museum, botanical garden, and zoo in his hometown, Nantong, next to the Normal School he founded. The collection numbered over 29,000 items, making it one of the public museums – Nantong Museum. In 1901, with the approval of the Qing government, Shandong University was established, a period that coincided with the enlightenment of museums in modern Chinese history. Higher education institutions and museums were both entrusted with the educational mission of enlightening the public and saving the nation through science. At this time, influenced by Western culture in China, modern museums founded mainly by missionaries gradually emerged in cities such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Jinan, and Chengdu. Jinan Guangzhi Institute was one of the more influential ones, being the first museum in Shandong, with its predecessor being the Qingzhou Museum founded by the British Baptist missionary W. H. Wellbank. In the 30th year of the Guangxu period (1904), Wellbank purchased 30 acres of land in Jinan to build a new hall, relocating most of the equipment, personnel, and collections from Qingzhou Museum. The first phase of the project reached 2,400 square meters, with the completion ceremony presided over by Shandong Governor Yang Shihong, and named Jinan Guangzhi Institute, meaning ‘to broaden knowledge’, with Wellbank serving as the director. Guangzhi Institute was a comprehensive museum, displaying Western modern science and civilization in the form of exhibitions, using display cases, frames, and charts. The exhibits consisted of over 10,000 items, divided into more than 2,000 groups, integrating knowledge, interest, and imagery, and were open all year round. It was initially designed as a museum, with spacious exhibition rooms, long continuous exhibition strips, and an open, smooth, and compact interior layout. The front was the exhibition room, the left was the reading room, the right was the research institute, and the back was the preaching hall. Before the Pacific War, the exhibits included 13 categories such as animals, plants, minerals, astronomy, geography, machinery, health, physiology, agricultural products, culture, education, art, history, and antiquities, with a wide variety that was astonishing. In 1912, the number of visitors reached 230,000, increasing to 280,000 in 1914, and reaching 400,000 in 1930, having a significant impact both domestically and internationally.

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In 1917, the institution was established as the Social Education Department of Cheeloo University, alongside the faculties of arts, science, divinity, and medicine, becoming an integral part of the university’s structure.

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In December 1941, following the outbreak of the Pacific War, the institution was taken over by the Japanese army and transformed into a science museum.

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In 1946, the British Baptist Mission reclaimed it, detaching it from Cheeloo University.

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After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it became the preparatory office for Shandong Provincial Museum and is now the office location of the Shandong Cultural Relics Science and Technology Protection Center.

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The current site of Guangzhi Hall still preserves its original appearance, located within the premises of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University.

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This two-story building in Jinan, at the time, was unique among all constructions, resembling both a Chinese temple and a Western ancient castle in appearance.

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The architectural designer integrated the essence of Chinese and Western architectural cultures, highlighting the practicality of the building.

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After half a century of war and turmoil, Shandong University finally ushered in a new era of vigorous development.

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The educational display resources across various disciplines gradually enriched, and the broad interests and substantial collections of the elderly professors,

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coupled with the establishment of the archaeology discipline, created a unique advantage, providing superior conditions for the establishment and development of the Shandong University Museum.

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As early as the 1950s, Mr. Shen Congwen, who taught at our school in the 1930s, used his geographical advantage in Beijing to purchase a large number of cultural relics for the history department.

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Valuable ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, and silk textiles were collected by our school, and to this day, one can still see Japanese silk scroll axes with Mr. Shen Congwen’s comments on Sino-Japanese exchanges,

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with neat and beautiful handwriting, discussing from ancient times to the present.

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In 1972, with the establishment of the archaeology major in the history department of Shandong University, archaeological findings from thousands of years ago began to emerge continuously and were collected in the repository.

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In September 1986, the Cultural Relics Exhibition Room of the Archaeology Teaching and Research Office of Shandong University was officially established and opened to the public,

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located on the third floor of the school library, providing a real second classroom for archaeology teachers and students with a large number of specimens.

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On this basis, in October 1995, the Shandong University Museum was officially established and opened to the public, located on the eighth floor of the Economics and Management Building,

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covering an area of more than 800 square meters, divided into the university history and achievements exhibition, calligraphy art exhibition, and cultural relics fine exhibition.

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Since the establishment of the archaeology department, as many as six field excavations have been selected as the top ten archaeological discoveries in the country—

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1991 Dinggong Longshan City Site in Zou Ping, Shandong, 1995 Xianren Tai Guo Gui Cemetery in Changqing, Shandong, 1996 Shuangru Shan Western Han King’s Tomb in Changqing,

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2000 Luozhuang Han Tomb in Zhangqiu, Shandong, 2005 Liuzhuang Pre-Shang Cultural Cemetery in Hebi, Henan, 2010 Da Xinzhuang Shang Dynasty Site in Jinan, etc.

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These archaeological projects have made the collection of archaeological cultural relics in Shandong University Museum the largest and highest quality among universities nationwide,

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with nearly 30,000 pieces of cultural relics in the collection, including various categories such as ceramics, bronze ware, gold and silver ware, jade ware, oracle bones, bricks and tiles, tomb epitaphs, coins, and calligraphy and paintings.

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For more than a hundred years, Shandong University has adhered to the school-running tenet of ‘storing talents for the world’ and’seeking prosperity and strength for the country’. The fire has been passed down from generation to generation, and famous teachers shine. The school history exhibition with profound heritage has attracted the majority of teachers, students and domestic and foreign visitors. The Ming and Qing collections and personal calligraphy and painting exhibitions of old professors such as Han Lianqi, Zhang Weihua, Jiang Weisong and Wang Changshui enable the majority of teachers and students to fully enjoy the beautiful artistic realm and rich cultural connotations brought by calligraphy and painting works. On the occasion of the centennial anniversary of Shandong University in 2001, the museum was moved from the central campus of Shandong University to the scientific research complex building on Baotuquan Campus of Shandong University. The environment is beautiful and the style is elegant. The total construction area is 1,500 square meters, and the exhibition area is 1,200 square meters. The exhibition contents mainly include three parts: the school history exhibition of Shandong University, the calligraphy art exhibition, and the fine cultural relics exhibition. There is also a temporary exhibition hall of more than 100 square meters. As a department-level unit directly under the university, the museum provides services to the majority of teachers and students. It has two departments: the Exhibition and Education Department and the Comprehensive Management Department. In 2002, as one of the first 18 university museums funded after being reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Education, the Museum of Shandong University built and opened a digital archaeological museum. Through forms such as text, pictures, and dynamic simulations, it shows the general situation of our museum, cultural relics news, fine collections, archaeological classrooms and other rich contents, greatly realizing resource sharing and playing the role of a database. Opening hours: Monday-Friday throughout the year, 09:30-11:30, 14:00-17:00; Saturday-Sunday throughout the year, closed all day, except holidays. The specific business status is subject to the opening situation on that day.

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