中国文物出境展览观众调查研究——基于《“秦汉文明”展观众调查报告》的思考

Visitor Response to Overseas Exhibitions of Chinese Antiquities:A Case Study Based on Age of Empires:Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties Visitor Demographics

中国文物出境展览观众的基本特征、参观动因及体验等是评价出境展览实效与反响的重要因素,同时也可以为今后出境展览的策划提供有益的启示。将美国大都会艺术博物馆《“秦汉文明”展观众调查报告》与美国史密森尼研究院的观众调查对比分析,可知中国文物出境展览的西方观众群体中包括很多亚裔观众(以中国或华裔观众比例高),反映了中国文物出境展览对海外华人的民族情感和文化认同发挥着积极作用。就参观体验而言,绝大部分西方观众参观中国文物展览是一种休闲活动,并对参观体验表示满意。从阐释学视角看,“先有”与“视域融合”在观众参观体验中具有重要意义。观众参观展览不会从根本上改变自身固有观念,而是与之前的理解形成“视域融合”。

The basic characteristics,motivation and experience of the visitors to Chinese overseas exhibitions are important components of the exhibition result,and can also provide a reference for future curatorial work.Taking the Age of Empires:Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties Visitor Demographics as the main case study,also drawing a comparison with the visitor surveys submitted to the Smithsonian Institution in the United States,this paper seeks to evaluate the composition of visitors to China-related exhibitions.Its principal finding is that a significant proportion of the visitors are Asian(predominantly Chinese by birth or descent).This reflects how Chinese overseas exhibitions have played a positive role in fostering a sense of ethnic belonging and cultural identity among the diaspora.As far as the visitor experience is concerned,the vast majority of Western visitors visit China-related exhibitions as a leisure activity,and they view the exhibition from an art perspective and give affirmative comments and share contented reflections about their experience.This paper also discusses the significance of“fore-having”and“Horizontverschmelzung”from the perspective of hermeneutics in understanding visitor experience.Rather than challenging visitors’assumptions in a direct sense,exhibitions are more likely to form in their minds a“fusion of horizons”between pre-existing notions and the new knowledge they encounter.