上海私人博物馆艰难求生

The founder and owner of a private museum filled with antiques from Shanghai is looking for a new home for her collection. The museum called Shanghai Memories was set up seven years ago to display household items from the late 1800s through 1980.

About 1,000 antiques are displayed inside the 200-square-meter museum. Visitors can even pick up and touch the pieces.

The facility was set up by Wang Xiaojia, who has no professional background in museum management. Born in the 1980s, she inherited a large collection of antiques from her family. So she found space in a warehouse and set up her museum.

"Some elderly visitors found the exhibits were just like the things they used when they were young. And these bring back their memories. One visitor held my hands and said I was doing something very valuable. This encourages me to carry on," Wang Xiaojiasaid.

But Wang's lease is about to run out, and the landlord won't renew the contract. So she needs to find a new home for her collection before the end of September.

"Some shopping malls and culture gardens have invited me to move there. But I think those places are too commercial. I want to find a place that is close to our daily life. Visitors will first walk into a lane, then they see this museum and have an experience of time traveling," Wang said.

Wang says any new space will need to have close access to public transport, and at least 200 square meters of room with high ceilings.

Wang has financed the museum's daily operations since it was founded. But she does charge visitors for taking photos and having afternoon tea, which covers some of the costs.

"Shanghai Memories" is not the only private museum struggling to survive. Just 15 minutes' drive from here, Duolun Road was once home to a dozen private museums. But they have all closed due to a lack of funds.

There are 122 museums in Shanghai, but only 20 of them are registered private museums.

Professor Lu Jiansong from Fudan University has been helping the Chinese government formulate policies on museum development for years. He says although Shanghai's government provides 10 million yuan a year to support private museums, that is far from enough. And more public donations should be encouraged to help private museums.

"Codes on museums allow charity funds to support private museums in China. But our government hasn't worked out detailed policies on the issue," he said.

"We lack a policy like the national foundation on the arts and the Humanities Act in the US, which promises a tax refund if you give donations to museums. We lack such a policy to encourage public donations. So it's really hard for private museums, especially those financed by individuals, to survive."

Even without those policies, Wang says she will do everything she can to find a new home and keep her museum open to the public.