ABSTRACT
Denton's chapter examines where the distinctive trajectories of the remembrance of World War Two in Asia might be headed in the future. In focusing on the Jianchuan Museum Cluster in Anren, Sichuan, he explores whether private museums in the People's Republic of China have leeway to present historical memories which are “alternative” to official state memory. He first describes the concept of the “cluster” – that is, the bringing together a variety of museums on a variety of subjects into a single complex – and how it can open up space for new kinds of historical memory. He then turns to the war series of museums at the complex and analyzes how their representation of the war period both overlaps with and diverges from state memory. This chapter concerns itself with the negotiation that takes place between the state's efforts to define and control public history, the curatorial desire to present history in a fresh light, and the commercial concerns of a private museum.
