ABSTRACT
Using the case study of the exhibition Tradition@Present, this chapter explores the concept of innovation in relation to the Chinese Ethnology Museum. Fei Xiaotong’s original vision for the Chinese Ethnographic Museum was to escape from the division of self and other that categorized its European counterpart. Instead, the cultures of the Han majority and China’s ethnic minorities would be displayed in mutually supporting togetherness aligned with the philosophy of “me within you and you within me.” Such a vision was never realized and the narratives of Chinese Ethnological Museums would present ethnic minority culture as frozen in a past stage of history. Embracing the discourse of the creative economy and the productive protection of heritage, the Chinese National Museum of Ethnology has sought to recast ethnic minority culture as contemporary fashion. By adopting the language of innovation in official heritage policy, the curators are able to return to Fei Xiaotong’s vision of a Chinese Ethnological Museum adopting an anthropological point of view in their exhibitions. This includes exploring the cosmological belief systems woven into the textiles patterns and the social conditions that lie behind the objects’ making.
