ABSTRACT
Apart from early museums founded by missionaries, there were also museums founded and managed by local and non-local social elites in mainland China from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Elites are groups of people who have higher social status and power through various qualities, and they can be further classified into economic, political and military elites (Bottomore 1993). In mainland China before 1949, elites were often well educated and with at least some professional skills/knowledge to facilitate their leading role in society. Some members of both the local and non-local elites were important agents in the establishment and management of the early museums. In this chapter, two museums founded and managed by Western and Chinese social elites respectively will be discussed.
