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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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Future Chinese museum collection games: NFTs + online exhibition?
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Future Chinese museum collection games: NFTs + online exhibition?
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Content
Future Chinese Museum Collection Games: NFTs + Online Exhibition?
by
Linna Wang
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF CURATORIAL PRACTICES AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE
May 2024
Copyright 2024 Linna Wang
ii
Table of Contents
List of Figures..................................................................................................................................iii
Abstract........................................................................................................................................... iv
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: Convergence of Dunhuang Buddhist Art Conservation: A Historical Nexus................ 2
Chapter 2: Contemporary Redesign of Cultural Intellectual Property: NFTs Facilitating
the Promotion of Dunhuang Culture ................................................................................................ 6
Case Study 1: The Development of "Digital Dunhuang Open Material Library" ....................7
Case Study 2: "Cloud Tour Dunhuang" WeChat Mini Program............................................11
Chapter 3: NFTs+ Online Museum: What Does It Bring to Different Groups of People? ............ 17
Significance for Museums......................................................................................................18
Value for Commercialization ................................................................................................. 24
Summarizing: NFTs Possible Positioning and Connection with Cultural Heritage Entities. 25
Chapter 4: NFTs Join Museum Preservation and Curation Efforts................................................29
Who Really Needs the NFTs? ................................................................................................ 29
Scenarios of NFTs Use in the Context of the New Era ..........................................................35
Summarizing: The Fit Between NFT's Own Attributes and Museum Curation .................... 40
Chapter 5: Opportunities and Risks of Heritage NFTs in China's Creative Market...................... 43
The Investment Value and Development Direction of NFTs in China .................................. 43
Legal Risks of NFTs and the Museum Distribution Industry ................................................ 45
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................51
Bibliography................................................................................................................................... 53
iii
List of Figures
Figure 1.1: Screenshot for Digital Dunhuang Open Material Library website.........................................7
Figure 1.2: The animated "Travels of Zhang Yichao's Commanding Generals" ..............................12
Figure 1.3: The five NFT cards............................................................................................................13
Figure 2.1: The Met 360° Project...................................................................................................18
Figure 2.2: Three artifacts that were exposed to breakage in 2022.....................................................22
Figure 2.3: The Pillsbury owl from Mia's collection............................................................................23
Figure 2.4: The No. 1 Bronze Tree..........................................................................................................27
Figure 3.1: The excavation site after the salvage of "Nanhai One"...........................................................33
Figure 3.2: The interface of the Maritime Museum application................................................................38
Figure 4.1: The Dunhuang Lucky Flying Skin NFTs ...............................................................................43
IV
Abstract
This thesis investigates the potential of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to protect
and promote art, establish and enforce intellectual property rights (IPRs), and reform
copyright laws for digital museums in China. I examine case studies to analyze the
NFTs conversion process of the Dunhuang Research Institute in collaboration with
Tencent; and further explore the copyright issues raised by the 3D-enabled sale of
cultural artifacts. I supplement these studies with interviews with Chinese public
museum professionals and copyright lawyers. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to
analyze the benefits and potential harms of NFTs in the digitization and preservation
of art in Chinese national museums, and to predict the impact NFTs will have on the
evolution of online museums and virtual exhibits in these institutions.
1
Introduction
This paper will consider NFTs in the context of museum curation/collection
conservation. NFTs are a sequence of digital keys that is contingent upon the hosting
platform of the issuer. Essentially, it functions as a third-party product situated outside
the museum's sdirect purview. Could museums consider adopting NFTs as a pivotal
asset within the pathway of museum digitization? What potential advantages does it
offer to both museums and private collectors? This section will conduct an analysis of
the intellectual property (IP) cultivation and user conversion process pertaining to the
Dunhuang Flying NFTs. This collaborative endeavor between the Dunhuang Research
Academy and Tencent will be examined, with a focus on predicting the potential
influence of NFTs on the progression of online museums and virtual exhibitions
within institutional contexts.
2
Chapter 1: Convergence of Dunhuang Buddhist Art Conservation: A Historical
Nexus
Historically, the preservation of Dunhuang's grottoes has been the challenge. The
Mogao Grottoes are located in Dunhuang, at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, are
the culmination of the fusion of Eastern and Western civilizations on the ancient Silk
Road. Its excavation lasted for about 1,000 years from the Sixteen Kingdoms period
to the Yuan Dynasty, which is unique among Chinese grottoes.1 It is not only a
splendid art treasure trove of ancient Chinese civilization, but also an important
witness to the dialogue and exchanges between different civilizations that once took
place on the ancient Silk Road. In 1900, the discovery of the Cave of Sutras within the
Mogao Grottoes yielded a trove of 60,000 invaluable artifacts.2 This compilation of
cave literature, coupled with the tangible remnants of Dunhuang's cave art, represents
an extraordinary cache of primary source material crucial for the study of Chinese and
Silk Road medieval history. According to the statistics, nearly ninety percent of the
documents excavated from the caves are of Buddhist origin, encompassing texts from
Taoism, Manichaeism, and other religious systems, in addition to official documents, socio-economic instruments, literature, and an array of secular artifacts.3 It is
deplorable that at that time, Dunhuang local rich gentleman no one recognized the
value of the cave of this batch of antiquities, the corrupt Qing government also failed
1 "Coordinates of Civilization|'A Dance for a Thousand Years', Dreaming of the Mogao Grottoes and
Searching for Historical Traces," Chinanews.com. December 31, 2022, https://www.chinanews.com.cn/m/tp/hd/2022/1231/158523.shtml. 2 "Dunhuang Cave of Sutras lost overseas cultural relics digitized “return date” can be expected." Xinhuanet.com. Accessed January 9, 2024. http://m.xinhuanet.com/culture/2020-08/24/c_1126404367.htm. 3 "Dunhuang Cave of Sutras: The Legend Continues. Dunhuang Research Institute." Silkroads.org. Accessed
January 9, 2024. http://www.silkroads.org.cn/portal.php?mod=view&aid=3104.
3
to carry out due protection, resulting in a large number of cultural relics have been
foreign "expedition" bundled to go, resulting in about 40,000 pieces of cultural relics
lost to the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Japan and other more than 10 countries. This is not only a great loss to the history of Chinese cultural relics conservation, but
also impeding Dunhuang scholars in their research endeavors.4 Following the
establishment of the People's Republic of China, a fraction of the looted cultural
artifacts managed to return to their homeland. However, numerous grottoes fell victim
to earthquakes and the construction of upstream reservoirs, resulting in substantial
harm to the protected environments housing the relics. The concealment of certain
Buddhist grottoes, often within cliffside recesses, further compounds challenges
related to artifact visitation and preservation.5 The influx of tourists also contributes
to fluctuations in temperature and humidity within Dunhuang's grottoes, yielding
irreversible harm to the artifacts.6 In light of these circumstances, the imperative for
digitization initiatives regarding Dunhuang's grottoes is immediate. The Dunhuang Research Academy has more than 30 years of experience in
digitizing artifacts, and in 1994, the British Library launched the International
Dunhuang Project (IDP), the first step in digitizing and sharing Dunhuang artifacts. Currently, the project has established a database in seven languages, including
English and Chinese. In 2015, the National Library of France presented
high-definition digital resources of Dunhuang literature to the Dunhuang Research
4 "More than 300 pieces of lost cultural relics from Dunhuang's buddhist sutra cave 'replicas + objects' return to
their hometown. " Chinanews.com. September 26, 2021, https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/2021/09-26/9574003.shtml. 5 Jianhong Chai, Silk Road and Dunhuang Studies (Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2015), 329. 6
Ibid., 263.
4
Academy and other institutions, realizing the digital return of Dunhuang literature in
the French collection. Since 2016, the Dunhuang Research Academy has become a
comprehensive research-oriented institution responsible for the management of the
world cultural heritage Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Tianshui Maiji Mountain Grottoes, Yongjing Bingling Temple Grottoes, the national key cultural relics protection unit
Guazhou Yulin Grottoes, Dunhuang West Thousand Buddha Caves, Qingyang North
Cave Temples, and the "Digital Dunhuang" database was put online in 2016 to share
30 caves globally for free.7 In 2016, the "Digital Dunhuang" database was launched, sharing high-definition image resources of thirty caves to the world for free. The first Chinese-led Dunhuang digitization project is also under preparation.8
At the "Symposium to Commemorate the 120th Anniversary of the Discovery of the
Cave of Tibetan Buddhist Scriptures" held at the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang on
November 7, 2020, Luo Huaqing, vice president of the Dunhuang Research Academy, announced that the Dunhuang Research Academy plans to carry out a project for the
digitization of Dunhuang cultural relics lost overseas with the support of the State
Administration of Cultural Heritage of China. This project will be advanced through
international cooperation, systematic investigation, and organization of overseas
collection of the Cave of Tibetan scriptures cultural relics. The large amount of
digitized Buddhist art resources accumulated by the Dunhuang Research Academy
due to historical factors has laid a good foundation for subsequent IP construction and
7 "Institutional Profile," Dunhuang Academy. 2023, https://www.dha.ac.cn/jggk/jgjj.htm
8 Ding, Si. "Dunhuang Research Institute initiates 'Alliance for Digital Restoration of Dunhuang Artifacts Lost
Overseas,'"Chinanews.com. September 25, 2021, https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/2021/09-25/9573631.shtml.
5
NFTs release.
6
Chapter 2: Contemporary Redesign of Cultural Intellectual Property: NFTs
Facilitating the Promotion of Dunhuang Culture
From the perspective of numerous experts within the museum domain, the
digitization of cultural relics is not solely a means of salvaging and conserving
cultural heritage data, but also an avenue to bridge the generational gap with younger
audiences. It constitutes an inexorable trend that museums are compelled to embrace. The utilization of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) for the digital curation of artifacts
stands as a specific manifestation of the broader museum digitization phenomenon. In
2021, the Cultural Economy Research Institute at the Central University of Finance
and Economics unveiled a research report titled“"Blockchain Technolog’'s Activation
of Digital Cultural Heritage”" in which it delineated three pivotal roles of blockchain
technology: standardizing digital content norms, clarifying digital content ownership
attribution, and refining the architecture of digital museums. These roles collectively
serve to animate digital cultural heritage, propelling the expansion of digital cultural
and creative industries. Recent years have witnessed a collaborative synergy between the Dunhuang
Research Academy and Tencent, an internet corporate behemoth responsible for…. This partnership has engendered a novel series of conservation endeavors, significantly amplifying the application horizons of NFTs towards the safeguarding of
cultural heritage in an interactive and sustainable manner. This dynamic collaboration
has ignited novel creative impulses among cultural practitioners within China's
museums.
7
Case Study 1: The Development of "Digital Dunhuang Open Material Library" Commencing in 2017, Tencent embarked on a partnership with the Dunhuang
Research Academy with the objective of digitizing the caverns and their artistic
contents. This collaborative effort strives to ensure the enduring preservation of
cultural heritage. Notably, this initiative facilitates virtual journeys to Dunhuang's
historical ruins, thereby enabling individuals both within China and across the globe
to partake in the splendor of its artistic treasures while simultaneously shielding these
invaluable artifacts from the perils of offline tourism. Leveraging the potency of blockchain technology, Tencent has actively
supported the Dunhuang Research Academy in establishing an inclusive platform for
co-creation centered on cultural heritage. This culminated in the introduction of a
blockchain-driven digital repository named the "Digital Dunhuang Open Material
Library."
9 This pioneering endeavor holds particular significance within China's
digital cultural preservation landscape [Figure 1.1]. The material library is based on
the extraction and classification of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, presenting
and providing the public with high-definition images and design elements of multiple
types of Dunhuang grotto murals, statues, relics of the library cave, and digital
creative works, etc.; based on the blockchain authentication, electronic contracts, science and technology, financial and other technological means to achieve the
protection of cultural relics and digital resources, the authorization of the use of online
and orderly distribution of revenues, and the construction of a secure line of defense
9 "2022 Typical Cases of Content Science and Technology Applications: Digital Dunhuang - Open Material
Library," People.com. May 26, 2023, http://yjy.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0419/c449021-32668433.html.
8
for the protection of intellectual property rights. The project will also build a security
line of defense for intellectual property protection.10 As of the present moment, an
extensive array of approximately 7,600 high-definition digital assets hailing from six
grotto sites, encompassing wall paintings, manuscripts, and sutra scrolls, is made
accessible for download from the open material repository, transcending geographical
constraints. Moreover, the co-creation paradigm of open material library permits individual
creators and enterprises to access materials for subsequent or iterative creations. Upon
reintegration of co-created content into the library, it becomes available for broader
enjoyment and download, thereby affording creators opportunities for revenue
generation via an intelligent billing mechanism. Rigorous pre-release assessment by
the Dunhuang Research Institute guarantees the platform's fidelity and integrity.
Figure 1.1: Screenshot for Digital Dunhuang Open Material Library website. The murals and
scriptures are finely classified into various sections for downloading. Source: https://ip.e-dunhuang.com/special.html 10 "'Digital Dunhuang - Open Material Library' on line, more than 6,500 archives open for downloading." Hebeimuseum.org. December 15, 2022. https://www.hebeimuseum.org.cn/show-80-10356-1.html.
9
The use of blockchain technology to protect the intellectual property rights of
digital assets is a core feature of the platform. Proof of ownership and originality of
the material, as well as evidentiary information such as creation, authorization, payment, and download, are uploaded to the chain in real time for deposit and cannot
be tampered with. In addition, every authorized use of the material can be verified, and the electronic signature technology ensures that the agreement signing process is
safe. The most uncommon aspect of the platform is that the information and materials
in this open material library are supervised by professional scholars of Dunhuang
Research Institute and that they are academic in nature. The library uses blockchain to
ensure secure access and to safeguard the legal compliance and integrity of
intellectual property rights, making it possible to protect the rights and interests of
both museums and users.11
The open repository extends access to an array of stakeholders: researchers, educators, and scholars are empowered to employ these materials for academic papers, lectures, and educational purposes. Cultural institutions and museums can leverage
these resources for promotional endeavors, exhibitions, or the augmentation of their
repositories concerning Dunhuang caves and related artifacts. Media entities and
content creators can harness these materials for cinematic, televised, documentary, journalistic, and literary productions exploring the depths of Dunhuang caves. Businesses can incorporate Dunhuang elements into their commercial materials such
as advertisements or marketing campaigns. Users benefit from a standardized
11 "About us," E-dunhuang.com. 2023, https://ip.e-dunhuang.com/article/1.html.
10
licensing process facilitating on-demand access to images and information, potentially
entailing applicable fees. Collectively, this repository encompasses both depth and
breadth, serving as an invaluable cornerstone for the digital evolution of Dunhuang's
intellectual property landscape. For museums, the establishment of open material library is also highly likely to
become a key breakthrough in expanding user groups. Traditionally, museums require
physical participation from audiences and actual space to create user experiences. Therefore, local museums usually focus on local culture and ensure the interest of
local audiences and a small number of tourists through permanent and special
exhibitions; but in terms of long-term audience retention, museums have almost no
choice but to cultivate a limited community audience. To broaden the user base, increase audience retention, and to keep up with the
development of the times, the extension and value of museums in virtual space
urgently needs to be further explored. The significance of online exhibitions is not just
a simple transplantation of digitized artworks to a webpage. Museums need to
diversify their approach to encourage users to get, and even go beyond, the visual
experience and sense of engagement of a physical visit; ultimately making the user's
consumption of a single experience ultimately transformed into a long-term learning
resource. So, how then will museum curators appeal to user groups in virtual spaces? The
open Dunhuang material library has made a subtle contribution to the development
and cultivation of viewer groups. For the historical and cultural field, the value
11
enhancement of IP not only requires diverse innovative activities but also encourages
user groups to create new content through various means to enhance the discussion
and user stickiness of the topic. The Dunhuang Research Institute not only provides
free, detailed, and traceable materials but also provides more art creators with the
opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Dunhuang religious art. Through
secondary creation, it promotes cultural protection and enhances IP value, achieving
personal and community benefits. For the museum, it ultimately achieved a win-win
situation for reputation and business: the spontaneous innovation of the community
has driven the popularity of online hot topics and ultimately led to more tourists
visiting in person, revitalizing the local tourism economy. Case Study 2: "Cloud Tour Dunhuang" WeChat Mini Program
Tencent's partnership with Dunhuang does not stop there. Tencent's "Cloud Tour
Dunhuang" (云游敦煌) WeChat app presents digitized Dunhuang murals, sculptures, and grottoes in the cloud, allowing people to view Dunhuang's grottoes and learn
about the stories behind them on their cell phones, at anytime and from anywhere, and
is committed to bringing the unique charm of Dunhuang culture to both domestic and
international audiences in a variety of innovative ways. Launched in the spring of
2020, "Cloud Tour Dunhuang" received more than 2 million visits on its first day of
launch. In its first year, the total number of visitors exceeded 37 million.12 The huge
user base is not only due to the network benefits brought by Tencent as an internet
giant, but is a mutual achievement between Tencent's high traffic platform and
12 "Forbes Life | Dunhuang Research Institute X Tencent Starts Another Journey To Help Cultural Inheritance With Technology," Forbeschina.com. March 27, 2021, https://www.forbeschina.com/delicacies/54486#.
12
Dunhuang Art IP, setting a new benchmark for the protection of digital culture. On September 6, 2021, on the occasion of "9.9 Public Welfare Day," Dunhuang
Research Insititute and Tencent jointly launched the first public welfare cultural
interaction - "Shengdonghuayu" ( 声 动 画 语 , Voice Animation Language), in the
"Cloud Tour Dunhuang," an online WeChat mini-program that explains the story of
the murals in Cave 156 of the Mogao Grottoes in animated form. Users can
participate in the Q&A related to Dunhuang culture in the mini-program and can also
raise funds to become "digital patrons" of a millennium-old cultural heritage. To this
end, the Dunhuang Research Institute and Tencent jointly released the first public
welfare NFTs in the cultural and blogging industry, which is limited to 9,999 copies. On 9/9, users who participate in cultural Q&A interactions in the Yunyou Dunhuang
mini-program will have the opportunity to obtain the Dunhuang "digital patronage" collector's edition of the NFTs, a panoramic digital card with a view of Cave 156 at
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. The content idea for this public service cultural interaction is based on Cave 156
of Mogao Grottoes, a special open grotto at Dunhuang that is rarely visited by tourists
due to the need for cultural relics’ protection. As a scroll showing the prosperity and
stability of ancient Dunhuang society, Cave 156's Travels of Zhang Yichao's
Commanding Generals (张议潮统军出行图)and Travels of Song's Lady of Henei
County(宋国河内郡夫人宋氏出行图)show grand scenes of historical significance, pioneering the travels of Dunhuang's grottoes.13 [Figure 1.2] With this project, the
13 "Dunhuang Research Institute releases first public service NFTs to explore digital preservation of millennial
heritage Source," September 6, 2021, 2021-09-06 18:05
13
Dunhuang Research Insititute and Tencent hope to make more people aware of the
depth and rich historical and cultural content of Dunhuang murals.
Figure 1.2: By clicking on the WeChat app, users will see the animated "Travels of Zhang Yichao's
Commanding Generals" and "Travels of Song's Lady of Henei County". Source: https://caijing.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202109/06/WS6135b2dfa3101e7ce9762208.html
Users can access different chapters through the touchpoints to enjoy the scenes
of life in Dunhuang murals during the Late Tang Dynasty and gain cultural
knowledge about the social customs and costumes of the time. After watching each
segment of the animation, users can participate in a cultural quiz challenge to
participate in raising funds for the China Dunhuang Grottoes Conservation
Foundation. In this way learning about cultural heritage is leveraged to pay real
dividends to those same heritage properties. By answering various questions, users could qualify for drawing NFT cards, and
these cards are randomly assigned based on different correct response rates. The
collection comprises cards representing the Talents of Wuwei, the Talents of Jianghu, the Talents of Shapable, the Talents of Brilliant General, and the Talents of Kirin. https://museum.gmw.cn/2021-09/06/content_35142967.htm.
14
There are a total of five talents used to design the card faces, and each card's rarity
level varies. [Figure 1.3] The more questions users answer correctly, the more money
will be raised, which will be directly funded by the Tencent Charity Foundation. All
the money raised will be used for the digitization and conservation of Caves 427, 145, and 138 at Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Each participating user can use their own
knowledge for the digital protection of grottoes to help realize a new era of Dunhuang
"digital patronage."
Figure 1.3: The five NFT cards that users have a chance to get by participating in the "Cloud Tour
Dunhuang" campaign. From left to right are Talent of Kirin, Talent of Brilliant General, Talent of
Shapable, Talent of Jianghu, and Talent of Wuwei NFTs card. Source: https://caijing.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202109/06/WS6135b2dfa3101e7ce9762208.html
The Tencent "Cloud Tour Dunhuang" game is divided into five echelons, users
who answer 0 questions correctly will have the opportunity to get "Talent of Wuwei
(无为,inaction)" NFTs card; those who answer 1 question correctly get "Talent of
Jianghu (江湖, world)" NFTs card; those who answer 2 questions correctly get a
"Talent of Shapable" NFTs card; those who answer 3 questions correctly get a "Talent
of Brilliant General" NFTs card; the "Talent of Kirin" NFTs card will be awarded to
15
those who answer all 4 questions correctly. Therefore, the game is structured into five
tiers (high to low): Talent of Kirin, Talent of Brilliant General, Talent of Shapable, Talent of Jianghu, and Talent of Wuwei's NFTs card. Obtaining an NFT card is not
guaranteed every time a user answers the four questions; in fact, there is a high
probability that it may not be extracted. If successfully extracted, Tencent mandates
real-name authentication to receive the NFTs. Each real-name authenticated account
can only receive one NFT card, further preventing scalping behaviors and preserving
the public welfare nature of the initiative. To study the gameplay and content, I also participated in the promotion. On the
evening of September 9, 2021, at 9 o'clock, due to the preliminary warm-up activities, the NFT community and many cultural and museum enthusiasts were extremely
enthusiastic to participate. The number of participants in the event far exceeded
Tencent's expectations. Subsequently, the mini program experienced a lag in entry
and exit for nearly an hour. The Dunhuang NFTs gameplay released by Tencent this
time is also quite rich: it not only includes the most popular collectible card gameplay
of NFTs but also combines online learning and public welfare activities, avoiding the
legal risks brought by NFTs resale. Throughout the entire event, it is not difficult to see Tencent's sincerity: whether
it is from the pre-event promotion and warm-up, or the UI interaction and
question-answering interaction during the event, they have successfully attracted
numerous cross-domain users. From the perspective of the Dunhuang Museum, the
purpose of this event is in line with the expectations of contemporary museums to
16
increase public understanding of Chinese culture and history. Despite its novel form, this move has led potential audiences to recognize the history of Dunhuang art, achieved strong advertising benefits, and further cultivated user interest and
stickiness.
17
Chapter 3: NFTs+ Online Museum: What Does It Bring to Different Groups of
People?
The basic functions and characteristics of museums are collecting, displaying
and researching art/artifacts, with public improvement as an underlying goal. The
attempt by Tencent and Dunhuang Research Institute to jointly release the first NFTs
for cultural museums opens up new possibilities for the application of NFTs to online
museums. The encrypted and unchangeable characteristics of NFTs born on the
blockchain coincide with the unrepeatable nature of traditional art, whether it is a
native digital product or a physical object, based on the chain mapping; in the
blockchain network, the NFTs generated will have a unique proof of identity, and can
be tracked at any time. It can be said that this can, to a certain extent, reduce the
possibility of physical artwork being imitated and protect the rights and interests of
asset owners. At the same time, put into a larger context, when traditional art is
transferred to digitalization, its value will also be recognized. With the rapid development of society, people are also paying more and more
attention to the pursuit of spiritual and cultural values. Visiting museums and
experiencing cultural atmosphere while consuming cultural products has become a
new trend among young people. Taking Dunhuang as an example, after years of
publicity and promotion, the art and culture of Dunhuang itself has become an IP with
high popularity and strong commercial monetization ability.14 How do we make a
14 "Topnod digital collection sets off another wave of fire, Dunhuang IP heat is not decreasing." Xianhuowanwu.com. Accessed January 9, 2024. http://www.xianhuowanwu.com/h-nd-567.html.
18
good online museum that more skillfully utilizes the qualities of Dunhuang's IP and
makes it more accessible to a wider audience? A good interactive experience is the
key. From the point of view of the event, the "Shengdonghuayu" of the event allows
users to get a chance to speak to Dunhuang culture. Su Bomin, President of the
Dunhuang Research Insititute, explains:
With the launch of this app, we hope to let more people see the diverse
values contained in Dunhuang's Mogao Caves, and let users interact with
Dunhuang's culture through the Q&A method, while also contributing to
the preservation of the Dunhuang culture. We hope to let more people see
the multiple values contained in Dunhuang's Mogao Caves, and also let
users interact with Dunhuang culture through the quiz, while also raising
funds for the protection of Dunhuang's caves, a very good attempt at
protecting and promoting Dunhuang culture.15
Significance for Museums
This event has also brought many valuable highlights to the digital development
path of China's national-level museums. The emergence of COVID-19 has added many restrictions to the lives and travel
of global residents, so in recent years, many large museums at home and abroad have
begun to pay more attention to the transformation of online museums. For example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has not only released over 200,000
public domain licensed works of art for online download, but also has a section on its
official website called "The Met 360° Project" [Figure 2.1] in which six videos
feature a 360-degree panoramic view, inviting viewers to visit the museum's art and
architecture from a fresh perspective.1617
15 "Dunhuang Research Institute and Tencent jointly launched the first public interest interesting cultural
interactive products - 'Shengdonghuayu,'" September 7, 2021, https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_14395789. 16 "Search the Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed January 9, 2024.
19
Figure 2.1: The Met 360° Project using six short videos invites viewers around the world to
virtually visit art and architecture in a fresh, immersive way. Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/met-360-project
Compared to offline tourism, the key breakthrough of the "Cloud Viewing
Exhibition" lies in crossing the physical space and knowledge threshold; if, however, we try to view the project from the perspective of a curator, The Met's move is only
the first step towards digitizing the museum. What users are still doing constitutes
individual behavior within a closed space, and the audience who passively receives
information still lacks a sense of participation and interactivity. Compared to this, the collaboration between Dunhuang Research Institute and
Tencent appears to be very clever. The advantage of online museums themselves lies
in meeting the needs of users for whom it is inconvenient to travel, to enjoy and
participate in the museum in their leisure time. Traditionally, for visitors to museums
to have a high-level visit experience, they need not only rich knowledge reserves but
also detailed and interesting materials such as annotations, as well as sufficient
interactive space. For audiences from other places, the physical space limitations of
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?showOnly=openAccess&searchField=All&sortBy=relevance. 17 "The Met 360° Project." 2018. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. October 25, 2018. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/met-360-project.
20
visiting museums themselves have long existed, and the knowledge threshold for
offline tourism has also existed for a long time. However, the emergence of online
museums and NFTs has, in a sense, solved this problem. In his canonical essay, Art in
the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin states, "Namely, the desire of
contemporary masses to bring things ‘closer’ spatially and humanly, which is just as
ardent as their bent toward overcoming the uniqueness of every reality by accepting
its reproduction."
18
In other words, mechanical replication brings the possibility of changing the
power structure. The common people in the past did not have the opportunity to
witness the Buddhist art sculptures in Dunhuang, and the citizens who were confined
to a certain land found it difficult to gain access to the distant external world. In this
way, the possession of art and world experience becomes a privilege. However, the
birth of mechanical replication has subverted this power structure, and people's desire
to possess things can be easily realized. Everyone can easily obtain NFTs of artworks
or learn about the customs and traditions of foreign lands without leaving home, creating a sense of universal equality in things, and privileges seems to disappear
from the discourse of the masses. The universal sense of equality in things is
transferred to the psychology of the masses, emerging as a universal sense of equality
among the masses. Under such historical conditions, echtheit (authenticity) and the
value of worship are not only unnecessary, but must also be eliminated: the
18 Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Mit.edu. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/benjamin.pdf.
21
uniqueness, historicity, and sense of distance of the object all mean that the object
looks down on the public. The NFTs collaboration between Tencent and Dunhuang
Research Institute has further eliminated barriers constituted by the object by rooting
Dunhuang culture in the form of mini-programs on WeChat platforms with a huge
user base. The design of this activity not only considers the functionality, service, and
knowledge of the application itself but also brings fun and collectibility to the use of
NFTs, further achieving the effect of retaining users and developing offline
communities. NFTs, as a medium with broad prospects, should not only be used as a tool for
speculation. Under the strong supervision of the Chinese government, for NFTs to be
widely used in the cultural exhibition market, it is even more necessary to strengthen
the ability of NFT technology to serve the public and respond to the principle of "technology for good."
19 The concept of transformation and efforts to transform into
a strong public welfare infrastructure are important links. This concept is reflected on
the user end, and the permanent storage capability based on NFTs technology will
continue to radiate outward to a wider group in a radial manner. The establishment of
this benign mechanism also has a lot of reference value for many national-level
museums to explore and cultivate long-term and in-depth user groups in the future. Looking at China as a whole, the vastness of its territory has given birth to a wide
variety of brilliant cultures; as recorders and inheritors based on localities, China's
local public museums have invariably assumed a lot of social responsibility. Like
19 "Ma Huateng: Technology for good means using technology capabilities to better care for people." Tencent.com. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.tencent.com/zh-cn/articles/2201535.html.
22
many local museums, the Dunhuang Museum is not located in a favorable geographic
environment; it is in a remote area of western China that many people will never visit
in their lifetimes, making it difficult to promote. In addition, local museums have long
faced financial constraints and a weak awareness of systematic protection of cultural
relics. The security situation of collections is serious, with cases of theft/selling of
documents from the collection by insiders in the cultural relics system. In his book
Safety and Security of Cultural Heritage Protection, Shan Jixiang, former director of
the The Palace Museum of China, points out that with the rapid development of
urbanization, illegal construction, natural disasters, cultural relics crimes, environmental pollution, among many other factors, China's cultural heritage has
frequently suffered damage and destruction, and some immovable cultural relics
collections are also subject to huge security risks.20 There are also widespread cases
of damage to cultural relics that are difficult to repair after lending, and cases of rare
cultural relics that have been reduced for public display due to protection
requirements.21 The risks of cultural relics preservation and exhibition have been
frequently reported both domestically and internationally. October 28, 2022, the
Taipei Palace Museum issued a statement stating that "On February 3, 2021, and
April 7, 2022, when personnel from the Porcelain Department were sorting out
cultural relics, they opened a package and found that the 'Ming Dynasty Hongzhi
Style Light Yellow Green Colored Double Dragon Small Bowl' (明 弘治款娇黄绿
20 Jixiang Shan, chapter 1, in Building Security for Cultural Heritage (Tianjin University Press, 2017), 78. 21 "Not Just in U.S. ... Chinese Relics Damaged in Japan, Singapore, Taiwan,"South China Morning Post, April 16, 2018. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2134714/five-more-chinese-relics-came-cropper-display-abroad.
23
彩双龙小碗)and the 'Qing Dynasty Kangxi Style Dragon Small Yellow Porcelain
Bowl'(清 康熙款暗龙白里小黄瓷碗)were damaged. On May 19, 2022, during the
sorting of cultural relics, due to negligence by personnel during the operation, the
'Qing Dynasty Qianlong Blue and White Flower Plate'(清 乾隆 青花花卉盘)
[Figure 2.2] fell and was damaged."
22
Figure 2.2: Three artifacts that were exposed to breakage in 2022: "Ming Dynasty Hongzhi Style
Light Yellow Green Colored Double Dragon Small Bowl" (top left); "Qing Dynasty Kangxi Style
Dragon Small Yellow Porcelain Bowl" (bottom); and "Qing Dynasty Qianlong Blue and White
Flower Plate" (top right)
Source: http://www.hkcna.hk/docDetail.jsp?id=100524542&channel=2805
Coincidentally, on May 8, 2023, one of the treasures of the Minneapolis Museum
of Art exhibited at its special exhibition the Pillsbury Owl (商 青铜枭尊) [Figure
2.3], was accidentally damaged during the exhibition. This bronze owl-shaped wine
vessel from the 12th or 13th century BC was first exhibited at this special exhibition. 22 "Finally Admitted! Multiple Artifacts Destroyed at Taipei Palace Museum, Long at High Risk..." Southern Metropolis Daily. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://m.mp.oeeee.com/a/BAAFRD000020231117876210.html.
24
It is said that a child "tripped and collided with the booth where the bronze owl was
placed, causing the artifact to be damaged."
23
Figure 2.3: The Pillsbury owl from Mia's collection. Source:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/visitor-damages-chinese-bronze-minneapolis-institute-of-art-229800
6
In order to avoid such unfortunate recurrence, public museums across the
country should actively promote cultural heritage safety and explore the establishment
of a long-term mechanism for cultural heritage safety and security. Integrating NFTs
as a part of online museums will play a great role in its virtual qualities that can save
the original works from damage and loss on display and will likely become an
important means of solving the dilemma of preserving and displaying cultural relics. Value for Commercialization
23 Francesca Aton, 2023. "Ancient Bronze Owl Damaged by Visitor to Minneapolis Institute of Art."Artnews.com. May 8, 2023. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/ancient-bronze-owl-damaged-by-visitor-to-minneapolis-institute-of-art-1
234666976/.
25
But if we turn to discuss whether Dunhuang's success in IP commercialization
operation is universal, the answer is uncertain at best. To carry out the digital
protection of cultural relics, the museum itself needs to have sufficient basic security
conditions; in the absence of the museum's own conditions, it is difficult to achieve
the follow-up work and related results. In this case, the Dunhuang Museum has the
advantage of its unique historical origin. The dispersal and popularity of Dunhuang
artifacts has led the museum to spend a lot of human resources, capital, and global
diplomacy, so it has a more advanced digitization foundation. According to China
News, the initial budget for the digital Dunhuang project is $250 million, with
planning based on a ten-year implementation period. Throughout China, it is not
uncommon for public local museums to have a large number of valuable artifacts, but
it is rare for them to have such abundant resources for digitization. If other local
museums intend to do the same, their digitization costs are not affordable for public
museums with tight budgets. Secondly, the Dunhuang Museum has been trying to
license IP for many years, and in the absence of a perfect mechanism for NFTs under
China's existing copyright law,24
the Dunhuang Museum has been able to avoid all
the risks it might encounter by establishing a more complete mechanism for managing
its collections, digital resources, and systems. Summarizing: NFTs Possible Positioning and Connection with Cultural Heritage
Entities
So how exactly should NFTs be positioned? Will NFTs render cultural relics less
24 Paolo Beconcini, “IP Protection of NFTs: A Comparative Look at the US and China,” Global IP & Technology Law Blog, January 4, 2023, https://www.iptechblog.com/2023/01/ip-protection-of-NFTs-a-comparative-look-at-the-us-and-china/.
26
important? At present, this issue may be a groundless concern. As early as December
2016, the National Office of Philosophy and Social Sciences in China had already
mentioned in its Interim Test Report on the Theory, Methods and Applications of 3D
Digital Technology in Chinese Cave Temple Archaeology:
Although digital technology was initially introduced into the field of
grotto temple archaeology to replace the heavy workload of manual
measurement and provide a better digital mapping base for drawing line
maps in grotto temples, the practice has shown that the results of digital
measurement not only form a base map for drawing line maps but also
provide a more comprehensive record of grotto temples. Digital
technology is a new method for recording contemporary archaeological
techniques in grotto temples, rather than just meeting the requirements of
traditional tools. Therefore, the results of both records should be
published and printed simultaneously. The “Yuanguang Temple on
Mount Xumi”(《须弥山圆光寺》), which will be published by the end of
this year, is the first fully digital archaeological report on grotto temples
in China. The results of digital records and traditional methods are highly
integrated and printed simultaneously. Secondly, is paper text the best form of presentation for digital
technology intervention? The editing and publishing process of “Yuanguang Temple on Mount Xumi” proves that the format and length
of paper publishing are far from fully presenting the comprehensive
archaeological information of massive grotto temples obtained under the
intervention of new technologies. For example, requiring particularly
precise details that cannot be fully reflected. The true information of the
original size of the cave cannot be presented in the report. Some
comparisons and analyses that can only be done in digital files cannot be
presented in paper form. The inability to comprehensively present
archaeological survey results does not meet the basic requirement of
archaeology to comprehensively and objectively present site or relic
information. So, we believe it is necessary to explore the possibility of
digital publishing.25
From a scientific research perspective, digitizing cultural relics is to
comprehensively record the preservation status and details of cultural relics. As a
25 "Interim Test Report on the Theory, Methods and Applications of 3D Digital Technology in Chinese Cave Temple Archaeology." CCP News. Dec 01,2016. http://www.nopss.gov.cn/n1/2016/1201/c357633-28918316.html
27
further extension of digital cultural relics, the significance of NFTs lies in the
excavation and reuse of cultural relic data, which has social value beyond scientific
research. The existence of NFTs is not for scientific research, but for the public to
further popularize archaeological achievements. These achievements should not only
be presented to the archaeological or intellectual community but also the interested
public. NFTs provide opportunities and platforms for tourists who are unable to visit
in person, allowing them to use cultural relics as personal electronic collections for
more careful observation and research anytime, anywhere. As an alternative to on-site
inspection and appreciation, its existence value depends on the form and value of
cultural relics and should therefore be regarded as a derivative of another dimension
and carrier of cultural relics. The artifacts themselves provide cultural insight that is incomparable to the
models of artifacts projected on the line or in virtual light and shadow exhibitions. For
example, the ancient bronze tree of the Sanxingdui civilization of ancient Shu [Figure
2.4] whose body is as high as 4 meters, rises up to the sky with amazing beauty.26 But
if it is made into NFTs, limited by the size of the screen, the audience may not be able
to really feel its grandeur.
26 Stephen Brennecke, "The Bronze Tree of Sanxingdui Genesis Artefact," Creation.com | Creation Ministries
International, June 30, 2021, https://creation.com/the-bronze-tree-of-sanxingdui-genesis-artefact.
28
Figure 2.4: The No. 1 Bronze Tree was unearthed in the No. 2 Sacrificial Pit of Sanxingdui, and was
restored to a height of 396 centimeters, making it the largest single bronze artifact that has been
found in the world. Source: https://creation.com/the-bronze-tree-of-sanxingdui-genesis-artefact
The limitations of existing technology do not mean that NFTs can never surpass
the achievements of the original artwork; the two should not be in competition with
each other but rather complement each other. Artifacts here serve as the source of
inspiration for NFTs artworks. Digitization and NFTs are not the only answer to the
problem of art heritage conservation, but one of the means leading to a solution.
29
Chapter 4: NFTs Join Museum Preservation and Curation Efforts
Who Really Needs the NFTs?
Nowadays, the wide application of digitalization has led to the widespread
emergence of online exhibitions, which can realize people's desire to view cultural
relics in a comprehensive way without leaving home. Online exhibitions offer a
convenient way of viewing art for people who cannot travel, while effectively
reducing the risk of human damage to cultural relics. Yet we should still question the value of NFTs. Do people really need such a
wide range of functions and cleverly designed collections? This question is
reminiscent of the infamous Google Glass launched by Google, which can be
controlled by voice and touch to shoot movies, browse news, and provide
transportation and mapping services. The product, which was described as "entering
the era of science fiction blockbusters," was launched in 2014 and discontinued in
2015. It was unpopular for a number of reasons: some people were concerned about
the invasion of privacy, some felt it was strange to talk into the glasses in public, some found the display screen distracting, and many simply asked: what is the point
of paying $1,500 for a high-tech toy when smartphones can basically do all of the
same things? In terms of consumer demand, the biggest difference between eyeglasses
and cell phones lies in freeing up your hands; however, in the field of consumer
electronics, is "freeing up your hands" really such a valuable demand? According to
the story of Google Glasses, the answer is “no.” Will NFTs ultimately follow the old path of Google Glass? The answer to this
30
question needs to be analyzed and viewed from multiple perspectives. From the
perspective of cultural relic protection alone, currently digitization+NFTs can indeed
achieve the goal of cultural relic protection. At present, museums usually adopt a
combination of direct and indirect forms: digital projects accumulate cultural relics
protection materials, and NFTs serve as their branches to expand the audience and
raise funds. But if we turn to discussing whether the rapid iteration of technology will make
NFTs disappear, then it is indeed possible: museum preservation technology has been
changing dramatically over the decades. For example, image preservation has gone
through transformation from manual copying and black and white film to
high-definition digital archiving; when people used floppy disks with a capacity of
only 1MB years ago, they did not think that today's human storage methods would
evolve so rapidly. It is rare that the young people of Generation Z even know about
the existence of floppy disks, much less how to use them for reading and writing;
floppy disks have already disappeared from the environment in which they were used. In facing the future, who can guarantee that NFTs will not be rendered extinct by
social and technological changes?
Since the birth of digital currencies, the biggest variable that affects their market
prospects is not technological progress, but the factor of "policy regulation." The
Chinese government has always been cautious about the use of blockchain technology, and its reasons are also clear: from 2016 to 2019, the harm caused by P2P financial
31
speculation was still clearly visible,27 and the government took a precautionary
attitude to prevent the huge foam caused by the disorderly development of the market. Moreover, excessive development of blockchain technology will lead to regional
energy shortages and skyrocketing carbon emissions, thereby triggering a series of
severe environmental problems.28 From this, it can be seen that for NFTs to achieve
significant development in China, it is still necessary for all parties to make
corresponding efforts in terms of technology and compliance. But in any case, for the time being, digitalization is indeed a boon for the
development of heritage preservation. 3D visualization has changed the traditional
preservation of cultural relics photographic three-view archive, a more detailed and
informative embodiment of cultural relics; through the digital collection of cultural
relics scanning, cultural relics can be endowed with a new digital physical form, which draws a new form of life of the traditional culture. Not only that, after the
digitization of cultural relics query statistics fast and flexible, not only to enhance
management efficiency, but also to facilitate the authorization of secondary creation
and research
29
. In the Interim Measures for the Management of State-owned Cultural
Relics Resources and Assets jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance of China and
the State Administration of Cultural Heritage on March 11, 2021, the informatization
27 "Rethinking P2P: From Blooming to Completely Zeroed Out." Sina.cn. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://finance.sina.cn/zl/2020-11-30/zl-iiznctke3925198.d.html?from=wap. 28 Marr, Bernard. 2023. "Why Blockchain, NFTs, and Web3 Have A Sustainability Problem." Forbes. January 13, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/01/13/why-blockchain-nfts-and-web3-have-a-sustainabilit
y-problem/?sh=29cd07775b0b. 29 "What is the experience of digitizing cultural relics and bringing them to life?, "November 9, 2021, https://www.sohu.com/a/500023244_120355577.
32
management of cultural relics resources and assets, as an important chapter, has been
included.30
Prospects for China to Establish Its Own Digital Archaeological Professional
System
He Siyang, who works at the Beijing Cultural Expo Business Development
Center, has also been looking forward to the day when China can establish its own
digital archaeology professional system. He believes that Museum+NFTs will provide
a unique advantage for preserving unnoticed aspects of the archaeological field, such
as focusing on the transmission and protection of intangible cultural heritage. He
states, "The ancient Chinese people who lived in the Taosi site 5,000 years ago, their
living habits, calendars, and traditional crafts are all intangible objects that are
difficult to define and quantify their own value, but NFTing them can effectively
archive and record them and form IPs, which will generate far-reaching development
significance for the subsequent construction and development of museums across the
entire Taosi site. "
31
He Siyang has also pointed out that the process of archaeological excavation of
many artifacts is as valuable as the artifacts themselves. Due to the standard format of
museum exhibitions and the curatorial focus on artwork, few cultural relics
exhibitions in China focus on the process of archaeological excavation. Traditionally, 30 "Notice of the Ministry of Finance and the Cultural Relics Bureau on Issuing the Interim Measures for the Management of State owned Cultural Relics Resources and Assets," Gov.cn. March 16, 2021, https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2021/content_5616171.htm. 31 He Siyang, (principal advisor, Beijing Cultural Expo Business Development Center) in discussion with the
author, Beijing, China, Feb 13, 2022.
33
museums make wax figures to reproduce scenes in curatorial exhibitions, but these
static scenes are dull and lack interactivity and the reuse rate of materials is low. In
addition, the biggest flaw of wax statues is the complex maintenance process, which
is "prone to corrosion, mold, cracking, and passivation,” and is “extremely prone to
dust accumulation."
32 If curators want to create a rich viewing experience, relying
solely on the static display of wax figures is obviously not the way to meet the needs
of current audiences. China is not lacking in exciting archaeological discoveries. For instance, the
"Nanhai One" shipwreck detected in 1987 is by far the largest and best-preserved
ocean-going trade ship among the sea wrecks found in the world. [Figure 3.1] China
spent more than thirty years and more than 300 million yuan, to complete the salvage
of the hull ashore in 2007.33 The archaeological project of "Nanhai One" has
unearthed more than 180,000 pieces of cultural relics, and constitutes a world-class
major archaeological discovery.
32 "Daily Care of Wax Figures." China News. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/2010/07-22/2419345.html. 33 "'Nanhai One' excavation phase ended more than 180,000 pieces of Southern Song Dynasty artifacts on
display," people.com. March 25, 2022, http://gd.people.com.cn/n2/2022/0325/c123932-35191572.html.
34
Figure 3.1: The excavation site after the salvage of "Nanhai One". Source: https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2410730
The excavation program and process of "Nanhai One" are significant enough to
serve as an important part of its cultural relics curation. The combination of NFTs and
emerging technologies such as AR enables museums to allow visitors to experience
the complex and arduous underwater excavation environment, the state of the sunken
ship cabin, and the origin of massive cultural relics from a primary perspective. These
aspects also constitute cultural and creative highlights of the "Nanhai One"
shipwrecks exhibition. Considered from the perspective of the long-term development
of heritage preservation, the forms of cultural heritage protection in the future should
also be diversified; the application of enhanced graphics, digital intelligence, digital
twins, AI, AR, VR, mixed reality, and other cutting-edge technologies will bring more
interactive and immersive experiences to people. The new approaches to
interpretation will also provide museums with brand-new ways of thinking to carry
out their curatorial activities.
35
Scenarios of NFTs Use in the Context of the New Era
The art and cultural relics handed down within traditional society and the NFTs
art and cultural relics in today's big data era of NFTs are fundamentally different in
the context of social development. This means that in the process of inheritance and
the innovation of art and cultural relics, it is necessary to dock with contemporary
culture and reshape the present language of NFTs. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, who first put forward the concept of cultural capital, believed that there were three
basic types of capital: economic capital, cultural capital, and social capital.34 Cultural
heritage is a standard form of cultural capital, and in order to carry it forward it is
necessary to have the participation of the other two types of capital and jointly
promote it. Museums seeking to make cultural relics available to thousands of
households must enhance the core competitiveness of their own brand and constantly
innovate and develop. At the same time, museums should also make full use of the
advantages of the Internet to build and share, accelerate the development of museums
and cultural creativity of modern daily necessities, thereby eliminating the
psychological distance between the public and history and culture. In the era of e-commerce, creating and supporting cultural museums requires
more than just a lone institution. The museum must unite with enterprises, industries, designers, craftsmen, and more, to carry out multi-party cooperation. Museums must
utilize talent, capital, technical resources, and other cumulative energies to develop
new industries, extend the cultural and creative industry chain, and give full play to
34 Pierre Bourdieu, Forms of Capital: General Sociology, Volume 3: Lectures at the Collège de France 1983 - 84
(Polity Press, 2021).
36
the strengths of the various regions.35 The successful cooperation between Tencent
and the Dunhuang Research Institute offers an example of NFTs that can revitalize
cultural heritage. The most reasonable use of NFTs should be to serve as lubricants
for various conversion processes, rather than providing a single product service. It is
precisely because of its strong versatility and financial performance in domestic and
foreign markets that it is highly likely that NFTs will become important sources of
revenue for museums.36
Let us examine the protection of cultural heritage in relation to the ideal use of
NFTs. Each local museum, as a key player in promoting non-heritage culture to the
outside world, should not only focus on constructing distinctive hardware facilities
and enriching the collection of cultural relics but also actively participate in the
creation of non-heritage attractions. This involves digitalizing non-heritage culture, publishing books on non-heritage culture, facilitating the exhibition and sale of
non-heritage cultural products, and establishing non-heritage cultural experience
centers. By doing so, the touchpoints of non-heritage culture become diversified, promoting both online and offline efforts to expand the non-heritage culture brand. Local governments play a crucial role in fostering the synergistic development of
rural revitalization and cultural industries. This is achieved by integrating the
protection of non-heritage into various carriers such as characteristic towns, historical
and cultural museums, and new socialist villages. The systematic development of
35 Jian Wan, Lacquer Gilding: Ningbo Intangible Cultural Heritage Lacquer Art and University Education
Inheritance (Hang Zhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2022), 190. 36 Scott Reyburn, 2022. "Museums Are Cashing in on NFTs." The New York Times, March 25, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/25/arts/design/museums-nfts.html.
37
differentiated and characteristic tourism resources ensures that a broad audience can
access tourism, thereby driving the local economy through first-hand experiences. In the foreseeable future, virtual tourism is expected to become more common, and NFTs may continue to play a key role by providing economic support. Let us explore the envisioned ideal utilization scenario of NFTs within a broader
context, using the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage as a paradigm. In this
context, local museums assume a pivotal role in the dissemination of intangible
cultural heritage to a global audience. Beyond the establishment of distinctive
physical infrastructure and the enrichment of cultural artifacts, these institutions also
shoulder the responsibility of fostering attraction creation, digitally promoting culture, publishing cultural literature, curating exhibitions and sales of cultural products, and
cultivating immersive cultural experience centers. By doing so, they facilitate a
diverse array of points of engagement through which the essence of non-material
heritage can be communicated to the outside world. This diversification of
touchpoints ensures that intangible cultural heritage finds resonance across a wider
spectrum of channels, effectively bridging the divide between heritage and
contemporary culture. The amalgamation of online and offline collaborations serves as a conduit to
expand the cultural brand associated with intangible cultural heritage. Concurrently, local governments play a pivotal role in propelling synergistic development by
amalgamating heritage preservation with platforms such as characteristic towns, historical and cultural museums, and emerging socialist villages. By systematically
38
fostering differentiated and distinct tourism resources, they facilitate first-hand
experiential encounters that augment the public's sense of tourism engagement while
driving local economic growth. Looking ahead, the integration of "Intangible Cultural Heritage + Cultural
Creative Development + Tourism" is poised to become increasingly pervasive. This
paradigm shift engenders the transformation of tourism routes into innovative
reservoirs of fresh tourism resources, products, and services through the infusion of
intangible cultural heritage elements; NFTs can play a role in threading and polishing
at every stage of this new paradigm. Chen Ping, Director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the
Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, also holds a similar view to He
Siyang:
The most important core of intangible cultural heritage NFTs is to carry
cultural elements. The essence of tourism is to satisfy the cultural desire
of "seeing mountains, seeing water, and seeing oneself." People
appreciate NFT works, which not only brings sensory stimulation, but
also allows them to feel the deeper spiritual enjoyment of "seeing heaven, earth, and seeing into the inner world." If NFTs can reach this level, then
the market is undoubtedly huge.37
At present, some public museums in China are taking the first step in their
attempts. The digital collection platform "Maritime Museum" ( 海 上 博 物 )
independently developed by Shanghai Museum was officially launched on August 5, 2022. [Figure 3.2] This is the first digital collection platform and blockchain
technology system to be independently developed and owned by the museum industry
in China so far. At the same time, "Maritime Museum" is also a digital collection hall
37 "In the digital age, non-heritage + tourism is opening up the landscape." Traveldaily.co.uk. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://m.traveldaily.cn/article/150635.
39
of Shanghai Museum. Every time a digital collection is released, a collection will be
collected in the museum, ultimately forming an online cultural museum that covers
rich content such as cultural relics, art, and creation.38 The project will also focus on
themes such as inheriting intangible cultural heritage and promoting excellent
traditional Chinese culture and give back to society through the distribution of public
welfare digital collections and donations of benefits.
Figure 3.2: The interface of the Maritime Museum application. Users can reserve, purchase, and
enjoy artifacts NFTs. Source: http://www.cnr.cn/shanghai/tt/20220801/t20220801_525942734.shtml
As this holistic integration gains momentum, NFTs wield significant potential in
shaping and augmenting various stages of the intangible cultural heritage journey. Their capacity to securely validate ownership, authenticate provenance, and facilitate
seamless transactions renders them invaluable tools in the preservation and
perpetuation of intangible cultural heritage. By encapsulating the essence of heritage
within these digital tokens, NFTs not only safeguard its integrity but also extend its
38 "Shanghai Museum." Shanghaimuseum.net. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.shanghaimuseum.net/mu/frontend/pg/m/article/id/I00004527.
40
reach into contemporary discourse, amplifying its cultural significance and enriching
the tapestry of global culture. Summarizing: The Fit Between NFT's Own Attributes and Museum Curation
Does the light-hearted playfulness of NFTs clash with the relatively serious
subject matter of museum curation? It is true that museum curation should be based
on regional audiences, but museums should not presuppose the need for seriousness
too greatly, for this can limit their potential audience. As a public space, a museum
should always be prepared to engage with audiences of different levels and
backgrounds, and be committed to providing a unique experience for all. The ultimate
goal of the museum is to make more people interested in traditional culture and
heritage conservation. In his monograph Social Polarization, Japanese economist
Toshiaki Tachibanaki mentions that in today's society, where classes are solidified
and the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, there is still a decoupling
between the current market and the needs of the people.39 Tachibanaki suggests
several solutions for changing the gridlocked Japanese society, such as balancing
competition and fairness, correcting the employment gap, stimulating regional vitality, guaranteeing access to education, accelerating poverty relief, reforming the tax and
social security systems, and getting rid of "small government," etc. If we try to place
the problem in a different context, we can see that the current market is still
disconnected from the needs of the people. If we try to place the question in an artistic
context, the question is equally acute: how do we change the art world, which is filled
39 Toshiaki Tachibanaki, Confronting Income Inequality in Japan: A Comparative Analysis of Causes, Consequences, and Reform (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2009).
41
with even greater disparities in China because of the country's late start in economic
development? The emergence of NFTs may be an important solution to this problem. China has a long tradition of aesthetic education as character education, and
amid these new historical conditions the nation should continue to carry forward the
spirit of Chinese aesthetic education and give full play to the fundamental role of
aesthetic education in purifying the mind and cultivating virtue. However, despite
China's economic take-off the last thirty years and its many great achievements during
this period, the method of Chinese art education still copies the former Soviet Union's
teaching aesthetics and style. Throughout the nation's classrooms, there is always only
one standard answer to a poem, the creative styles of primary school students in
printmaking clubs are all highly similar, and the public's aesthetics for artworks still
remains at the stage of "the more realistic, the better." These phenomena evidence that
our current aesthetic education does not see the development of students' personality
and creativity as very important tasks—the contemporary Chinese audience's
understanding of beauty still exists in some cognitive faults. Given such problems, Chinese aesthetic education should not only strengthen its research on aesthetic
education to promote the development of students' individual personalities and
creativity styles; aesthetic education also needs to keep up with today's innovation-led
era, so that aesthetic education can be innovative while inheriting from tradition. This
does not mean that we should abandon what we have: Chinese history and culture
should still be expressed in traditional Oriental forms, emerging technologies are only
vehicles to assist in this expression.
42
As mentioned earlier in this section, digitization and NFTs are contemporary
art’s modern interpretation of history, and the playfulness of NFTs brings greater
possibilities to the potential transformation of public museums. From a curatorial
point of view, limited until now by the single form of traditional exhibitions, the
expansion of the use of diverse media will increasingly be an important demand in the
future. The reconstruction of classics with deeper and fuller cross-cultural thought
includes not only sorting out and examining classical historical and cultural resources, but also the laying aside of some "modern classics" that have already become
classical. Museums, as educational institutions, should take up this social
responsibility, combining the power of science and technology with the trend of the
times to bring more people the experience of real and virtual intertwining; the
introduction of NFTs will greatly enrich the needs of different levels of viewers and
reduce differences in the aesthetics of public art, so that more people will have the
opportunity to contact and appreciate art, and feel the charm of history.
43
Chapter 5: Opportunities and Risks of Heritage NFTs in China's Creative
Market
The Investment Value and Development Direction of NFTs in China
If we discard the aura of public welfare and only talk about economic value, is it
still worth investing NFTs in Chinese cultural institutions? Looking at the current
NFTs art collection and auction in China, cultural relic NFTs have always been hard
currency and very popular in the market. The reason for this is that many collectors
believe that although cultural relics-related digital collections usually have a larger
circulation, they are still capped and their quality is monitored by the IP-holding
museums; the above points make the ecology of cultural relics NFTs more unique
compared to that of original NFT artworks. However, the current use of NFTs to
enrich the pre- and post-exhibition experience is incomplete, and its application to
digital collectibles alone is limited. If we want to achieve higher economic benefits, NFTs should be added to the whole exhibition system in a more comprehensive way. In addition to art collections, NFTs can be more widely used in brand marketing, credentials, tickets, account management, intellectual property rights and other niche
directions. If NFTs are used as a credential for special privileges and licenses, it can
also be co-branded and collaborated between multiple industries built on the same
infrastructure, and different IPs will bring new and unique digital and real experiences
to users when interacting with each other. As time continues to evolve, NFTs can also
be used in digital fashion and avatar services in the meta-universe.40
40 Zen, "NFTs in China: Compliance Development Starts from the Bottom Up," December 13, 2022,
44
The Dunhuang Flying Sky and Nine-Colored Deer payment code skins jointly
offered by Alipay and Dunhuang Art Research Institute may be a valuable reference. The Dunhuang Lucky Flying Skin, for example, which totaled 8,000 units and
required only 10 Alipay points and 9.9 yuan, was snapped up as soon as it went live. [Figure 4.1] The Dunhuang Flying Skin image corresponding to this NFT can be used
as the image on the Alipay payment page. This means that after purchasing the skin, users will be "one in a million" among Alipay users around the world when it comes
to the payment code page.41 Alipay's choice of payment, a high-frequency life scene, as the NFTs on sale, allows paying users to enjoy the "unique" experience more
frequently. For the offering platform, if NFTs can emphasize more on its real-life
application scenarios, buyers can have more opportunities to display it and increase
the occasions and frequency of use, which will be more conducive to the development
and precipitation of the corresponding community.
https://foresightnews.pro/article/detail/21241. 41 Bite Ba, "Ant Chain's 16,000 Dunhuang Concept NFTs Skins Snapped Up, Alipay May Give Birth to World's Largest NFTs Trading Platform?," June 23, 2021, https://www.odaily.news/post/5169683.
45
Figure 4.1: The Dunhuang Lucky Flying Skin NFTs are issued based on Ant Chain with Ant Chain
exclusive unique code. To purchase, users need 10 Ant Points + 9.9 yuan. Source: http://www.cnr.cn/shanghai/tt/20220801/t20220801_525942734.shtml
Legal Risks of NFTs and the Museum Distribution Industry
In the age of digitalization, it is of course important to choose the trendiest way
of conveying historical and cultural knowledge, but innovation must be accompanied
by the observance of the legal bottom line, but innovation must be accompanied by
the observance of the legal bottom line. NFTs in the current Chinese context are
facing a serious problem of positive and negative speech polarization. Part of the
pro-NFTs crowd believes that it has an irreplaceable role to play in protecting
copyrights and passing on culture, while the opposing side believes that under the
current situation of immature industry and unsound laws and regulations, the
excessive proliferation of NFTs is likely to become a tool for speculators. Opponents
believe that high-definition pictures and even 3D images of corresponding cultural
relics can be found on the official websites of museums, which can be rotated to view
every detail and can be owned without purchase; however, for the target group, i.e., collectors, these pictures are still two different things from NFTs. Liu Wei, a digital
collector, believes that "the most important thing about collections is to confirm the
rights, and the digital collections launched by museums are equal to official
certification."
42 He believes that in the future the virtual world will become an
important scene in people's lives, and at this time, if one's home has a limited edition
artifact rather than a picture of the artifact, and it is officially certified without
42 "After banning 'dumping of digital artifacts', where does heritage NFT go from here?..." Sina.cn. May 27, 2022. https://finance.sina.cn/2022-05-27/detail-imizirau5021122.d.html.
46
worrying about counterfeiting, its value will inevitably be highlighted as well. Nowadays, most digital collections developed by museums are put on sale in
cooperation with technology platforms. Although the real face and image of cultural
relics is more capable of conveying correct knowledge of literature and history, there
are indeed many risks. "If(the museum) directly publish the image of cultural relics
become a digital collection, the value of the collection is certainly affected." In Liu
Wei's view, such a change is equivalent to the difference between "cultural relics" and
"cultural creation", "the former is the digitization of cultural relics, the latter is based
on the secondary creation of cultural relics, although they are digitized, but it is not
the same thing."
43
NFTs art in China still has additional trading problems that have not been
recognized by laws and regulations. For museums, directly releasing the digitized
results of cultural relics is not conducive to the safety and protection of cultural
relics,44 and it also creates problems for the long-term development of IP value. For
consumers, from the perspective of property rights, consumers do not own the NFTs
digital assets they purchase in the sense of civil law; what they enjoy is an exclusive
right to prohibit others from tampering with the attribution of NFTs recorded on the
blockchain without authorization. Nor can the owner prohibit others from accessing, copying, or distributing the digital assets mapped by the NFTs.45 It is not difficult to
observe that NFTs fail to touch the group characteristics of network works, and
43
Ibid. 44 Ni Ying, "Cultural heritage units should not directly sell the original data of cultural relics as limited
commodities," April 13, 2022, http://cul.china.com.cn/2022-04/13/content_41933470.htm. 45 Shenyu Ruan, "The Legal Attribute and Risk Governance of 'NFTs' in the Background of Digital Economy, " accessed October 21, 2023, https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/llyj/202305/t20230515_614042.shtml.
47
cannot effectively divide the intellectual property rights of network works, and still
follows the traditional copyright model, which has a limited effect on the
development and protection of copyright. In the field of copyright protection for
secondary creations, the NFT's artistic intent is to protect artists' copyright and the
right of recourse, but it also poses a challenge to the law. China's traditional
intellectual copyright laws do not protect the knowledge, inspiration, or labor of the
creator. For this reason, mainland Chinese law does not support NFTs artists enjoying
a share of the proceeds multiple times in multiple transactions, i.e., there is no legal
regulation related to resale right. In addition, if NFTs leave the credit endorsement of
museum institutions, it can do nothing about the resale right in the high-end art
market in the areas of ancient and modern cultural relics and artifacts.46
For all these reasons, major museums and their platforms are cautious about
developing cultural relics-related NFTs and take a long-term development attitude. The vast majority of museums' digital collections are priced between tens and
hundreds of dollars, a raw price that is "not worth mentioning" compared to the
previous record-high transaction prices of digital collections in the international
market. According to an industry media "museum headline," 2022 marked the beginning
of incomplete statistics; in January, museums released a total of 57 digital collections, the number reached 150 in March, and in April fell back to 60.47 Perhaps it is
46 Zhaoyi Bian, Analysis of the Prospects and Challenges of NFTs Art under the Situation of Art Concept
Transformation, Collection and Investment, Vol.14, (2023):118-120. 47 Gongbo Jian, "Where will cultural relics NFTs go after the ban on 'reselling' digital cultural relics?," accessed
May 27, 2022, https://finance.sina.cn/2022-05-27/detail-imizirau5021122.d.html.
48
precisely because of the cautious attitude of domestic manufacturers towards the
implementation of NFTs that the phenomena of "speculation" and "bubble" that
everyone talks about have not appeared in the NFTs market in a big way. In addition, under the Chinese government's strong regulatory environment, digital collectibles are
positioned more like a gift than an investment. The Chinese government's guidance
document Initiative on Preventing NFTs-Related Financial Risks issued on April 13, 2022 emphasized the risk of speculation several times, with an implicit intention to
intimidate.48 Prior tothis, various platforms had organized themselves to join forces
and establish an autonomous industry statute to avoid legal and political risks and
prevent a total wipeout. On October 31, 2021, the China National Copyright Trading
Center Alliance, the China Academy of Fine Arts, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the Chinese Academy of Arts were invited to participate in the NFTs market. Alliance, China Academy of Art, CCTV Animation Group, Hunan Provincial
Museum Ant Group, Jingdong Technology, Tencent Cloud and other organizations
jointly issued the Digital Cultural and Creative Industry Self-Discipline Convention
to strengthen industry self-discipline, build a benign digital cultural and creative
industry development ecology, and help China's cultural and creative industry
development. Resisting speculation is an important consensus of the Convention:
resolutely resisting any form of gimmick of digital cultural and creative works, substantive issuance and speculation of virtual currency; resolutely resisting any form
of malicious speculation on the price of digital cultural and creative works, and
48 "Three Associations Initiative to Prevent Financial Risks Related to NFTs, " accessed April 14, 2022, http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0414/c1004-32399435.html.
49
guarding against speculation and financialization risks. As a new form of cultural consumption that can be authenticated and traced, digital collectibles are highly compatible with the consumption concepts and market
demand of the current Generation Z. The digital collectibles can be used as a form of
cultural consumption that can be authenticated and traced. With the attention of
potential consumer groups, it is not difficult to imagine that the future market will
spontaneously promote the development and innovation of the technology. Therefore, the existing autonomous regulation of the industry is not all bad for the development
of NFTs in China; in terms of the long-term development of the digital collection
industry, the industry compliance regulatory policy needs to be quickly landed and
continuously improved and optimized, so as to avoid industry risks and ensure the
healthy and orderly development of the industry. At present, digital works NFTs
transaction involves four types of subjects: copyright owner, casting, platform and
buyer. Among them, the identity of the copyright owner and the caster may overlap, which is the most ideal state for sustaining the transaction.49 However, under the
current trend of cooperation between museums and NFTs platforms, the identities of
copyright holders and casters often do not overlap, and the copyright compliance
governance of NFTs platforms is particularly important. The current digital collection is still in the stage of speculation, the buyer is more
important to value-added and profitability. The value of the NFTs collection actually
relies on the cultural value attribute as well as the value of the physical assets behind
49 Shan Sun, "The Legal Attribute and Risk Governance of 'NFTs' in the Background of Digital Economy," accessed October 21, 2023, https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/llyj/202305/t20230515_614042.shtml.
50
it, i.e., scarcity; if its value if there is a serious deviation, the collector will
undoubtedly still only fall into the trap of speculation. Subsequent to the digital
collectibles industry will go to the healthy development or into the regulatory
shutdown, the core is the need to find business needs that can support the business
logic. And to balance the value of digital collection and speculation, the key is to dig
and build a sustainable business cycle.
51
Conclusion
The opportunities and risks facing cultural NFTs that I have delineated are
reminiscent of Max Weber's description of the "iron cage" of modern society. At the
end of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber writes:
The modern economic order... is now bound to the technical and
economic conditions of machine production which to-day determine the
lives of all the individuals who are born into this mechanism, not only
those directly concerned with economic acquisition, with irresistible
force. Perhaps it will so determine them until the last ton of fossilized
coal is burnt. In Baxter's view the care for external goods should only lie
on the shoulders of the "saint like a light cloak, which can be thrown
aside at any moment." But fate decreed that the cloak should become an
iron cage.50
Weber's metaphor of the "iron cage" is perfectly mirrored in the current era of
mankind's rapid entry into "technological society." Products designed and developed
by countless experts in every supply chain permeate every aspect of life. People think
they know what they are doing and make new technologies and products work for
them according to their own understanding of life, but technology has already
revolutionized the way we live. Economics, science, and technology have become increasingly important and
intertwined in today's society and have become tightly bound up with the security and
future of mankind. Viewed through the lens of this thesis, the digitalization of the
cultural branding of China's national museums corresponds to the imminent demands
of the times. Those who do not understand the technology will inevitably be limited
in their rights and deprived of their benefits. If museum curators do not want to
further disenfranchise themselves, they should reorganize the values around
50 Max Weber, "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. " Marxists.org. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/weber/protestant-ethic/ch05.htm.
52
technological advances and create a place for China in the rapidly developing world
cultural market. When the cultural and creative industries carry out IP output, not only
do they need to utilize diversified media to make their voices heard and fully integrate
media resources to develop the museum's cultural core brand, they also need to
expand their influence with the help of various new media. The future development of China's NFTs and digital museums must be
based on the current context, constantly digging deeper into cultural heritage and
creating unique cultural brands and unique forms. By utilizing the museum's natural
characteristics as an educational institution and incorporating NFTs as a part of digital
museum planning, NFTs will not only reduce potential market risks and play a
positive role, but also allow China's cultural exhibition industry to energetically enter
the modern world. Once people are able to understand the complex interactions that
take place in the process of creating virtual environments, the virtual will no longer
seem mysterious and elusive to the general public.
.
53
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Abstract (if available)
Abstract
This thesis investigates the potential of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to protect and promote art, establish and enforce intellectual property rights (IPRs), and reform copyright laws for digital museums in China. I examine case studies to analyze the NFTs conversion process of the Dunhuang Research Institute in collaboration with Tencent; and further explore the copyright issues raised by the 3D-enabled sale of cultural artifacts. I supplement these studies with interviews with Chinese public museum professionals and copyright lawyers. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to analyze the benefits and potential harms of NFTs in the digitization and preservation of art in Chinese national museums, and to predict the impact NFTs will have on the evolution of online museums and virtual exhibits in these institutions.
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A picture is no substitute for anything: intertextuality and performance in Moyra Davey’s Hujar / Palermo
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Wang, Linna
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Future Chinese museum collection games: NFTs + online exhibition?
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Roski School of Art and Design
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Art and Curatorial Practices in the Public Sphere
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2024-05
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