To further strengthen the management of museum collections, adapt to the needs of high-quality development of museums, and improve the standardization and refinement of collection management, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in accordance with the latest requirements of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics" and in light of practical work, has revised the "Measures for the Management of Museum Collections" promulgated by the former Ministry of Culture in 1986 and issued the "Measures for the Management of Museum Collections" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"), which is hereby promulgated and will come into effect on November 1, 2026.

The Measures consist of six chapters and sixty-three articles, including General Provisions, Basic Management of Collections, Management of Collection Storage, Protection and Utilization of Collections, Legal Liability, and Supplementary Provisions.

Chapter 1 General Provisions: This includes the legislative purpose, scope of application, definition of collections, management responsibilities, etc.

Chapter Two: Basic Management of Collections: This includes the requirements for the acquisition, collection, entry into the collection, grading, accounting, archiving, allocation, exchange, and withdrawal of collections.

Chapter Three: Collection Storage Management: This includes storage facilities and equipment, collection entry and exit, retrieval, borrowing, inventory, and security checks.

Chapter Four: Protection and Utilization of Collections: This includes the daily maintenance, protection and restoration, replication, rubbing, preventive protection, digital protection, research and utilization of collections.

Chapter Five: Legal Liability: Clarifies illegal and irregular situations in the management of collections and corresponding penalties.

Chapter Six Supplementary Provisions: This includes provisions on applicable procedures and effective dates, and clarifies that the original "Measures for the Management of Museum Collections" (Ministry of Culture Document No. 730 of 1986) will be repealed after the promulgation of the "Measures".

The main revisions to the Measures include:

First, we need to clarify the definition of collections and, based on laws and regulations, combined with research from the museum academic community and museum practice, determine the overall scope of collection management.

Second, we streamlined the basic framework for collection management, integrating various specific businesses into three major business areas: basic collection management, collection warehouse management, and collection protection and utilization, and clearly defining the management objectives, core tasks, and procedural requirements for each business area.

Third, we will refine and formulate basic principles for collection management, summarize the requirements of museum collection management system and the effective experience formed by museum long-term practice, and integrate basic principles such as classified and graded management, dynamic management throughout the whole process, and safety responsibility to individuals into the whole process and all aspects of collection management.

Fourth, we will strictly enforce institutional requirements, improve the institutional design, and refine the work procedures in response to the problems and weaknesses in the management of museum collections.

The Measures aim to achieve sound management systems, clear accounts, accurate information, proper storage, scientific protection, and reasonable utilization of museum collections. They incorporate basic principles such as classified and graded management, dynamic management throughout the entire process, and assigning safety responsibilities to individuals into the management system, and put forward a series of key requirements.

First, the regulations implement a categorized and tiered management system to ensure precise policy implementation. The regulations clearly distinguish between cultural relics and other collections such as fossils, specimens, and physical materials, and set forth corresponding management requirements for each type. For cultural relics of different levels, the regulations clarify the management responsibilities of cultural heritage administrative departments and museums at all levels, particularly regarding differentiated requirements in areas such as classification and archiving, conservation and restoration, and allocation and borrowing.

Second, the entire process is dynamically managed to ensure that each link is traceable and controllable. The Measures take the entire life cycle of collections as the management object, and clarify the management requirements for all links of collections from acquisition, appraisal, grading, account establishment, filing, warehouse management, entry and exit, inventory, withdrawal to protection and utilization. It emphasizes the requirements for standardized recording, signature confirmation and information updating throughout the basic management, warehouse management and protection and utilization of collections. It makes procedural and mandatory requirements for the general registration ledger and file management of collections, entry and exit records, inventory verification, etc., and makes technical and standardized requirements for daily warehouse inspection records, information technology application and data resource management. Through the system design, management is made traceable and the process is traceable.

Third, the Measures solidify safety responsibilities and establish a clear responsibility system. The Measures require that safety responsibilities be assigned to specific positions, processes, and personnel, ensuring the safety of collections through defined roles and responsibilities and inter-departmental collaboration. The Measures emphasize that the museum's legal representative or principal is the primary person responsible for the safety of collections, stress the primary responsibility of the custodian department for collection management, clarify the collaborative responsibilities of departments such as conservation and restoration, exhibition and display, asset management, security, and information technology in the circulation, utilization, and risk prevention of collections, strengthen effective coordination between various business activities, and include a dedicated chapter on legal liability to clarify penalties for illegal and irregular activities, forming a closed-loop management system where safety responsibilities are assigned to individuals, responsibilities are clearly defined, and supervision is effectively implemented.

Fourth, the Measures establish strict institutional requirements to comprehensively improve the safety management of collections. Addressing issues such as the lack of standardized management of donated collections and inadequate inventory mechanisms in some museums in recent years, the Measures focus on improving requirements for collection withdrawal, management of donated collections, and collection inventory. Regarding collection withdrawal, the Measures strictly limit the circumstances for withdrawal and the methods of handling after withdrawal, standardize expert evaluation and approval procedures by cultural heritage administration departments, and ensure a rigorous and prudent approach to collection withdrawal. Regarding the management of donated collections, the Measures further refine the donation acceptance procedures and the basic content of donation agreements, constrain the methods of disposing of donated collections, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of donors. Regarding collection inventory, the Measures clarify the methods and requirements for collection inventory, strengthen the responsibility of museum legal representatives and custodians for handover upon leaving office, promote the establishment of a long-term mechanism for inventorying museum collections, improve management processes, and enhance management levels.

The promulgation of the "Measures" is an important step in comprehensively improving the management level of museum collections and promoting the high-quality development of the museum sector in my country. Cultural heritage administrative departments and museums at all levels should carefully study all provisions of the "Measures," accurately grasp the core requirements, strengthen professional training, and improve their collection management systems and related work processes in accordance with the requirements of the "Measures," so as to effectively promote the implementation and effectiveness of the "Measures." (Source: CCTV News)