Methods for Collecting Donations for the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou City

The acquisition of cultural relics is a foundational task that underpins the sustainable development of museums and memorial halls. To better meet the needs of their ongoing development and exhibition programs, fill gaps in the collections, continuously expand and enrich the holdings, and enhance public service, while also elevating the research capabilities of these institutions and standardizing the management and implementation of acquisition activities, this regulation has been formulated.

Cultural relics are ancient remains that possess historical, scientific, and artistic value. In the process of collecting items, each individual piece may not necessarily embody all three types of value simultaneously, but it should at least exhibit one of them. Relics admitted into a collection should be representative physical objects that reflect the social institutions, modes of production, daily life, cultural and artistic achievements, and scientific and technological developments of successive dynasties. During acquisition, attention should be paid to the completeness and representativeness of the items collected; for those that can fill gaps in the museum’s holdings, the standards for completeness may be appropriately relaxed.

　　The memorial hall comprehensively presents the life journey and illustrious artistic achievements of Tang Xianzu, the “Sage of Eastern Opera.” To enhance its appeal and emotional impact on visitors, the exhibitions must be underpinned by rare cultural relics. In order to strengthen the collection of research materials related to Tang Xianzu, his historical era, the “Four Dreams of Linchuan,” and the broader trajectory of Chinese opera, the following scope for soliciting artifacts is hereby proposed:
1. Cultural relics related to the history, culture, and dissemination of opera during Tang Xianzu’s lifetime.
2. Historical materials (books, academic papers, newspapers, etc.) pertaining to the study of Tang Xianzu’s works from the modern and contemporary periods;
3. Collect materials on Tang Xianzu and other prominent figures who were contemporaneous with him or closely connected to him in the modern era, including various related artifacts and background items.

Key Solicitation:
1. Cultural relics related to Tang Xianzu and his works (including ancient printed and handwritten opera scripts, inscriptions on steles, paintings and sculptures, as well as everyday objects from his lifetime), along with historical materials (such as books, scholarly treatises, calligraphy and paintings, historical photographs, and audiovisual records; plus promotional materials and periodicals from academic and performance events).
2. Performance-related items such as costumes, stage props, and accompanying musical instruments associated with Tang’s plays.
3. Cultural relics and historical materials related to theatrical activities from different periods.　

1. Based on information about dispersed cultural relics, proactively solicit donations or collect non‑officially excavated artifacts and items that have been passed down among the public, either from organizations or individuals.　
2. Accept donations of cultural relics from private collecting institutions or individuals.
3. Subject to compliance with national laws and regulations, cultural relics held in the collections of institutions and private collectors shall be purchased on a voluntary-sale basis.　
4. Cultural relics transferred or exchanged, whether gratuitously or for consideration, between cultural relic collection institutions.
5. Conduct emergency salvage excavations or collect cultural relics discovered during infrastructure construction.
6. Cultural relics confiscated or forfeited by state public security, judicial, supervisory, customs, and other relevant authorities in the course of investigating cases, which are transferred in accordance with the prescribed procedures.
7. Arrange time-limited loans and exhibitions of cultural relics and collections belonging to relevant institutions or individuals.
8. State-owned collecting institutions, on the basis of voluntariness and mutual benefit, may exchange their cultural relics collections to supplement and enrich their respective holdings.
 

(1) Establish a Cultural Relics Collection Task Force
1. Establish a collection‑acquisition team responsible for formulating the museum’s acquisition plan and managing day-to-day collection‑acquisition activities.
2. Establish an expert database for collecting cultural relics, and appoint individuals with many years of experience in the professional study of cultural heritage, as well as in the appraisal and valuation of cultural relics, to serve as experts.
3. Experts for the identification and appraisal of other collected items that do not fall under the category of cultural relics shall be selected, according to the item’s category, from the provincial-level expert pool corresponding to the relevant field within the province.
4. The cultural relics collection effort is jointly undertaken by the collection team, together with the Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, the Municipal Finance Bureau, the supervisory authorities, the collecting institutions, and cultural heritage experts.

(II) Specific Operating Procedures
1. The memorial hall collects its holdings through purchase, auction, donation, exchange, reallocation, transfer, and other methods prescribed by laws and regulations, in accordance with the following procedures:
(1) Solicitation and survey. Based on the actual needs of exhibitions and scientific research, the relevant departments carry out surveys to solicit collections and identify acquisition leads. After an initial review of these leads, the acquisition team will make preliminary recommendations and submit a report on intended acquisitions to the unit’s senior leadership.
(2) Confirmation of Intent. Upon receipt of the intention‑collection report, the principal leader of the unit shall promptly convene the relevant collection staff and experts to deliberate and finalize the intent to proceed with the collection.
(3) Expert Selection. Based on the relevant category, three to five experts shall be appointed from the corresponding pool of appraisal and evaluation specialists to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the authenticity, value, and market price of the items proposed for acquisition. For the appraisal and evaluation of important or highly valuable cultural relics, one to two members of the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee must be included among the experts.
(4) Authenticity verification. Expert appraisal is conducted on an independent basis, with each expert working separately and refraining from any communication or consultation with one another. With respect to the acceptance of appraisal results, a “one‑vote veto” principle shall apply.
(5) Completion of the Opinion Form. Upon completion of the appraisal and evaluation, the expert shall complete the appraisal and evaluation opinion for the item proposed for acquisition, specifying the identification and chronological attribution of the object, indicating whether acquisition is recommended along with the rationale, and assessing the historical, artistic, and scientific value of the item in question.
(6) Determination of items. The solicitation team shall submit to the principal leader of the unit a report on the proposed items to be collected, together with the expert appraisal and evaluation opinions; on this basis, the items to be collected and their price ranges shall be determined.
The solicitation team shall, in accordance with the principles of prudence and economy, negotiate the acquisition price and other terms of acquisition with the item owners.
For cultural relics located within the province: the review shall be conducted by three qualified professionals holding the title of associate researcher or higher in a relevant field (including one to two nationally accredited appraisal experts in the same field), together with one supervising leader from this institution, one discipline inspection and supervision officer, one technical staff member, and one financial officer. In addition, one discipline inspection and supervision officer from the municipal culture and tourism bureau and one technical staff member from the municipal cultural relics bureau shall be invited to attend.
For cultural relics located outside the province: the review shall be conducted by two qualified professionals holding the title of associate researcher or higher in a relevant field (one of whom must be a nationally accredited appraisal expert in the relevant discipline), one supervising leader from this institution, one staff member from this institution or from the municipal cultural relics bureau, one financial officer, and one disciplinary inspection and supervision officer from this institution or from the cultural and tourism bureau.
2. Upon completion of the prescribed procedures for solicitation, the “Cultural Relics Solicitation Review Form” shall be completed and the relevant documentation submitted; implementation shall proceed only upon approval.
3. A collection‑acquisition agreement shall be concluded with the owner of the item, specifying the acquisition price, the method of delivery, liability‑exemption clauses, and other relevant terms.
5. When soliciting items through auction, experts shall be engaged to conduct appraisal and valuation prior to the auction opening. The final hammer price shall not exceed the expert‑appraised value.
6. In cases involving the transfer of cultural relics, an intention to transfer must first be agreed upon with the collecting institution, and a written application for the transfer of cultural relics must then be submitted to the provincial-level cultural relics administrative authority.
With the approval of the provincial cultural relics administrative department, the transferring and receiving parties shall sign a cultural relics transfer agreement, complete the transfer inventory and collection records, and file these documents with the provincial cultural relics administrative department; in the case of first-class cultural relics, such filings shall be submitted to the State Council’s cultural relics administrative department.
7. Citizens, legal persons, or other organizations other than state-owned cultural relic collection institutions that make donations shall ensure the provision of appropriate donation‑related services.
Donated items shall be subject to an initial review in a timely manner. Upon successful completion of the initial review, the solicitation team shall submit a written report to the unit’s principal leader, detailing information on the donor and the donated items as well as the findings of the preliminary assessment. The team shall then arrange for experts to conduct appraisal and evaluation of the donated items, after which the museum’s leadership will decide whether to accept the donation.
All donated items shall be accompanied by a certificate of donation, and donors may, as appropriate, be awarded recognition; the value of such rewards shall, in principle, not exceed 30% of the item’s appraised value.
8. Where an agreement on mutual exchange has been reached with a state-owned cultural relics collection institution that has already established archives for its holdings, both parties shall submit an application to the provincial-level cultural relics administrative department.
With the approval of the provincial-level cultural relics administrative department and upon filing with the State Council’s cultural relics administrative department, relevant cultural relics in museum collections may be exchanged among cultural relic collection institutions.
9. When cultural relics are collected through transfer, experts shall be promptly convened to conduct appraisal of the transferred items. At the time of handover, both parties involved and the implementing agency shall jointly verify the inventory list of the transferred cultural relics and complete procedures such as physical inventory, handover, and signature.
11. Upon completion of the acquisition process, the “Report on Results of Cultural Relics Acquisition” shall be completed, and the acquired items shall be promptly transferred to a designated temporary storage facility for safekeeping; they may not be kept or stored by private individuals, and formal procedures for their official accession into the collection should be initiated without delay.
12. Upon the receipt of collected items into the warehouse, the collecting personnel and the warehouse custodian shall jointly complete the handover and registration procedures. The collecting personnel shall also transfer to the warehouse custodian all relevant documentation pertaining to the collected items, including expert appraisal reports and valuation opinions, for safekeeping.
 

1. The memorial hall has formulated management regulations governing the expenditure of funds for collection activities, in accordance with the guidance of the financial authorities.
2. The funds allocated for collecting items shall be used for the following expenditures:
(1) Collection acquisition fee. Refers to the fee paid for the purchase of legally acquired collectibles, calculated as a percentage of the transaction price.
(2) Transportation and storage fees. These refer to expenses incurred during the acquisition of collection items, including packaging, transportation, and storage costs.
(3) Expert appraisal and valuation fees. Refers to the expenses incurred in engaging experts and appraisal/valuation institutions for conducting appraisals and valuations;
(4) Insurance premiums. Refers to the insurance costs incurred during the acquisition of collection items;
(5) Donation reward fee. This refers to the appropriate reward payments granted to citizens, legal persons, or other organizations in recognition of their donations of legally owned collections to the State.
(6) Reasonable compensation fees. These refer to the reasonable compensation paid to cultural relic institutions that provide cultural relics in accordance with the law when such relics are allocated or exchanged.
(7) Travel expenses. Refers to the travel costs incurred by staff involved in collecting and acquiring collection items during the course of their acquisition activities.
(8) Other expenses incurred during the acquisition of collection items.
3. Payment for the acquisition of collection items shall be made in accordance with relevant financial regulations. When disbursing acquisition funds, strict controls must be applied, and approvals shall be obtained at each level. The responsible officer(s) directly overseeing the acquisition shall complete the payment voucher; after it is signed by the head of the acquisition team and reviewed and countersigned by the finance department, it shall be submitted to the unit’s principal leader for approval.
4. For any items collected on a paid basis, the collecting party shall issue a valid receipt.
5. With respect to the collected items, detailed records shall be maintained for all materials generated during the survey and acquisition processes, as well as for information pertaining to the original owners of the items, and a dedicated person shall be assigned to oversee their management.
 

1. Any entity or individual that conducts collection‑acquisition activities in violation of these Measures, thereby causing losses or adverse consequences to the State or the institution, shall be held accountable in accordance with the Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant laws and regulations.
2. The collection‑acquisition process must be subject to oversight by the discipline inspection and supervision, finance, cultural relics, and auditing authorities.
3. Personnel involved in the solicitation process must uphold professional integrity, refrain from seeking personal gain, and may not, by virtue of their official duties, collect or trade cultural relics, nor may they improperly appropriate cultural relics or related materials.

1. Items that do not yet meet the criteria for accession but possess special significance, as well as exhibits essential to the exhibition, may be acquired in accordance with the museum’s collection‑acquisition procedures.
2. The Lin Zexu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou City reserves the right of interpretation of these Management Measures; any matters not covered herein shall be submitted to the Hall’s administrative meeting for discussion and decision.
3. These Measures shall enter into force as of the date of their promulgation.
 
 
Attachment: “Cultural Relics Collection Submission and Approval Form”
Report on the Results of Cultural Relic Acquisition

  Cultural Relics Collection Submission and Approval Form  






Call for Submissions Results Report