1. Introduction
Since 1978, under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, China has implemented a comprehensive series of economic, political, and social reforms known as the Reform and Opening-up policy. A number of coastal cities in southern China underwent a highly compressed process of modernization in a short period of time. In 1980, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, and Xiamen were designated as Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which are areas within a country or region that are granted special economic policies and management systems to facilitate external economic relations. As one of the earliest established SEZs, Zhuhai has transformed from a remote fishing village into a modern city over the past four decades, undergoing profound changes in its urban spatial form, industrial structure, and social composition. The rapid transformation has reshaped the city’s physical landscape and caused significant ruptures in its historical memory, social identity, and urban narrative. In this context, the question of how to integrate fragmented historical experiences into a coherent urban story has become a pressing issue for local governance and cultural practice.
City museums typically serve the function of preserving the history of a city. However, in cities undergoing significant transformation, particularly in policy-driven urban contexts, museums are assigned an even more important role. They increasingly become key vehicles for the dissemination of state ideology and the shaping of urban identity (Chung et al. 2023: 331). Unlike traditional museums, which are centered around the collection of artifacts, city museums often focus on the city as a holistic subject. Through exhibition narratives, spatial organization, and public activities, they construct a holistic understanding of the city’s origins, development path, and future vision. In rapidly developing urban contexts, museums are frequently tasked with interpreting transitions, legitimizing development paths, and fostering collective identity, thereby embodying a hybrid space where state, local, and market interests intersect (Lee 2022).
Within the context of China’s SEZs, an exceptionally close nexus has developed between city museums and the state-led modernization process. On the one hand, SEZs are conceptualized as institutional laboratories for the Reform and Opening-up policy, where their developmental trajectories are inherently imbued with strong policy orientations and symbolic significance. On the other hand, the historical narratives of SEZ cities often need to establish continuity between the local social memories of the pre-SEZ era (before the city became a SEZ) and the modernization achievements of the SEZ era. While existing research has mostly discussed special zone cities from the perspectives of policy history, urban planning or governance (Huang et al. 2013; Li 2019; Mao 2009; Qu 2022), there has been relatively little attention paid to how museums, through specific spatial organization and exhibition practices, translate policy discourse into tangible, experiential cultural forms.
Spatial narrative provides a crucial analytical perspective for understanding this process. Rather than conceptualizing the museum as a static container for display, spatial narrative emphasizes that meaning is progressively constructed through spatial sequences, bodily movements, and scene reconstructions. The layout of the exhibition halls, the arrangement of visitor pathways, and the methods used to recreate historical scenes all influence how audiences perceive the flow of time and the causal relationships within history (Hooper-Greenhill 1992: 192–195). In this regard, the museum does not merely narrate urban history; it organizes it through spatial practices, rendering it into a walkable and experiential narrative structure.
The Zhuhai Museum was established in 1985 and opened to the public in 1988. In 2020, the museum relocated to a new building with an expanded area of 6,000 square meters. Adjoining the Zhuhai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, its architectural layout features rugged stone façades that overlook the sandy coastline, evoking a spatial imagery where mountains and sea converge. The maritime memories of indigenous inhabitants, the pioneering spirit of early builders, and the identity quests of new immigrants collectively constitute the complexity of Zhuhai’s urban identity. This tension between history and modernity, as well as between the local and the foreign, makes the Zhuhai Museum a typical case for observing how SEZ cities in Asia use spatial narratives to achieve social integration. By using the Zhuhai Museum as a research object, this study explores how the Museum coordinates the exhibition planning of fishing village memories, reform achievements, and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) within a highly politicized and modernization-oriented context, thereby suturing the historical rupture between the pre-SEZ and SEZ eras.1
Moving beyond a simplistic understanding of the museum as a one-dimensional instrument of state ideology, this study proposes a tripartite analytical framework to capture the complexity of its spatial narrative: (1) historical scene reconstruction, through which pre-SEZ lifeworlds are spatially reassembled; (2) materialization of institutional discourse, whereby policy texts and developmental rhetoric are translated into tangible exhibition forms; (3) participatory cultural practices that contribute to shared identity formation, enabling citizens to engage actively in the ongoing construction of urban meaning. This framework structures the analysis presented in Section 5 and clarifies how spatial narrative operates simultaneously as a political and social mechanism within the contemporary urban museum.
2. Literature Review: Research on City Museums and Spatial Narratives
2.1 City Museum
Amidst the dual forces of globalization and urbanization, museums have consolidated local distinctiveness and assumed the mission of constructing and disseminating urban images (Xiao and Zhu 2025). They have long transcended their traditional positioning as mere containers of artifacts, evolving instead into pivotal cultural arenas for shaping urban identity and negotiating social memory. Furthermore, museums play a critical role in deciphering the intricate interplay between modernization, urbanization, and nationalism, while mediating community dynamics and identity across various scales (Hein-Kircher and Vahtikari 2022; Jones 2010: 4–10). The rich collections within museums symbolize cultural identity on both national and international levels (Bollo and Zhang 2017).
There is an increasing scholarly emphasis on the social agency of museums. Contemporary urban museums have shifted toward becoming active agents that foster social cohesion and negotiate the interests of diverse groups (Peers and Brown 2007: 519–531). Furthermore, as a phenomenon of urban space, the interaction between museums and the city has garnered significant interdisciplinary attention. Some studies highlight how museums articulate contemporary museological ideals, such as accessibility, openness and inclusivity, through their spatial expression, suggesting that museum space itself possesses the capacity to shape urban cultural experiences (Tzortzi 2024). Concurrently, scholars argue that museums are no longer enclosed cultural institutions, but rather extensions of urban publicity and social life. Beyond its physical building, the museum exerts public value within the urban landscape, social interactions, and community engagement (Redaelli et al. 2025), and its functions are transitioning toward a more dynamic role (Galla 1995; Kirshenblatt-Gimblett 1998: 3–6). The city museum needs to interpret and explain the urban society and the ongoing changes taking place within it. In Asia, rapid urbanization frequently results in a rupture between historical traditions and modern development. Vickers (2007) and Denton (2014) argue that the museumification boom in China is intrinsically linked to the state’s intent to construct a coherent narrative of modernity, aiming to bridge the past with the socialist market economy. While existing scholarship has focused on the functional positioning of SEZ museums (Zhu 2024), innovations in exhibition technology (Zhang 2023), or their role in urban branding (Chen 2016), a critical proposition remains overlooked: how do museums utilize spatial narratives to suture historical ruptures, while simultaneously serving the demands of state governance and the construction of local identity? In this sense, the urban museum is not merely a site for displaying the past, but a political arena for the production of modern identity.
2.2 The spatial narrative of the museum
As a carrier of cultural memory and a locus for knowledge dissemination, the museum’s spatial narrative not only influences the visitor experience but also profoundly shapes the construction of cultural meaning. The origins of this concept can be traced back to the spatial turn of the late 20th century. Hooper-Greenhill (1992) pioneered the introduction of narrative theory into museum studies, proposing that museums construct specific systems of knowledge through spatial arrangement. Subsequently, Bennett (1995: 59–88), drawing upon Foucault’s theory of power and knowledge (Foucault 1975), proposed the concept of the exhibitionary complex, revealing the essence of the museum as an institution of modern governance and discipline. Contemporary scholars have further deepened the understanding of spatial agency. From the perspective of institutional critique, Fraser (2005: 233–237) argued that space itself is a form of discursive practice, guiding the cognitive processes of the audience through the design of the physical environment. Similarly, Preziosi (2003: 15–18) emphasized the nature of museum space as an apparatus, positing that exhibition environments produce particular forms of subjectivity through the convergence of visual and spatial technologies. In recent years, with the rise of the experience economy, Ryan (2001: 28–30) analyzed the cognitive mechanisms of immersive narrative, highlighting the critical role of environmental holism in achieving narrative effects. However, a singular focus on technology or experience often overlooks the syntactic structure of space. Addressing this, Psarra (2009: 111–115) proposes that architectural space functions as a narrative text. Through geometry, layout configuration, and visual control, space choreographs the movement of visitors, thereby generating unique cultural meanings. This perspective shifts the research focus from what is displayed to how it is displayed through spatial structure.
In the context of indigenous Chinese scholarship, the correlation between spatial narrative and urban identity has garnered increasing attention. Chen (2016), in his analysis of the new Suzhou Museum, demonstrates that the spatial narrative combining traditional gardens with modern design essentially represents a contemporary reconstruction of Jiangnan cultural symbols by the local government, aiming to address identity anxieties induced by globalization. With its harbor-facing open design and cross-cultural exhibitions, the Hong Kong M+ Museum has emerged as a cultural landmark within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA, 大湾区) (Wang 2021), illustrating the profound impact of museum spatial design narratives on regional urban imagery. Regarding the mechanisms of construction, Huang (2022) posits that the construction of social memory in museums encompasses both spatial construction based on geography, and emotional construction based on spirituality. Furthermore, Huang (2023) argues that space constitutes the primary subject of exhibition narrative. She suggests that museums should integrate spatial awareness into narrative content and expression, coordinate exhibition textual planning with spatial design, and promote a deep fusion of space and narrative. Through the design practice of the Huaxia Salt Museum, Zhang (2023) analyzes how a complete narrative structure is generated through the strategic division of subset spaces and derivative spaces. Finally, Haron et al. (2023) point out that the museum is a locus for spatial narrative; the exhibition structure generates space, which in turn re-aggregates the scattered energy of objects to construct a complete energy field.
Building upon the existing research landscape, this study adopts spatial narrative as its analytical framework to examine how urban museums integrate local memory, institutional discourse, and cultural practices within the context of a highly policy-driven modernization process. Furthermore, it reveals the tension and negotiation mechanisms between state narratives and civic participation inherent in this process.
3. Methodology
This study takes the Zhuhai Museum as its research object and employs participant observation and semi-structured interviews to analyze its mechanisms of spatial narrative. Between June and December 2024, I conducted extensive fieldwork through repeated visits to the Zhuhai Museum, investigating its exhibition structures and modes of spatial configuration.
Building upon these observations, I participated in a range of public cultural activities organized by the Museum, including ICH experience projects and public education programs. This participatory approach allowed me to examine how the official exhibition narrative extended beyond physical displays and into the Museum’s social space through public interaction. Consequently, the study captures the dynamic generation process of the Museum’s spatial narrative at the level of lived practice.
In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five museum staff members, working in public education programming, ticketing, and exhibition installation, as well as 17 visitors from diverse age groups and backgrounds, including local citizens, out-of-town tourists, and students from Macau. All interviews were conducted face-to-face at the Museum and lasted approximately one hour, during which detailed written notes were taken by the researcher. All interviews focused on two main topics: (1) how museum curation and exhibition design conceptualize and present the history, culture, and spatial narrative logic of the SEZ; and (2) how visitors understand and emotionally respond to the exhibition content, urban history, and spatial experience. Participants were informed about the purpose of the study and agreed voluntarily to participate. Their identities have been anonymized in the subsequent analysis.
4. Fieldwork and Analysis of Spatial Narrative in the Zhuhai Museum
4.1 Vertically Stratified Spatial Structure
The Zhuhai Museum is organized across three levels, with its overall spatial configuration adhering to a composite narrative structure, combining vertical stratification and horizontal parallelism. The semantic correlations between the exhibition halls manifest both the diachronic progression of a chronological narrative and the synchronic tension of thematic storytelling (Knell 2007: 148–151).
The first floor comprises three exhibition halls (Figure 1). Hall 1, entitled Shared Memories (共同的记忆), adopts a binary narrative structure divided into two sections: Impression of Zhuhai (珠海印象) and Achievements as a Special Economic Zone (特区作为). The Impression of Zhuhai section utilizes urban models and historical image archives to reconstruct the trajectory of change in Zhuhai’s urban spatial morphology since the 1950s. Conversely, Achievements as a Special Economic Zone employs policy documents and infrastructure artifacts, such as a structural steel section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, to materialize the developmental achievements of the Special Economic Zone. In an interview, Ms. Wang (aged 45–50, civil servant) remarked, “Seeing that official approval document was truly emotional; it made me feel that Zhuhai’s development was hard-won.” (Ms. Wang, personal communication, 13th June 2024). Zhuhai’s urban identity is articulated through a series of official slogans, such as “Rise of a New City, Soaring on Two Wings”, “Rapidly Industrialized Garden City,” “Pearl of the Sea, Archipelago of Wanshan,” and “Grand Port, Grand Industry, Grand Economy, Grand Development, Grand Prosperity.” These slogans are suspended high above the exhibition hall, creating a powerful visual impact on the audience (Figure 2). Hall 2 serves as a multimedia space. It screens the Zhuhai Museum Promotional Video, which outlines the Museum’s profile, and the micro-documentary Pearl in the Vast Sea (沧海有珠), which depicts the historical evolution of the ancient coastline of the Pearl River Estuary. Hall 3 functions as a special exhibition gallery. Acting as an elastic narrative module, it periodically hosts temporary exhibitions, such as Paradise of Ice Age Beasts by the Yitong River (伊通河畔冰河巨兽的乐园, 20th June–20th September 2024), thereby demonstrating the Museum’s diversity as a public space for cultural exchange. Overall, the first floor primarily presents the policy-led industrialization process of Zhuhai-sections.
Figure 1
The layout of the first floor.
Source: Figure drawn by the author.
Figure 2
Official slogans representing Zhuhai’s urban construction displayed in Hall 1.
Source: Photograph taken by the author.
The second floor also consists of three exhibition halls, emphasizing the cultural development process of Zhuhai (Figure 3). Halls 4 and 5 serve as temporary exhibition galleries. Hall 6, themed Traditional Culture and Folk Custom (传统艺文·民俗文化), constructs a dual dialogue framework (Figure 4). The exhibition, Ancient and Modern People in Zhuhai (古今珠海人), visualizes the restructuring process of the city’s demographic structure driven by immigrant networks. Meanwhile, the Folk Culture and Heritage (传承在民间) display creates an immersive exhibition space through the display of paraphernalia and scenic reconstructions related to ICH projects (Figure 5), including the Zhuhai Huaxiu (珠海花袖), Lion Dance (舞狮), Sanzao Crane Dance (三灶鹤舞), and Doumen Lianzhou Dragon Dance (斗门莲洲舞龙), realizing the embodied transmission of cultural memory.
Figure 3
The layout of the second floor.
Source: Figure drawn by the author.
Figure 4
Exhibition displays on ancient and modern Zhuhai communities and intangible cultural heritage in Hall 6.
Source: Photograph taken by the author.
Figure 5
Exhibition displays of Zhuhai’s intangible cultural heritage in Hall 6.
Source: Photograph taken by the author.
The third floor presents the History of Zhuhai across Exhibition Halls 7 and 8 (Figure 6). The halls, dedicated to the General History of Zhuhai (珠海通史) and Chronicle of Ocean (海洋纪事), aim to reconstruct historical scenes, utilizing spatial installations to reproduce the past. General History of Zhuhai presents Zhuhai’s transformation in chronological format beginning in 4450 BC. In Chronicle of Ocean, the Prehistoric Life exhibition allows visitors to experience the lived atmosphere of the indigenous inhabitants of Zhuhai’s islands, whilst the Salt and the City (盐与城) exhibition reveals how the salt industry served as the cornerstone of Zhuhai’s urban development and explores its profound impact on the city’s socio-economic structure. From the fierce confrontations in Naval Battles (海战风云) to Key Arteries for Maritime Commerce (海贸要道), and the seafaring culture displayed in Sailing the Waves (风起浪涌船帆扬), each subsection immerses the audience in these magnificent eras. The Study Abroad Youths (留学少年郎) and Xiangshan Merchant Group (香山商帮) sections showcase the courageous spirit of Zhuhai’s people in exploring the world as well as their remarkable achievements in commerce. The Warfare Among Islands (岛屿烽火) area, by contrast, uses precious historical relics and visual archives to commemorate the heroic resistance and sacrifice during revolutionary struggles and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Nine Boats Along the Coast (一路走来九艘船) symbolically links Zhuhai’s maritime history, urban evolution, and cultural shifts from antiquity to the present. Finally, the Special Mission (特殊使命) section focuses on the historical duties and responsibilities undertaken by Zhuhai after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. This level emphasizes the Pre-SEZ fishing village memories; as Xiao Li, a young visitor (aged 20–25, university student), remarked, “I never realized Zhuhai had such a long history; I used to think it was a city created solely by the Reform and Opening-up.” (Xiao Li, personal communication, 17th June 2024).
Figure 6
The layout of the third floor.
Source: Figure drawn by the author.
From the perspective of narrative mechanisms, Zhuhai’s historical identity is incrementally constructed through a specific hierarchy of exhibition halls and spatial sequences. Unlike the Museum’s guidebooks, which present Zhuhai’s evolution in a strict chronological order emphasizing the linearity and integrity of historical progression, the Museum’s physical spaces reorder and strategically configure history by placing the modernity of the SEZ in the most prominent spatial position—the first floor. This spatial narrative does not merely reproduce history; rather, through spatial hierarchies and viewing trajectories, it guides visitors to encounter the SEZ first and only subsequently look back at the historical past. This creates a distinctive tension between textual and spatial narratives, revealing the agency of exhibition space in reorganizing the historical discourse of the city.
4.2 Axis-Node Circulation Design
Traditional museums often employ linear narratives, organizing exhibition content through preset visitation paths. Duncan (1995: 7–20) likens this model to a pilgrimage, where visitors move along a predetermined route and progressively internalize the cultural values curated by the museum. The advantage of linear narrative lies in its clear logic, which effectively communicates complex historical processes or conceptual systems. In contrast the Zhuhai Museum designed four thematic routes, the General History Panorama, the SEZ Focus, the Temporary Exhibition Special, and the Cultural Depth, hoping to create a differentiated narrative strategy. This approach aims to satisfy the diverse needs of visitors with varying knowledge backgrounds, while achieving a dynamic balance of visitor density through spatial diversion strategies. However, observations revealed that 78 per cent of visitors enter the first gallery from the main entrance to begin their visit. The remaining 22 per cent are mostly families or repeat visitors who head directly to the temporary special exhibitions. Among the 78 per cent majority, 65 per cent engage in browsing-style visits, moving through the floors and galleries without a specific viewing objective. Nonetheless, there are visitors with a distinct interest in SEZ culture. Mr. Zhang (aged 35–40, corporate employee), a tourist, stated, “I specifically wanted to understand Zhuhai’s developmental history, so I mainly focused on the first floor; I’ve reserved some time to visit the Planning Exhibition Hall later, as it should have more contemporary information about the city.” (Mr. Zhang, personal communication, 17th June 2024). Local resident Mr. Li (aged 70–75, retired worker) noted in his interview:
Every time I bring my grandson, I prioritize the first-floor content, so he understands the achievements of Zhuhai’s development. This was built through the hard work of our older generation, and I feel immense pride here. Now that the state is vigorously developing Zhuhai with excellent policies, the future of the city is in the hands of the youth! (Mr. Li, personal communication, 17th June 2024).
The act of photography is predominantly concentrated within the ICH galleries on the second floor. According to Stylianou-Lambert (2017), such photographic behavior is not merely for documentation, but serves as a mechanism for building self-identity and expressing emotional connection. Local residents tend to use photography to reaffirm their cultural roots, treating the images as an extension of their digital self (Belk 1988, 2013), whereas tourists are more driven by cross-cultural curiosity. Consequently, the introductory panels of each exhibit, which feature bilingual text in Chinese and English alongside supplementary visual materials, become critically important. For instance, in the introduction to the intangible cultural heritage Sanzao Weaving (三灶编织), the back of the display board reads A Glorious History (旧时荣光) and shows two photographs: one depicting an inheritor of Sanzao Weaving and another showing children learning the craft. At each narrative node, with informational positioning as the central design principle (Zhan 2019), the museum integrates physical artifacts, multimedia materials, and a bilingual explanation system. This effectively lowers the threshold for cultural dissemination among diverse audiences, allowing visitors to achieve a profound understanding of cultural connotations during their pause at these nodes. The design logic of axial connection and nodal deepening not only ensures the clarity and coherence of the visitation circulation but also facilitates visitor engagement and cultural communication through the strategic design of these nodes. This aligns with the transformation of contemporary museums toward a visitor-centered philosophy (McRainey 2013).
4.3 Intertwined Reality and Virtuality: Digital Narratives
Marshall McLuhan’s media theory provides another critical lens for understanding museum spatial narratives. His proposition that the “medium is the message” inspires researchers to re-examine the mediatic attributes of museum spaces, asserting that the space itself is a medium for communicating information, and its physical characteristics directly influence how information is received and understood (McLuhan 1964). The application of digitalization in museums is primarily categorized into two types: first, digital exhibitions, which build online virtual galleries or digital museums in conjunction with physical offline displays; and second, the use of digital technologies such as AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), and holographic imagery within physical exhibition spaces to reproduce history or facilitate interactive experiences with artifacts. The Zhuhai Museum’s online platform utilizes on-site filming and 720 Cloud technology to launch synchronized virtual galleries, categorized into Current Exhibitions (organized by floor and gallery) and Past Exhibitions.
Karp and Lavine (1991: 11–13) introduced the concept of contextualization, arguing that museums should utilize spatial design to reconstruct the original context of objects, enabling audiences to grasp their deeper cultural connotations. Offline, the museum extensively applies multimedia technology to assist in artifact narration, combining cultural relics with images, sound, video, and other multimedia elements to present more three-dimensional and historical scenes. For example, when introducing Zhuhai’s urban memory on the first floor, the museum utilizes numerous monitors and projection devices to play documentary archives alongside text and images. In the section describing Salt-making through Tidal Sand and Brine Leaching(潮来投沙, 咸卤淋坑), a process characteristic of coastal regions, a ceiling-mounted projector casts animations onto stone pits. Accompanied by explanatory text, this vivid presentation illustrates the production process. Visitors noted that digital technology significantly enhanced the immersive and interactive qualities of the exhibition. Xiao Zhang (aged 25–30, designer), a young visitor, commented, “The salt field projection was stunning; it truly helped me understand the ancient salt-making process.” (Xiao Zhang, personal communication, 13th June 2024). However, digitalization also presents new challenges. Ms. Liu (aged 44–50, teacher), a middle-aged visitor, reflected, “Some galleries have too many multimedia devices, which can be distracting and take away from the focus on the artifacts and history itself.” (Ms. Liu, personal communication, 17th June 2024). Conversely, Xiao Yu (aged 7, first grade) was filled with curiosity about these multimedia scenes stating, “I can’t quite understand it yet, but it’s so much fun! I’ll be able to understand it by the time I’m in fifth grade!” (Xiao Yu, personal communication, 1st August 2024).
5. From Rupture to Suture: The Political and Cultural Logic of Spatial Narrative
5.1 Reconstructing the Pre-SEZ: Embodied Scenes and the Legitimacy of Origins
The first dimension of the Museum’s spatial narrative operates through historical scene reconstruction. As an urban museum, the Zhuhai Museum houses a vast collection of precious artifacts that serve as both witnesses and narrators of history. Through their forms, motifs, and craftsmanship, these objects convey rich historical information and cultural connotations to the audience. The second-floor exhibition area integrates artifact display with diverse modes of viewing. Folk arts and crafts are manifested in their physical forms within the gallery space. Hanging banners and exhibition panels printed with corresponding textual introductions strategically utilize the overhead space, enhancing the sense of depth and verticality of the museum environment. In the Prehistoric Life (岛民遗风) section on the third floor, a sand dune archaeological site depicting the coastal fishing life of indigenous islanders is reconstructed. Surrounding this scene, various tools and food sources are introduced under themes such as Prehistoric Canoes and Rafts, Gifts of Nature, Food Preparation, and The Taste of Fresh Oysters (Figure 7). Observations indicate that different groups exhibit significant variations in their interpretation of the same exhibit. Mr. Chen (aged 73–77, retired teacher), a long-time local resident, remarked upon seeing the traditional fishing gear, “I used all these things when I was a child; seeing them now feels very intimate.” (Mr. Chen, personal communication, 17th June 2024). This embodied spatial experience effectively evokes emotional resonance among the audience, transforming the abstract past into a perceptible entity. Through such spatial operations, the museum successfully reconstructs the Pre-SEZ memory: it is no longer portrayed as a symbol of backwardness to be entirely discarded, but rather as the cultural soil from which the SEZ’s modernity emerged. This nostalgic, restorative narrative alleviates the anxiety brought about by the ruptures of modernization, conveying to the audience that although Zhuhai has become a modern metropolis, its spiritual core remains inextricably linked to this ancient maritime civilization.
Figure 7
The daily life of the islanders a long time ago in Hall 8.
Source: Photograph taken by the author.
5.2 Materialization of Institutional Discourse through Spatial Design
The second dimension of the spatial narrative involves the materialization of institutional discourse. Through the prominent display of policy documents, planning artifacts, and developmental symbols, abstract state rhetoric is translated into visible and experiential exhibition forms.
Prior to 1980, Zhuhai remained predominantly characterized by fishing and agriculture. The SEZ policy abruptly introduced the market economy, foreign enterprises, and a massive influx of migrant populations. Today, Zhuhai stands as a central city within the GBA, tightly integrated with other regional cities through transport networks to form an interconnected, world-class urban cluster. Consequently, the Zhuhai Museum does not merely preserve the material vestiges of indigenous culture; it has become a quintessential representative for displaying the SEZ Experience. Interviews reveal a distinct selective mechanism inherent in the Museum’s construction of memory. Nationalist heritage collections with patriotic symbolism (Vickers 2007) steadfastly narrate the economic achievements of China’s Reform and Opening-up. Institutional artifacts (documents, permits, and master plans related to the establishment of the SEZ) are placed in prominent positions. For instance, the original 1980 State Council Approval for the Establishment of the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone is juxtaposed with excerpts from the 2019 Outline Development Plan for the GBA. This creates a cross-generational resonance of policy legitimacy, transforming these texts from mere historical records into material carriers of the SEZ Spirit. In an interview, Mr. Zhang (aged 40–50, a staff member) admitted, “Certain historical periods are sensitive, so we must be selective in our displays. For example, controversies during the early stages of SEZ construction are generally not addressed.” (Mr. Zhang, personal communication, 13th June 2024). Fundamentally, the exhibition of objects is the production and distribution of symbolic capital. Through spatial stratification, the museum achieves a division of narrative labor, utilizing symbolic aggregation to facilitate the production of meaning. The first floor of the Zhuhai Museum assumes the function of displaying contemporary achievements. By transforming highly politicized institutional symbols into visually impactful spatial installations, this level achieves the coupling of state narrative with urban modernity.
5.3 Participatory Cultural Practices and Shared Identity Formation
The third dimension of the Museum’s spatial narrative emerges through participatory cultural practices. If the first floor represents the state narrative of the SEZ’s construction, the second floor embodies the everyday narrative of people’s lives. The museum extends its narrative boundaries through social and educational activities, transforming visitors from passive recipients into active participants in the production of space. Ms. Li (aged 30–35, an activity organizer), explained, “We hope these activities empower citizens to become inheritors of culture, rather than mere spectators. Local participation is high, particularly among middle-aged, elderly residents, and children.” (Ms. Li, personal communication, 13th June 2024). Daily activities such as the SEZ Culture Lecture Hall and ICH Workshops invite citizens to engage in ICH experiences and folk performances. The 2023 Drama Tour in Zhuhai Museum integrated projects like the Sanzao Crane Dance, Little Lion King, and On-water Wedding Customs. Participants could assume various folk roles, facilitating deep engagement with indigenous customs and shifting their status from onlookers to participants. This process weaves individual memories into the city’s collective memory network, enhancing the sense of identity toward Zhuhai’s regional culture. Local resident, Mr. Chen (aged 36–40, secondary school teacher) remarked:
These traditional cultural displays give me a sense of belonging; I feel that Zhuhai is about more than just economic development, it is about cultural inheritance. I often bring my children to these activities now so the younger generation can experience Zhuhai’s cultural characteristics. (Mr. Chen, personal communication, 13th June 2024).
The role of the museum has shifted from the traditional collection and display of objects toward a field of interaction between people and society, becoming a contact zone for multiculturalism (Wang & Yin 2022). It is no longer a machine that unilaterally outputs instructions, but a cultural space that promotes social integration. By compensating for the emotional void left by technical and industrial narratives, the museum facilitates the reconstruction of civic subjectivity at a microscopic level.
6. Conclusion
This study utilizes the Zhuhai Museum as a case study to analyze how museums in SEZs employ sophisticated spatial narratives. Through a triple mechanism of historical scene reconstruction, materialization of institutional discourse, and participatory cultural practices and shared identity formation, these institutions mend historical ruptures and facilitate the production of urban identity within a highly policy-driven context of modernization.
Firstly, the vertical stratification of the Zhuhai Museum is not merely a logistical arrangement of exhibits. The first floor, through the display of institutional symbols, transforms grand SEZ achievements into a visual spectacle, establishing the authoritative discourse of the state’s narrative of modernization. Conversely, the third floor utilizes historical scene reconstructions of pre-SEZ fishing village life to transform memories into perceptible spatial installations. Logically, this layout executes a retrospective argument for legitimacy: the historical depth provided by the third floor offers a civilizational background and foundational identity for the explosive rise of modernity on the first floor, effectively suturing the historical chasm between the pre-SEZ and post-SEZ eras.
Secondly, the study finds that the Museum’s intermediate space (the second-floor, ICH and folklore galleries) performs a critical function of negotiated narrative. Positioned between the state narrative and individual experience, the ICH displays utilize immersive interaction and embodied practice to provide ordinary citizens with opportunities to express their subjectivity. This moderates the rigidity of the first floor’s policy narrative, allowing urban identity to evolve from a top-down administrative narrative into a dynamically generated social consensus through spatial practice.
Finally, the case of the Zhuhai Museum demonstrates that spatial narrative serves as an essential social integration strategy within the context of rapid Asian urbanization. The contemporary urban museum can no longer be understood simply as a repository of artifacts; rather, it operates as a spatial mechanism through which urban meaning is actively produced. It is neither a straightforward reproduction of history nor merely an extension of policy discourse. Instead, it functions as a cultural platform that enables dialogue among different social actors and provides a site where multiple memories are negotiated and reinterpreted. It ultimately reshapes the urban identity of the SEZ under the dual gravitational pull of state strategy and local identification. While the Zhuhai Museum cannot be uncritically generalized as a universal model, it nonetheless demonstrates how urban museums in rapidly transforming Asian cities can function as mediators of social acceptance and negotiated identity formation. This case may offer insights for other cities undergoing rapid transformation.
Notes
Competing Interests
The author has no competing interests to declare.