V&A Removed Catalogue Materials at Request of Chinese Censors
Emails show the museum accepted the edits after printers warned the images could be rejected under Chinese censorship rules, delaying production by about a week.
- On Wednesday, the Victoria and Albert Museum agreed to remove a historic map and images from exhibition catalogues after Chinese printers, citing GAPP, rejected the content.
- Printing in China offers lower costs for institutions, but printers must adhere to Chinese government rules prohibiting content deemed sensitive by authorities.
- Internal emails revealed staff frustration; one wrote, "It's a historic map showing British colonial rule so nothing to do with China — just shows China on the map and that seems to be enough to warrant rejection!"
- The museum stated edits were "minor," though this follows a 2021 incident where it pulled a photograph of Vladimir Lenin from a Fabergé exhibition catalogue after printers flagged it as "sensitive."
- Other institutions maintain different standards; the Tate confirmed it has never changed book content for printers, while the British Library reported no censorship issues with catalogues printed in China.
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9 Articles
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The V&A catalogue row shows China’s censorship now travels through cultural supply chains
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