One of the UK\u2019s leading museums has accepted demands by a Chinese firm that publishes its catalogues to remove images that fall foul of the country\u2019s censorship laws.<\/p>\n
The Victoria and Albert Museum has agreed to requests by the Chinese printing company to delete maps and images from at least two recent exhibition catalogues, according to documents released to the Guardian after freedom of information requests.<\/p>\n
Like other prominent institutions, including the British Museum, Tate and the British Library, the V&A often uses Chinese printers because they can produce catalogues at half the cost of British or European companies.<\/p>\n
But in doing so, they have to accede to censorship requests relating to any topics or images deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, such as Buddhism, Taiwan, Tibet, Tiananmen Square and pro-democracy activities.<\/p>\n
The disclosures from the V&A lay bare the detailed scope of China\u2019s censorship on museum publishers. They show how Beijing\u2019s red pen even extends to historical maps and photographs on seemingly unrelated subjects such as Faberg\u00e9 eggs and British Black music.<\/p>\n
They also show the apparent willingness of a publicly funded UK institution to agree to Chinese suppression despite the problems it can cause in the production process.<\/p>\n
For the catalogue of the Music is Black exhibition, which opens this Friday<\/a>, the V&A wanted to use a 1930s illustration of trade routes of the British empire. But an email from the V&A\u2019s Chinese printers sent last November said it had fallen foul of Beijing\u2019s censorship body, the General Administration of Press and Publication or GAPP.<\/p>\n The email from the Chinese printers, C&C Offset Printing, said: \u201cThere is a map on p10 relates to China (there is China border here and we need to use the standard maps from Chinese Government) and GAPP rejected it. Our suggestion is to delete this map or use another image.\u201d<\/p>\n The V&A agreed despite bafflement at the decision. An internal email exchange between V&A colleagues revealed the censorship had caused a delay in printing the catalogue. It said: \u201cIt\u2019s a historic map showing British colonial rule so nothing to do with China \u2013 just shows China on the map and that seems to be enough to warrant rejection! Printing paused while we amend files \u2026 SORRY.\u201d<\/p>\n The map was due to illustrate an introduction to the catalogue by Gus Casely-Hayford<\/a>, the director of V&A East. An email to him said it was too late to find alternative printers.<\/p>\n It said: \u201cWe were aware of sensitivity around contemporary maps but it now clearly applies to historic maps too. As we have ordered the paper to the printer it is sadly too late to move print to Europe, so we\u2019ve had to put back the schedule a week in order to find a replacement illustration.\u201d<\/p>\n Casely-Hayford replied by saying: \u201cSo sorry- must have been very stressful.\u201d He also suggested replacing the censored map with a photo of the musician Dennis Morris. Eventually the V&A used a photo of people arriving in Southampton on the liner Bego\u00f1a after a voyage from the West Indies.<\/p>\n