A Brief History of Museum Visitor Studies in China

ABSTRACT What paradigm shifts have occurred in museum visitor studies in mainland China, and how do these shifts influence the future development of the field? To explore this, we examine the origin and development of visitor studies by reviewing relevant literature published before 2022. The analysis identifies four distinct periods of development: the mid‐1980s to mid‐1990s, the late 1990s to 2008, 2008 to 2018, and 2018 to the present. A significant turning point occurred with the implementation of the Free Opening Policy in 2008, which shifted the focus of museums from “how to attract visitors” to “how to improve visitor experience.” While this shift accelerated the growth of visitor studies, it also revealed tensions between the existing research paradigms and emerging values, leading to recent critiques and reflections on the theory and methodology of visitor studies in mainland China. These paradigm shifts provide critical insights into the field's trajectory and highlight key areas for future research and innovation.