Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum (RAM) became one of the only private museums in China to offer free admission in May 2025, marking its 15th anniversary. The move initially required pre-booked timed entry via WeChat, but after city-wide guidance encouraged removing barriers, the museum eliminated the booking system, leading to long wait times and visitor complaints on social media. One visitor reported receiving an inappropriate response from the museum’s official account, prompting apologies from both the museum and its executive director and chief curator, X Zhu-Nowell. A hybrid system of day-ahead reservations and same-day walk-ins was later implemented.
The shift to free admission matters because it challenges the economic and operational norms for private museums in China, where few have adopted the practice. Zhu-Nowell frames the decision as ideological, aiming to model alternative forms of value, access, and participation, and to spark public conversation about the responsibilities of independent, privately funded institutions. Despite initial pressures, the museum has seen a transformed audience, including more first-time and intergenerational visitors, highlighting the tension between expanding access and maintaining quality experience.