The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has admitted to removing maps and images from exhibition catalogues at the request of a Chinese printing firm, citing compliance with Beijing's censorship laws. Emails released to the Guardian under Freedom of Information requests reveal that the museum agreed to delete a historical map of British Empire trade routes and an image of Vladimir Lenin from separate catalogues.
The map, intended for the 'Music is Black' exhibition catalogue, was rejected by China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) because it depicted China's borders in a non-standard format. A V&A staff member noted the map was historic and unrelated to China, but the museum complied to avoid delays, as paper had already been ordered for the Chinese printer, C&C Offset Printing.
In a separate instance, the V&A removed a photograph of Lenin from a catalogue for the 2021 'Fabergé: Romance to Revolution' exhibition, with the printer warning it could be deemed 'sensitive'. An internal email acknowledged the 'ever changing' list of restrictions. The museum replaced the map with a photograph of passengers arriving in Southampton and the Lenin image with alternative content.
The V&A stated the changes were 'minor' and did not affect the narrative, adding that it maintains close editorial oversight. The museum, along with other UK institutions like the British Museum and British Library, often uses Chinese printers due to lower costs, but this practice requires acceding to censorship on topics such as Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen Square. The British Museum declined to comment further, while the British Library reported no censorship issues, and Tate said it had never altered content at a printer's request.
