June 10, 2026 — Professor Yu Yang, Vice President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), met with a delegation from the Museum am Rothenbaum – Kulturen und Künste der Welt (MARKK) in Hamburg, Germany. The visiting delegation included Dr. Barbara Plankensteiner, Director of MARKK, and Ricarda Brosch, Curator of the East and South Asian Collections. Using Mr. Cai Yuanpei’s vigorous promotion of Sino-German cultural exchanges as a significant historical bond, the two sides explored the potential for long-term collaboration in fields such as archival research on Cai Yuanpei, exhibition partnerships, and multidisciplinary academic exchanges.

Connecting Through History and Academic Traditions

Vice President Yu Yang extended a warm welcome to Director Barbara Plankensteiner on her inaugural visit to China and CAFA. Reflecting on his previous study tours in Europe and visits to museums in Leipzig and Vienna, he noted that Germany and Austria hold pivotal positions in the developmental history of art history as a discipline, and their academic traditions have profoundly influenced art historical research in China.

The two parties then focused their discussions on the progress of the upcoming exhibition, "Cai Yuanpei and His Era." Vice President Yu pointed out that Mr. Cai Yuanpei, as a key founder of the predecessor of CAFA, left behind invaluable archival documents now housed at MARKK, which were discovered during the preparatory phase of this exhibition. In 1925, Cai Yuanpei visited the Museum of Ethnology in Hamburg (the predecessor of MARKK) and subsequently sought active academic cooperation between the two sides in building the discipline of ethnology in China. A century later, Director Barbara’s visit to CAFA signals a new historical opportunity for Sino-German cultural exchange.

Institutional Transformation and Future Frameworks

Director Barbara Plankensteiner provided a detailed overview of the museum's recent institutional transformation, exhibition curation, and research initiatives. In 2018, the Hamburg Museum of Ethnology was renamed the "Museum am Rothenbaum – Kulturen und Künste der Welt" (MARKK). Since then, it has committed to addressing traditional ethnological research, colonial history, collection provenance, and contemporary cultural exchanges with a more open and critical stance. As a result, the museum has achieved fruitful outcomes in:

• Decolonization research
• Contemporary art interventions within historical collections
• Artist-in-residence programs
• Forums for scholars from the Global South

These achievements will serve as a valuable reference framework and research direction for future collaboration between both institutions.

Establishing Long-Term Mechanisms

During the meeting, both sides agreed that, taking the archival research on Cai Yuanpei as a 

starting point, they will seek further cooperation in:

• Exhibition curation and collection research
• Academic conferences and joint workshops
• Personnel exchange visits and support for young scholars

The ultimate goal is to foster a cross-cultural, multidisciplinary, and long-term mechanism for academic cooperation.

Post-Meeting Activities & Attendees:

Following the meeting, Director Barbara and her delegation toured the ongoing Undergraduate Graduation Exhibition.

The meeting was also attended by Wang Chuan, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office, and Deputy Director Zheng Yuyao; Jin Jun, Director of the CAFA Art Museum, and Deputy Director Gao Gao; as well as Tang Yu, Deputy Director of the Research Department and Deputy Secretary-General of the Academic Committee.