Old problems and new projects: opportunities and risks for the Luoyang Museum

There are several elements of interest in this case study, related both to the museum history and role in the city (past, present and future), and to his (currently weak) capability to appropriately manage different challenges: •It is the first and principal museum of the city, of which it reflects history, culture and identity. In fact, Luoyang Museum is formally the main destination of Luoyang area cultural heritage objects being excavated by the Archaeological teams. •Besides his importance, Luoyang Museum faces serious problems both related to effectiveness (preservation and attractiveness to visitors) and efficiency (human and financial resources). •As a response to current problems, a great development plan is actually in progress, with the construction of a new large building, the empowerment of security and preservation systems and the opening of new exhibition for the display of a larger collection. •The museum is therefore an exemplary case of the (not only Chinese) idea of “solving by enlarging”, which leaves substantially unsolved previous problems. The structure of this chapter is as follows: 1.a preliminary short reconstruction of the history and identity of the museum is provided; 2.an appreciation of the museum’s effectiveness will be discussed, in terms of both back office issues and visitors’ orientation; 3.aspects related to museums efficiency will be addressed, investigating both procedural and substantial issues in managing human & financial resources; 4.the new development plan main contents and aspects will be provided; 5.some final conclusions and implications will be searched for.