Including Immigrants: First-Generation Chinese Immigrants' Virtual Museum Experiences

Abstract

Significant research has focused on white visitors and museums, but there is a lack of research on Chinese immigrants and museums. This study examines first-generation Chinese immigrants' feelings during virtual museum experiences. Data were collected through self-administered online surveys and semi-structured interviews with first-generation Chinese immigrants above the age of 40 (n=15) recruited through snowball sampling across the United States. Results show that reading text, looking at images, and watching videos were the primary forms of online museum engagement. While the participants felt included through Chinese representation and personal connection to the content, they did not feel intentionally included overall. The participants suggested the following to increase inclusionary experiences: increased Chinese text translations, images, and videos, as well as more diverse and multilingual staff, intentional advertisements and outreach, and lower admission costs. These findings have implications for museum staff's understanding of the community and subsequent inclusionary experiences for implementation in museums.