Taiyuan, a historic and cultural city in north China's Shanxi Province, is experiencing a significant increase in museum visits during the week-long National Day holiday starting from Tuesday.
Traveling to a city, and exploring its museums, has become a prominent new tourism trend in China, especially in Taiyuan, the "City of Museums."
"The Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum employs a variety of digital technologies, such as immersive VR, naked-eye 3D, and metaverse, to bring the antiquities to life," said Wang Jiang, curator of the Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum.
Boasting 101 museums, Taiyuan has seen a spike in museum visits during the holiday period. Tickets to popular museums such as the Shanxi Museum, the Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum, and the Jinci Museum are often booked days in advance.
"I'm from Beijing. I think Shanxi Province has a wealth of ancient architecture. The antiquities are exceptionally well-preserved. Overall, it’s incredibly eye-opening," said a tourist.
"I've heard that the Shanxi Museum has a very rich collection. It's said that 'when it comes to above-ground cultural relics, Shanxi is the place to be.' Also I've noticed that, compared to previous years, museums have become more diverse in their exhibition formats and explanations," said another tourist from east China's Jiangxi Province.
To enhance the experience for out-of-province visitors amid a significant increase in tourist numbers, local museums have introduced a variety of new measures.
"Overall speaking, the number of tourists has seen significant growth this year, with many of them reporting difficulty in booking tickets. In response, we've implemented measures such as extending opening hours and hosting creative cultural product markets in the museum to accommodate the increased interest," said Zhang Huiguo, deputy director of Shanxi Museum.
Taiyuan's museum travel craze boosts tourism sector growth
