Driven by technological innovations, China’s museums have received a record high of over 1.4 billion visits in 2024, according to the latest National Cultural Heritage Administration data.
Data also showed that approximately 72.65 million visits to museums have been recorded during the Spring Festival holiday from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 this year.
Museums across the country are drawing massive crowds daily, with visitors lingering in awe before iconic treasures.
"I came specifically for the museum's star treasures. The bronze artifacts are enormous. I was truly shocked when I saw them," said Huang Huiling, a tourist.
Beyond permanent displays, major museums are curating special temporary exhibitions that showcase rare artifacts gathered from cultural institutions nationwide.
In recent years, the rapid development of technologies like big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence has spurred museums to innovate, enhancing the "museum experience" through creative exhibition designs.
At the Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum in east China's Jiangxi Province, an immersive digital light and shadow exhibition uses cutting-edge AR and AI techniques to offer visitors a unique experience.
"Inside this light-and-shadow kiln room, I can experience the process of firing ceramics, seeing the kiln bricks and furnace flames, and feeling the heat blowing toward me," said Xiong Yan, a visitor.
The new Yinxu Museum in Anyang City, Henan Province, employs glasses-free 3D technology to display over 20 precious Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1046BC) artifacts. At the same time, visitors can interact with virtual porcelain relics on electronic touch screens at the Changsha Museum in Hunan Province.
"We use 3D laser scanning, 3D modeling, and animated shorts to present key artifacts from the Changsha kiln in multiple dimensions, allowing visitors to experience the poetry inscribed on the ceramics immersively," said Wan Longxin, guide at the museum.
By deeply integrating "culture and technology" and "digital innovation with cultural heritage," museums and other cultural institutions across the country are expanding the supply of high-quality cultural products, fueling the sustained surge of the museum craze.
China's museums receive record-high visits in 2024
