Editor's Note:

In 2023, a series of noteworthy topics have emerged in the Chinese cultural landscape. In the planning of the 2023 Cultural Gala, the Global Times will delve into nine important topics, aiming to showcase the multidimensional aspects of Chinese civilization and the diverse charms of Chinese culture.

This is the seventh installment in the Global Times Year-end Special on culture, elaborating on the museum tour craze among the country's young generations. ­Museums employ a variety of techniques to woo young people, who are willing to visit museums now more than ever before, pointing to cultural confidence and the charm of traditional culture growing more profound among the youth.

Young Chinese people have kept a close eye on museums; a larger percentage of Gen-Zers love to watch museum-related videos compared to other age brackets, according to a 2023 museum data report published by Douyin. Among them, the pacesetter has been the Palace ­Museum, followed by the National Museum of China (NMC), and Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum.

According to data from the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the total number of museum visitors nationwide reached 66 million, of which the number of visitors to well-known museums was about 10 million during the National Day holidays. 

The explosive rise in museum visits among young people means that whether it be browsing museums online or hitting up exhibitions offline, Gen-Zers are becoming the backbone of museum tours. 

Cultural confidence 

The Palace Museum enjoys pride of place in China, and unsurprisingly, tickets to the hallowed institution were exceptionally difficult to come by ­during the summer season, while its official ticket booking portal showed that seven out of the eight Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays were fully booked.  

Wang Qi, a "museum tours" enthusiast, recalled queuing up at the Palace Museum during her summer vacation, saying, "It was so thronged by visitors that I couldn't even breathe," she told the Global Times. 

The China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province features a series of relics such as silk, a reproduction of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and painted bricks at the Convergence of Civilizations, Dunhuang on the Silk Road Exhibition.

Visitors explore the Convergence of Civilizations, Dunhuang on the Silk Road Exhibition at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: Courtesy of the China National Silk Museum

Visitors explore the Convergence of Civilizations, Dunhuang on the Silk Road Exhibition at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: Courtesy of the China National Silk Museum

For those in the know, "the Dunhuang-related exhibitions are very hot, and it's the first time in the 31 years since the museum opened that we've seen such a phenomenal boom in attendance," Ji Xiaofen, curator of China National Silk Museum, told the Global Times. 

These were just some of the examples listed by the Global Times regarding the museum craze. It is believed that the young generations are willing to visit museums and learn about China's remarkable history, and love Chinese traditional culture, which also shows a sense of cultural confidence among the youths, Ji told the Global Times while underscoring the museum craze. 

Wang Yingxiang, curator at the Hangzhou Museum, said people's interest in China's outstanding traditional culture is gradually growing, and behind the "museum fever" is the deep integration of the people and traditional culture.

David Symington, deputy director of the Story of China Studies Institute at the China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy, agreed with this point, noting that a friend working at the NMC informed him that the museum holds some archaeological lectures that are open to the public every year. Attendance slots are usually taken up in less than 24 hours. "This shows that young Chinese people love traditional culture and history very much."

Connection, fusion 

Many museums have realized the fusion of history and modernity through technology and music through implementing the important instruction of President Xi Jinping on "making cultural relics collected in museums come alive."

In May, the NMC's first original stage play Joyful Songs in Flourishing Age based on bringing cultural relics to life has been performed at the NMC Theater. 

Using a modernized version of traditional performing arts, a 2,000-year-old drum-beating pottery storyteller from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) was brought back to life on stage, conveying the optimistic spirit and persevering character of the Chinese nation. 

The China National Silk Museum also hosts an annual end-of-year fashion exhibition featuring the traditional Chinese silk culture and art, inviting master craftsmen to create innovative displays and bring cultural relics to life, Ji said. 

In order to meet people's museum tour demands, many museums have extended their opening hours and even offer night tours. "A night at the museum" programs are on offer in museums in Beijing, Henan and Zhejiang.

Xi emphasized that every museum is a big school. Museums, which are important places that protect and pass on knowledge about human civilizations, as well as bonds that link the past, present and future, play a special role in promoting the exchanges and mutual learning among the world's civilizations. 

While calls for the return of looted relics have also gone viral in China amid the museum craze, a recent interview with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in which he urged the British Museum to return the Parthenon Marbles, has also ignited a fervent response on Chinese social media.