As China's first historically verified dynasty, confirmed by ancient oracle bone inscriptions and archaeological discoveries, the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.) played a pivotal role in the formation of early Chinese civilization and statecraft. Its cultural and political legacy shaped the nation's social and cultural trajectory for millennia.

To mark the International Museum Day on May 18, the Beijing Grand Canal Museum unveiled The Exhibition Series on the Origins of Chinese Civilization: This is the Shang, an exhibition featuring 338 meticulously curated artifacts from 28 archaeological and cultural institutions nationwide. Through ritual bronzes, jades and inscribed oracle bones, the exhibition reveals the dynasty's technological mastery, including its advanced bronze-casting techniques, societal innovations and the ideological roots of imperial rule.

"We previously visited the Sanxingdui Museum in Sichuan Province to see its bronze exhibition, but this one includes many artifacts from Henan and Shandong provinces as well," Xu Minhui, a Beijing resident waiting in line to see the new exhibition, told Beijing Review. "Comparative displays are enlightening—they give us a more holistic perspective on ancient artifacts and how our nation has evolved."

"This exhibition features artifacts from eight past winners of China's Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries awards, with many items making their Beijing debut. It gathers representative relics from major sites, including the Yinxu ruins in Anyang, Henan Province, Zhaigou in Qingjian, Shaanxi Province, and the Jinsha site in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan," Gao Hongqing, the exhibition's curator, said at the opening ceremony on May 18.

The exhibition unfolds across four immersive thematic sections, revealing the Shang's craftsmanship, daily routines, social structures and spiritual world through an extraordinary collection of oracle bones, ritual bronzes, ceremonial jades and utilitarian pottery.

This landmark display, which will run from May 19 to October 12, grants visitors exceptional access to priceless national treasures—many leaving their home institutions for the first time.

Wider accessibility 

International Museum Day, initiated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), is celebrated globally every May 18 to underscore museums' essential societal contributions and promote cultural and educational exchanges.

This year's Chinese celebrations spotlighted three key advancements: enhanced public services, technological innovations and global cultural partnerships across the museum sector.

At Beijing's main 2025 event venue, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) reported that China now has 7,046 registered museums—averaging one institution per 200,000 people, while annual visits surged to 1.49 billion in 2024, up from 1.29 billion in 2023.

These metrics demonstrate museums' growing centrality in China's cultural landscape.

"We should encourage museums to continuously evolve based on a people-centered philosophy," an official from the NCHA said at the event. "By fully leveraging existing museum resources, we aim to achieve 100-percent nighttime operation at all provincial-level museums by late 2025, and expand educational programs for schools. We will further prioritize accessibility services for seniors and disabled visitors. These initiatives are designed to deliver meaningful public benefits."

To deepen community engagement, Gansu Province, for example, has revitalized its museum network by spotlighting regional cultural pillars: the Silk Road, the Yellow River civilization, the Great Wall history, ethnic traditions, and industrial heritage. This cultural push has yielded impressive results. Over the past year, Gansu's museums hosted more than 400 exhibitions and over 4,000 educational events, drawing a whopping 30 million visitors. 

The province has also embraced digital outreach, organizing 20,000 online events, including virtual exhibitions, livestreamed guided tours and digital education programs, to engage national audiences.

Since 2023, initiatives like Night at the Museum and Culture Tour Buses have targeted student engagement during peak seasons. Shuttle buses connect six major venues, including the Gansu Provincial Museum and Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum, while artifact lectures, immersive displays and interactive workshops are offered. In its first month alone, the Culture Tour Buses project brought over 4,000 students from remote areas into direct contact with their heritage.

Also in 2023, the Shaanxi History Museum rolled out its Mobile Museum program, bringing cultural experiences to 23 remote counties through artifact replica kits and virtual reality (VR) technology. The Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration confirmed these outreach efforts are now being institutionalized as a permanent service model.

China's commitment to inclusive museum access has gained global recognition.

At the 2023 UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies (Mondiacult), China's county-level museums were highlighted for their role in promoting cultural inclusiveness and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in bridging urban-rural divides through accessible heritage programs.

Additionally, the ICOM's 2023 guidelines for inclusive museum practices featured Suzhou Museum as a case study for its collaborative initiatives with local communities. The report underscored how such partnerships foster social equity and cultural inclusiveness.

"True, equitable museum public service goes beyond free admission—it requires tailored offerings for specific groups, such as people with disabilities, senior citizens or students," Song Xinchao, President of the Chinese Museums Association, said in a 2024 interview with China Media Group. "Take Suzhou Museum's sign language guide system for the hearing-impaired as an example: It demonstrates how cutting-edge technology can enhance accessibility for disabled visitors."

Innovative initiatives 

As museums refine their services to boost public engagement and adopt cutting-edge technologies to enhance the overall visitor experience, many have become must-visit destinations for young travelers, with many posting their creative photos and videos on social media.

At the Luoyang Museum in Henan, a pair of color-painted pottery figurines of two women holding hands from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) has become a popular spot for best friends to have their snaps taken after one influencer's video featuring the same pose with her best friend went viral on Chinese socials. On Douyin, China's version of TikTok, and popular lifestyle and e-commerce app Rednote, hashtag "taking matching photos with 1,000-year-old besties" had garnered over 100 million views as of May 28. The comment sections feature scholars explaining the clothing, makeup and daily lives of women during the Northern Wei period, while many other commenters share photos of themselves posing with their best friends in front of the artifacts.

Meanwhile, a wave of culture-inspired products—seamlessly blending ancient aesthetics with contemporary design—is now popular with museum visitors. This phenomenon showcases both the public's growing passion for rediscovering Chinese heritage and the successful impact of museums' visitor-focused initiatives.

According to data from Beijing-based market research company Intelligence Research Group, the museum cultural product market has witnessed eight consecutive years of growth since 2016. In 2023, its market size reached 13.42 billion yuan ($1.86 billion), with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 22 percent between 2016 and 2023—signaling a high-growth sector.

Henan Museum's Archaeology Mystery Box, for instance, mixes archaeological elements with blind box culture, engaging younger generations. The series contains over 100 miniature replicas of Henan artifacts, including bronze ware, jade objects and pottery, along with tiny excavation tools like shovels and brushes to simulate real digs. Users must identify the historical period of their findings based on artifact features, turning the process into an interactive archaeology lesson. Launched in 2020, the product sold over 100,000 units within a year, with 15 percent of orders coming from overseas.

"Beyond traditional artifact displays, enhancing interactivity through technology and promoting public education via social media, cultural and creative products have become another effective way to bring museum artifacts into the public spotlight," Ma Xiaolin, Director of Henan Museum, told China Daily newspaper in 2024.

"We incorporate contemporary aesthetics favored by younger generations and collaborate with universities, tech companies and design teams to develop innovative products; and we promote them through Henan Museum's online and offline channels. We plan to further expand our Archaeology Mystery Box series with new content and products," Ma added.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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