The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.
Appreciation of a Fine Essay | A “Cool” Reflection on the Museum’s “Hot” Appeal
Author:
Source:
Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall Official Account
Time:
2024-02-03
At present, the growing popularity of museums shows no sign of slowing, with in-person visits and virtual “cloud tours” emerging as a new social trend among young people. Take the National Museum of China as an example: in 2022, it welcomed over 1.6 million visitors, nearly 40% of whom were aged 19 to 35. Data indicate that during this year’s National Day holiday, domestic museum tourism surged by more than fourfold compared with the previous period, with Generation Z firmly establishing itself as the driving force behind museum-going. Why are young people increasingly drawn to museums?
A mutual journey between young people and museums
The emergence and development of any social or cultural trend are neither the result of a single factor acting in isolation nor the product of sudden, spontaneous creation. To uncover their underlying causes, it is essential to adopt a broad perspective and a multidimensional approach, conducting a holistic analysis. Overall, the “boom” surrounding youth‑oriented museums represents the external manifestation of young people’s intrinsic emotions—cultural identity, cultural confidence, and cultural self‑awareness—in the new era; it is also a product of our times, arising from the practical efforts to build a culturally strong nation and an educationally strong nation. Specifically, this phenomenon can be summarized as “three new developments.”
A new pursuit of spiritual life. Today, young people’s aspirations for a better life are no longer confined to the material realm; they now harbor higher expectations for their spiritual well‑being. With a widespread enhancement in cultural literacy, they have come to view museums—these “great schools” brimming with “cultural nourishment”—with growing admiration. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, “A museum is a great school,” and “museums are vital sanctuaries for safeguarding and passing down human civilization.”
Contemporary young people enjoy far richer educational resources, with markedly higher levels of schooling; they generally possess a solid grounding in history, cultural literacy, and aesthetic sensibility. Coupled with their sustained, deliberate engagement with the internet, they tend to have broader horizons and deeper insights, and are increasingly drawn to enriching sources of spiritual fulfillment. In today’s fast‑paced world, they yearn all the more to appreciate the “beauty of culture” and to rediscover the “beauty of history,” often overlooked or neglected. They no longer confine themselves to perusing photographs in books or watching video footage; instead, they seek to step directly into the sanctuaries of human civilization—museums. Moreover, their pursuit of a better life extends beyond the individual sphere, reaching out to family and friends around them.
A new setting for social interaction. As the economy and society evolve, the younger generation’s approach to socializing has undergone significant shifts, exhibiting distinct generational traits: they no longer embrace the so‑called “drinking‑table culture” centered on food and drink, but instead seek deeper, more meaningful connections—grounded in shared interests within the realms of thought and culture—while engaging in interactions that remain accessible and attainable. Museums offer an elegant and distinctive venue for such social encounters.
From the perspective of social costs, most museums are free to the public, which to some extent reduces the financial burden on young people. According to data released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, in 2022 China added 382 newly registered museums, bringing the national total to 6,565—placing the country among the world’s leaders. Through the ongoing refinement of policies promoting free museum access, more than 90 percent of China’s museums now offer free admission.
From the perspective of the social environment, China’s humanities and history museums have reached a growing level of maturity, with steadily improving facilities and service standards, culturally rich spatial designs, and predominantly indoor settings that are unaffected by weather conditions. Beyond conventional exhibitions, these museums frequently host lectures, performances, youth‑focused workshops, and other engaging activities. Meanwhile, the development of specialized, industry‑specific, natural science and technology, emerging‑technology, art, and ecological museums has also accelerated, moving into high gear and further expanding the range of social‑interaction opportunities available to young people.
From the perspective of social media, online sharing serves as a reflection of one’s personal state. In recent years, young people’s content on digital platforms has shifted subtly: many have moved from posting scenic views and gourmet dishes to showcasing culture. Museums not only fulfill a social‑educational role by disseminating knowledge but also cultivate cultural refinement and emotional resonance, making them a popular choice for young people to “share culture.” Through “exhibition‑style socializing,” they seek cultural and emotional connections, thereby strengthening or expanding their interpersonal networks.
A new experience empowered by technology. Technological advances, particularly the transformative power of digital technologies, have brought cultural relics to life, offering young people a fresh and engaging way to explore and learn at museums.
First, the national cultural digitization strategy has created a rare historical opportunity for museums to leverage technology. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to enhancing the public cultural service functions of museums, introducing a series of targeted policies to promote their high-quality development. For example, in 2022, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions on Promoting the Implementation of the National Cultural Digitization Strategy,” which explicitly called for the deep integration of digital technologies with museum operations.
Secondly, technological empowerment has continuously innovated the ways in which museum exhibits are presented, better aligning with the experiential preferences of young audiences. Today’s youth live in a digital‑intelligent environment; they are both creators of cutting‑edge technologies and users of digital tools, exhibiting a strong curiosity about science and technology and eagerly seeking products that offer immersive, tech‑infused experiences. In recent years, museums have increasingly embraced frontier technologies, making full use of AR, VR, and other digital platforms, while integrating infrared sensing, AOA positioning, 3D light‑sculpture, XR spatial sub‑stages, and other digital techniques. They have developed digital IPs, built mini‑programs and mobile apps, and launched new cultural services such as immersive experiences, virtual exhibition halls, and high‑definition live streams—efforts aimed at moving beyond traditional static displays and rudimentary guided tours, thereby attracting a growing number of young enthusiasts. For example, the “Cloud Tour of Dunhuang” mini‑program’s world‑first “Digital Sutra Cave,” created using gaming‑grade technology, has been enthusiastically embraced by young people.
Finally, information and communication technologies have significantly enhanced museums’ outreach effectiveness, boosting their accessibility and visibility among young audiences. By fully leveraging the communicative strengths of social media, museums have proactively established online platforms for promotion and exhibition, employed witty and humorous language, and created viral “cultural relic emoji packs,” thereby cultivating a strong digital presence, bridging the psychological gap with young people, and drawing an ever-growing number of youth—both online and offline—to visit museums.
On July 21, 2023, tourists were visiting the Xi’an Beilin Museum. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Zhenghao)
The “boom” in museums still faces certain challenges in practice.
Practice has shown that the more “hot” a phenomenon is, the more it calls for “cool” reflection. Museums have become a wildly popular choice among young people for cultural tourism, social interaction, and everyday life—this is a sign of societal progress. Systematically identifying and addressing the practical challenges involved is essential to ensuring that this culturally progressive trend remains sustainable in the long term.
An imbalance in the supply–demand relationship, primarily stemming from the mismatch between museums’ limited offerings and the strong demand among young people.
First, the current situation—where tickets to museums, especially large ones, are extremely difficult to obtain—fails to meet the substantial demand of young audiences. The challenge of securing museum reservations is particularly acute, especially during peak tourist seasons, with ticket scalping rampant and even the use of unauthorized software to maliciously snatch tickets. Such practices undermine the public‑service mission of museums. Objectively speaking, most museums currently lack the technical capacity to effectively curb such malicious behavior, and the resilience of their ticketing systems against surges in demand also requires further enhancement.
Second, museum interpretation services struggle to meet the diverse needs of young audiences. According to statistics, in 2022 Chinese museums hosted 34,000 in-person exhibitions and nearly 230,000 educational programs, welcoming a total of 578 million visitors. However, most museums fail to tailor their guided tours to individual visitors, lacking customized programs for different youth groups. Moreover, their interpretive scripts do not evolve with each presentation; the “one script for all” approach falls short of addressing the varied knowledge expectations of young audiences, while specialized interpreting professionals remain in short supply. Innovative efforts to offer more diversified interpretation services remain insufficient, and further exploration is needed to balance maintaining visitor order with expanding public access to guided tours.
Third, the exhibition programs of some museums struggle to meet the high‑quality expectations of young audiences. Many institutions fail to fully leverage their unique identities, resulting in a homogenized landscape where each museum looks much like the next. Their exhibition planning remains relatively underdeveloped, often neglecting narrative‑driven, story‑based curatorial approaches. Structurally, they tend to feature an abundance of objects with scant interpretive context, prioritizing visual appeal over compelling storytelling. Such superficial displays of artifacts are unlikely to engage or resonate with younger visitors. Moreover, accompanying textual materials occasionally contain elementary errors—such as typos, omissions, grammatical inaccuracies, and improper punctuation—in descriptions of thematic focuses, key pieces, and historical backgrounds, thereby undermining the cultural experience for visitors.
Improper conduct during visits. Museums are solemn cultural venues, and the majority of young visitors demonstrate a high level of civility and orderliness. However, a small minority exhibits inappropriate behavior. First, there are uncivilized practices: some young visitors display poor personal appearance and casually discard litter from the moment they enter. Second, there are violations of museum regulations: certain visitors take photographs in areas marked with “No Photography” signs, use flash when photographing artifacts, or engage in unauthorized commercial filming, lecturing, performances, live streaming on social media, interviews, or recording—activities that fall outside the scope of normal museum visits. Moreover, some ignore warnings and arbitrarily handle museum collections, even going so far as to deface or damage exhibits, which constitutes unlawful behavior. Third, there is the tendency to “play fast and loose” with cultural relics: a small number of young people lack due respect for artifacts of significant historical value and rich cultural meaning, making inappropriate remarks, freely speculating about unverified “secrets,” legends, or unofficial histories, and fabricating fictional narratives about these objects.
The distortion of exhibition‑based learning. Museums serve not only as custodians and chroniclers of history, but also as witnesses to—and active participants in—the Chinese Communist Party’s unwavering efforts, together with the Chinese people, to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. On the one hand, young visitors at a stage in life when they are pursuing careers and ambitions enter museums, essentially engaging in a process of knowledge acquisition and drawing spiritual inspiration. Yet some young audiences stray from this original intent, treating museum visits as little more than a social‑media‑driven “sightseeing” activity; some even adopt a “checking in” mentality, mechanically posting photos on social media while going through exhibits in a perfunctory manner. Such superficial visits fail to resonate deeply, leaving behind only fleeting impressions. For some young visitors, museum‑based educational outings have been reduced to mere recreational excursions, thereby undermining the educational value of experiencing cultural richness and absorbing intellectual nourishment.
On the other hand, some museums have overly prioritized exhibition popularity and buzz, neglecting rigorous scholarly research on the cultural relics themselves. They fail to delve deeply into the intrinsic value and historical significance of the objects on display, instead rushing to stage exhibitions merely to meet quantitative targets. Moreover, certain museums have disregarded the fundamental principle that exhibition design should serve the content, placing excessive emphasis on attention‑grabbing digital technologies, “high‑aesthetic” photo‑ops and check‑in zones, and immersive “scripted tours.” At the same time, they have not made steady progress in digitalization: after outsourcing related projects to technology firms, they often disengage entirely, failing to maintain full‑process oversight. Consequently, they do not rigorously ensure the accuracy of interpretations of the relics’ historical contexts, nor do they dynamically integrate cutting‑edge academic findings into the design and production of digital offerings—resulting in learning outcomes for young audiences that fall short of expectations.
This is a copper galloping horse–themed cultural‑creative ornament, photographed on June 28, 2022, at the cultural‑creative shop of the Gansu Provincial Museum. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ma Xiping.
How can we ensure that youth museums remain “hot” and stay at the top of the trending charts?
Providing high‑level service management is the fundamental strategy that keeps the Youth Museum consistently at the top of the trending charts.
First, we will deepen our core mission by telling the stories of cultural relics in ways that resonate with young audiences. We will strengthen academic research and establish a comprehensive academic, discursive, and disciplinary framework for museum studies with Chinese characteristics. We will also bolster our talent pool, fostering a vibrant environment in which specialists in technical fields, general administrators, public‑relations professionals, docents, and security experts can all contribute their unique skills and expertise. Striking a balanced approach between attracting younger visitors and preserving the distinctive character of museums, we will transform the historical, cultural, and aesthetic values embedded in these relics into compelling narratives, while illuminating the interconnections among them to create a well‑structured narrative arc—introduction, development, climax, and resolution.
Second, segment the young audience and emphasize integrated services across the pre‑visit, in‑visit, and post‑visit phases. Young people comprise diverse groups with distinct characteristics—for example, college students as a developmental cohort, or university faculty as a knowledge‑oriented group. Tailoring specialized roles and responsibilities to these different segments can help deliver more targeted, precision‑driven services. Museum visits and learning experiences should not be confined to the on‑site encounter; they require thoughtful planning that spans all three stages. For instance, during the pre‑visit phase, provide easily accessible resources such as background information and introductions to featured programs, and after the visit, organize enrichment‑focused educational activities.
Third, we should effectively advance the digital transformation of museums and expand online offerings for young audiences. Upholding the principle that “content is king,” we can leverage digital technologies to enhance exhibition narratives, continuously develop immersive digital experiences, and enable young visitors to explore and learn in virtual spaces outside the museum—thereby helping to alleviate the challenges of in-person reservations. We should also promote the development of smart museums, employing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to capture visitor journeys, analyze the personality traits and cognitive profiles of young audiences, and tailor services—including intelligent audio guides—to meet their diverse needs. At the same time, however, we must avoid over‑immersing young audiences in virtual environments; the ultimate goal of digital innovation is to enrich and elevate real‑world quality of life.
Fourth, strengthen safety management and maintain order among visitors. Museums should continuously enhance their technological capabilities and collaborate with public security authorities, cultural enforcement agencies, market regulators, and cyberspace administration departments to refine cooperative mechanisms for information sharing and the referral of leads. They must intensify efforts to crack down on a range of illegal and non‑compliant practices, such as ticket hoarding and reselling by scalpers, establish blacklists of individuals engaging in improper conduct, and raise the costs associated with uncivilized behavior and violations of laws and regulations.
Developing high-quality cultural and creative products is the inexhaustible driving force behind the sustained popularity of youth-oriented museums.
First, it is essential to seamlessly integrate the museum’s cultural identity with the preferences and sensibilities of young audiences. Centering on the museum’s distinctive cultural heritage, this approach incorporates local cultural resources and contemporary cultural trends, while taking into account the diverse aesthetic tastes of different youth groups to design a series of themed cultural‑creative products. At the same time, museums can leverage IP licensing partnerships to foster cross‑sectoral collaboration with dining, education, performance, and other industries, thereby driving integrated development.
Second, integrate the museum’s educational mission into the design of cultural‑creative products, guiding young people with sound values. Cultural‑creative products serve as vital vehicles for museums to fulfill their educational role; their design should align with mainstream value orientations, fostering greater awareness of value‑based education among youth and embedding educational elements in appropriate contexts and through suitable approaches.
Third, we must cultivate a high-caliber workforce of young cultural‑creative professionals and explore the establishment of a nationwide collaborative platform for cultural‑creative initiatives. Youth‑led creative teams are best positioned to grasp the ideological trends, fashion currents, and shifting preferences of their peer group—their “most sensitive barometer”—ensuring that product designs remain attuned to the tastes and sensibilities of young audiences. At present, the museum‑based cultural‑creative sector is experiencing rapid growth, yet polarization remains pronounced. Leading institutions such as the Palace Museum boast sophisticated, well‑established cultural‑creative teams that successfully balance social and economic benefits. By contrast, many museums—particularly smaller and midsize ones—still find themselves in the early stages of development, grappling with shortages of talent, funding, and technical expertise. A national collaborative platform would facilitate exchanges and partnerships among cultural‑creative teams of all sizes, unlocking greater access to human resources, capital, technology, information, and market opportunities. At the same time, it is essential to intensify the promotion of cultural‑creative products on digital and social media platforms, thereby enhancing their accessibility and appeal among young consumers.
Harnessing a powerful, high‑efficiency synergy—this is the practical foundation that ensures the youth museum remains passionately engaged over the long term and sustains its enduring appeal.
From a policy perspective, a series of measures—ranging from the free admission to museums and memorial halls to the implementation of pilot projects for smart museum development—have fueled the growing popularity and continued expansion of youth‑oriented museums. Yet their sustained appeal will continue to depend on the targeted and effective application of relevant policies. Management authorities must further advance the reform and modernization of museums, fostering a cultural‑heritage sector characterized by rational spatial planning, distinctive identities, sound institutional frameworks, resource sharing, integrated business models, vibrant cultural‑creative industries, and an optimized structural configuration. They should also develop standards and guidelines to guide and encourage museums in tailoring their practices to the specific needs and preferences of young audiences, thereby elevating public cultural services beyond the rudimentary stage of merely providing knowledge and information. Instead, these efforts should cultivate in young audiences a well‑rounded set of competencies—including critical thinking, information literacy, social skills, a spirit of innovation, digital literacy, and a capacity for international comparative analysis—and enable them to apply these skills effectively in their present and future lives, studies, and work.
From a societal perspective, communities, schools, and families must deeply recognize the cultural value and educational role of museums and actively plan and implement “museum‑plus” social‑practice initiatives. We should explore establishing a “community‑plus‑museum” working model, integrating museums into the fabric of community culture and bringing them into the homes of countless households, while also emphasizing education and guidance on responsible museum visitation. Furthermore, we should develop a long‑term collaborative mechanism between schools and museums, with schools proactively leveraging museum‑based educational resources to incorporate these cultural assets into classroom instruction and comprehensive extracurricular activities for young students. Families, in turn, should regard museums as a key component of collective family activities, organizing learning experiences grounded in tangible artifacts, thereby extending museum‑based education into everyday family life.
From the perspective of individual young people, it is essential to cultivate museum visits as a regular part of one’s daily life and learning routine—paying attention not only to the physical artifacts themselves but also to the historical and cultural contexts they embody, and engaging in high‑quality museum‑based educational excursions. At the same time, individuals should enhance their proficiency in digital technologies, skillfully leveraging smart museums to meet their intellectual and cultural needs; strengthen self‑discipline, elevate their personal qualities, adhere to museum‑visit guidelines, and practice courteous and respectful behavior during visits.
Excerpted from the October (second half) issue of People’s Forum magazine.
Original Title | The “Hot” Youth Museum and Its “Cool” Reflections
Author: Xiang Jiuyu, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Marxism, Wuhan University, and Deputy Director of the Ministry of Education’s Training and Research Center for Ideological and Political Work Teams (Wuhan University). Dr. Wang Yulong, a doctoral student at the School of Marxism, Wuhan University, also contributed to this article.
New Media Editor | Wang Sinan
Original Editor | Zhao Chengcen
Source | People’s Forum Online – People’s Forum Magazine
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