Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT
China's museum boom has continued to rise,
MKsports leading to increased attention and visibility for smaller but more specialized museums.
Recently, two new museums opened after acquiring the Beijing municipality's regional museum designation. The German Herbal Tea Museum showcases exhibits related to herbal tea from Germany, while the Sino-Science Aquilaria Museum focuses on aquilaria trees.
Museums like these two are usually known as "small yet exquisite" museums or niche museums.
Due to their limited size, niche museums are not comparable with comprehensive museums in terms of the scale of their collections. The reason these "small yet exquisite" museums have continued to attract attention and gain popularity lies largely in their ability to coordinate resources, innovate in form and content, and cultivate a strong sense of local connection.
"These museums are usually smaller but have clear themes and distinct characteristics, allowing them to focus on specific cultural fields or historical subjects," Zhang Peng, a museum education expert in Beijing, told the Global Times.
Zhang noted that small- and medium-sized museums sometimes face challenges when it comes to the richness and diversity of their collections. Therefore, making full use of external collaborative resources and increasing temporary exhibitions has become a key strategy for these museums in coordinating their resources. By transplanting existing exhibitions from large museums into smaller venues, they achieve a complementary use of resources.
For example, the Chengyang Museum in East China's Shandong Province expanded its influence and enriched the local cultural experience by collaborating with the Shaanxi History Museum to host a thematic exhibition.
Besides the Chengyang Museum, the Guo Shoujing Memorial Hall in Beijing has enhanced its service capabilities by recruiting a large number of volunteers, according to Zhang.
The volunteer team not only reduces the museum's operational costs but also increases the interactivity of exhibitions and provides guided tours, making cultural communication more engaging and livelier.
In terms of technological innovation, more and more small- and medium-sized museums nowadays are creating immersive exhibition experiences, using immersive guides, interactive theater, and other forms to enhance interactivity.
"As the public accumulates interest and knowledge in a specific field, small groups of like-minded individuals are formed," said Zhang.
"This provides an opportunity for small museums to more accurately target their audience, attracting those with specialized interests and a deep passion for cultural consumption and experience."
By innovating their products and services, these small museums turn the disadvantage of fewer visitors into an advantage, offering in-depth visits and participatory experiences.
The Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum in East China's Jiangsu Province has incorporated an immersive ultra-large screen and interactive exhibits, combining traditional artifacts with digital technology to offer visitors a completely new experience.
Here, visitors are no longer passive observers; they can interact and engage, gaining a deeper understanding of the many aspects of canal culture.
Many small- and medium-sized museums, while pursuing innovation, are dedicated to becoming places that connect residents' emotions with cultural memories.
Founded in the early 2000s, the Xi'an Digital Shadow Puppet Museum in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province aims to promote traditional shadow puppet culture and enhance the social influence of intangible cultural heritage.
The museum's deputy director, Jiang Yeshuang, has taken shadow puppetry to various communities through cultural performances and night schools.
"We hope to bring live shadow puppet performances right to local residents' doorsteps, enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the community," Jiang told the Global Times.
"Museum provides a platform for residents to interact and learn directly from intangible cultural heritage artists, and we also hold public lectures on shadow puppetry at local schools."
He added that he hopes to inspire young people to develop an innovative awareness of traditional culture and a sense of responsibility for preserving intangible cultural heritage through the approach.
The Beijing Shijia Hutong Museum has engaged residents by collecting old artifacts and gathering oral histories. This approach not only preserves local culture but also strengthens a sense of community.
Today, small- and medium-sized museums are highlighting their unique charm in cultural communication and community engagement by demonstrating their essential role in fulfilling the public's spiritual needs while contributing to the ongoing museum boom in China.
The author is a reporter with the Global Times. [email protected]
