Shift in demand

According to data from the National Administration of Cultural Heritage (NCHA), the number of museums in China had reached 6,183 by the end of 2022, over twice as many as in 2012. In 2021 alone, 395 new museums were added to the administration's records.

"For the public, intellectual and cultural activities are gradually becoming inseparable necessities of their lives," said Jin Jiangbo, vice president of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, explaining reasons behind this boom in museums.

According to a guideline issued by the NCHA and eight other departments in 2021, efforts were to be made to integrate museums with industries including education, science and technology, tourism, and commerce.

Such integrations are transforming museums from mere places of public culture and education to public service complexes, meeting the needs of the younger generation who want diversified cultural experiences.

According to data from online travel agency Trip.com Group, formerly known as Ctrip, in the first half of 2022, the majority of users who booked museum tickets through its platform were born in the 1980s and 1990s, and those born between 1995 and 2000 accounted for nearly 30 percent of museum related searches.