"Museums have the power to transform the world around us," said the International Council of Museums (ICOM) about the theme of International Museum Day 2022. The day, themed "The Power of Museums," falls on May 18. 

Offline museums around the world have been facing unprecedented challenges under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but people's yearning for museums has not wavered. 

More Chinese people choose to visit museums online. As people are advised to stay at home amid surges of the COVID-19, virtual exhibitions and online experiences developed by museums allow people to experience the charm of museums from thousands of miles away.

Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, for instance, had its online opening ceremony and virtual exhibitions last year due to the pandemic prevention and control measures. Within an hour of the online opening ceremony, about 160,000 people watched the exhibition online, according to Zhu Yarong, deputy curator of the museum.

Beijing's Palace Museum has been trying to let its time-honored buildings breathe young life through innovative technology. Since 2018, the digital and information department of the museum has been working with professional mapping teams to collect location information of over 600 buildings, exhibition halls and service facilities in the open area of the Palace Museum, and launched a mini program using GPRS navigation technology, LBS positioning technology and 360-degree panoramic technology. The program, now called "Open Wisdom," has been upgraded constantly to improve users’ experience. 

"When exhibitions are no longer confined to physical collections, and digitalization realizes the linkage between online and offline, such technological empowerment is full of positive energy," said Zheng Yi, curator of Fudan University Museum. The greatest contribution of museums' digital efforts is to give institutions the opportunity to transcend the boundaries of time and space and provide educational opportunities for everyone, offer more people an access to the arts, Zheng added. 

Due to the pandemic in 2020, museums across the country launched more than 2,000 online exhibitions, attracting over 5 billion visits, according to Xinhuanet. More museums are using online methods to attract visitors of all ages.

(Cover image designed by Jia Jieqiong)