Swedish Museum of Failure hits Shanghai

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The world today is filled with stories of success, but only a few think about the value of failures. However, people usually learn more from their failures than success. As an ancient Chinese saying goes: Failure is the mother of success.

Since its launch in Sweden in 2017, the Museum of Failure, founded by Swedish psychologist Samuel West, has traveled across the world.

The exhibition honors various failures encountered in the path of success, which later inspired and boosted the development of human society.

More than 100 failed products and services, including Coca-Cola's coffee-flavored soda, Apple's Newton MessagePad, Colgate's frozen lasagna, a bottle of green ketchup and a pen specially designed for women, are among the collections to be displayed at the exhibition.

Visitors observe items on display at the Museum of Failure in Helsingborg, Sweden, January 2, 2019. /VCG Photo

The museum's arrival in Shanghai marks its debut in Asia. Opened for visitors on Friday (18 January), the unique exhibition is scheduled to last until March 17 in China's financial capital.

"I was so tired of reading and hearing the same boring success stories, they are all alike," said Samuel West, the museum's founder. "It is in the failures we find the interesting stories that we can learn from. Innovation and progress require the acceptance of failure."

For entering China, the exhibition has been given a new name in Chinese, Cheng Gong Zhi Mu, which means "the mother of success."

According to West, the exhibition will be touring more Chinese cities afterward.

(With inputs from Xinhua)