Although summer vacation is almost “used up,” children’s enthusiasm for spending the holidays in museums remains undiminished, making museums a top choice for family trips.
At 2 p.m. on the 18th, in front of the entrance to the National Museum of China—one of the most visited “sites” during the summer—a well-ordered line of visitors waited to enter. Ticket collection, ticket checking, machine screening, manual inspection… Due to the large number of visitors, the entire entry process took nearly 20 minutes. Among the summer highlights at the National Museum, the “Disney Classic Animation Exhibition” proved especially popular with kids. Although that day marked the final day of the exhibition at the museum, it was still buzzing with energy. According to reporters’ calculations, around 2:15 p.m. that day, an average of 15 families—nearly 30 people—entered the Disney exhibition hall every minute.
In addition, the National Museum presented a digital scroll titled “The Southern Inspection Tour of Emperor Qianlong,” depicting the emperor’s first journey “down south.” On the parchment-like yellow background, every smile, frown, and movement of Emperor Qianlong seemed vividly alive, as if within reach yet also part of the painting. This classic digital “mini-movie” also attracted many young fans. The display was scheduled for five shows per day, one every hour, but barely had each session begun when dozens of visitors would gather at the entrance, waiting for the next one.
A Real-Life “Beauty Test” at the Science Museum
Free “beauty tests,” a fingertip “animal kingdom,” and a “body shadow” experience showcasing international dance flair… This summer, a once low-key temporary exhibition space in a corner of the China Science and Technology Museum has become one of its biggest draws. Remember the once viral “age test” apps online? Now, the museum offers a real-life version of a “beauty test”: just stand in front of the screen, and your age and gender will be automatically displayed. Moreover, this enhanced “beauty tester” can even read your emotions—whether you’re happy, sad, angry, or surprised… Your mood is laid bare. This is all thanks to a camera installed on the large display, which captures subtle facial expressions, rapidly analyzes them using big data algorithms, and then determines the viewer’s age, gender, and mood.
Visiting Museums: A Top Choice to Beat the Heat
After happily testing their “beauty” at the exhibition entrance, young volunteers inside the temporary exhibition space offered visitors another delightful surprise: bounding deer with mouths opening and closing adorably, wide-eyed owls with constantly darting gazes… This vivid animal kingdom was actually brought to life through children’s hand shadows. A young volunteer performing the hand shadows shared that the youngest among them is only seven or eight years old, and each group of volunteers serves for one week. After performing for the public, the young guides then took on the role of little teachers, seriously demonstrating and explaining: “Bend your middle and ring fingers, form a circle with your thumb, raise your little finger, and hold it above your head. Then move your index finger back and forth—it looks just like an owl’s eyes moving.”
Tian Xin, a fifth grader from Zhongguancun No. 3 Primary School, said that visiting museums is the best way to “beat the heat” during summer vacation. Accompanied by her mother, Tian Xin has already visited five museums since the start of the break—the National Museum, the Science and Technology Museum, the Astronomy Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Paleozoological Museum.