On August 17th at 24:00, the "Top of the Pyramid: Ancient Egyptian Civilization Exhibition" (hereinafter referred to as the "Egypt Exhibition") at the Shanghai Museum, which lasted for 13 months and spanned two summers, came to an end. Although the exhibition has come to an end, discussions surrounding it continue online: "The momentum is too strong", "I still want to see every exhibit again", "I can't bear to say goodbye"... The grand occasion of the Egypt exhibition at the Shanghai Museum is a microcosm of the "museum fever" in recent years. According to the data of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, during the May Day holiday this year, museums across the country received more than 60.4919 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 17%, a record high. Young people gain a sense of cultural belonging, satisfy curiosity, and generate aesthetic pleasure and social value through museum consumption, which is also an emotional consumption. ”Xu Fei, Executive Vice President of Fuyao University of Science and Technology, stated in an interview with Shanghai Securities News. More than 2.77 million visitors visited one city, with a total exhibition revenue of over 760 million yuan and over 30 billion online exposures, each impressive data tells the story of the achievements and impact of the Egypt exhibition. According to a statistical analysis report by a professional organization, the proportion of urban consumption driven by the Egyptian exhibition reached 1:48, and the comprehensive consumption of the city exceeded 35 billion yuan, becoming a vivid portrayal of "one exhibition brings heat to one city". It's really lucky to be able to grab today's ticket! ”On August 17th, Ms. Zhang, who lives in Baoshan District, Shanghai, excitedly told reporters. Ms. Zhang said that after repeatedly refreshing the reservation page, she finally managed to grab the remaining tickets. As a museum enthusiast, Ms. Zhang admits that she always checks in at local museums in every city she visits. Nowadays, there are more and more cultural and museum enthusiasts like Ms. Zhang, and visiting museums is gradually becoming a way of life for young people. The National Museum of China Data Report (2024) shows that the museum received a total of 695700 visitors in 2024, with over 60% of them being visitors under the age of 35. While the audience of popular large museums continues to flock, some "treasure" museums have also ushered in highlights. The Northern Wei Dynasty "painted pottery holding hands female figurine" in the collection of Luoyang Museum is known by netizens as the "good friend figurine" due to its vivid and cute design, attracting a large number of tourists to come and check in. The "Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow" bronze galloping horse at Gansu Provincial Museum and the Shang Qing bronze mask at Sanxingdui Museum have also become "darlings" on social media due to their unique affinity, bringing young audiences closer to history. Some corporate museums are also actively innovating and seeking change. For example, the Liubiju Museum plans to invite visitors to participate in interactive activities such as making sauces and pickles, transforming intangible cultural heritage skills from "museum exhibits" to "touchable lives"; The Hengqin Pianzaihuang Museum injects new vitality into the dissemination of traditional culture and integrates traditional Chinese medicine culture into the lives of young people through holding intangible cultural heritage markets and other means. When I was making a travel guide for Qingdao, I immediately 'planted grass' at the Qingdao Beer Museum! ”A college student shared, "When it comes to Qingdao, people think of Tsingtao Beer. Initially, they were attracted by the beer yeast bread promoted by this museum, which felt very novel and made them want to taste what it tasted. At this museum, not only can you taste fresh beer and crispy beer beans on site, but you can also buy creative souvenirs such as hops essential oil soap and wine basket shaped chocolate." While the museum's popularity continues, the cultural consumption trend of traveling to a city for a cultural relic or a museum is becoming increasingly prominent. The "2025 Shanghai Cultural and Tourism Scene Consumption Report" shows that among young people who visit local museums in Shanghai, 46.6% are Shanghai residents, while 53.4% are from other provinces. How can museums become the "top tier" and how can one museum visit one city? One important reason is that museums accurately capture the multiple needs of tourists and resonate with them. I have always been curious about the origins and development of a local culture. ”A cultural and historical enthusiast said that museums will systematically sort out the local historical context, combined with visual materials such as physical exhibits, timelines, and maps, to create a sense of immersion. If you just bury your head in reading materials, you will inevitably feel bored. To be honest, when I first went to the museum, the main purpose was to clock in. ”A interviewee working in Beijing admitted, "Nowadays, museums have long been marked as a must visit 'trendy landmark' on social media, and everyone says it's' becoming a spiritual millionaire at the lowest cost. 'Museums that become popular on social media often have distinct personality traits and establish unique emotional connections with audiences through relaxed and lively exhibition methods. What kind of exhibition can move the audience? Chen Xiejun, former director of the Shanghai Museum, believes that this cannot be achieved without carefully selected exhibits, in-depth research, and extensive promotion. These three traditional functions are content and base, but exhibitions must uphold the principle of 'content is king'. Exhibitions are like a feast, with exhibits being the most important ingredients, and carefully selected exhibits being the most important factor that moves the audience. Of course, new technologies and new display methods are also important supports for exhibitions. The person in charge of Shanghai Museum introduced that in order to fully tap into the value of cultural relics, Shanghai Museum has innovated its exhibition mode, creating a unique immersive space through historical narrative, cultural relic display, and digital display. In addition to exhibitions, museums have increasingly diverse events in recent years, providing visitors with rich emotional experiences. For example, the Shanghai Museum has carefully planned the "Museum Strange 'Meow' Night" event, creating a precedent for comprehensive museums worldwide to bring cats for exhibitions. This event has received unanimous praise on social media, with slogans such as "fake exhibition, genuine cat sucking", "take our cats to see our Egyptian ancestors", and "so happy, cats are everywhere". From 'replicas of cultural relics' to' works of art in daily life ',' I hung it to attract others' attention on the street '. If someone hangs this ugly pendant on the street, I would want to go up and talk to them! ”A interviewee from Shaanxi excitedly shared their original intention of purchasing the "Green Horse" doll from the Gansu Provincial Museum. She said that compared to the uniformly cute dolls on the market, the "ugly and cute" design is actually more recognizable. From the ugly and cute doll "Green Horse" to the doll version of Spicy Hot Pot, the museum's cultural and creative products have frequently come out of the circle and attracted the attention of young people on social media. The "2024 Museum Cultural and Creative Industry Research Report" shows that "post-00s" and "post-90s" have become the main force of museum cultural and creative consumption, accounting for 31.0% and 39.9% respectively. More than 80% of the surveyed consumers have a willingness to purchase museum cultural and creative products. The Report on the Development of Chinese Museums (2024) released by the National Cutural Heritage Administration shows that in 2024, the sales revenue of cultural and creative products of museums nationwide will reach 3.428 billion yuan, up 63.7% year on year. What type of cultural and creative products are most popular among tourists? According to the "2025 Consumer Behavior Insights Report on China's Cultural and Creative Products Industry" released by iMedia Consulting, consumers value unique creativity the most when choosing cultural and creative products, followed by cultural connotations and commemorative significance. Culture and tourism are intertwined, and high-quality cultural and creative products can meet the emotional needs of audiences and promote the popularization of cultural and historical knowledge. ”Chen Xiejun said. Looking back at the development history of museum cultural and creative products, we can see a clear trend of evolution. At first, museum cultural and creative products often remained at the level of simple cultural relic replication. With the development of emotional economy, cultural and creative products have been given a new mission - not only to carry emotional value, but also to "conform to the spiritual state of young people". In terms of providing cultural and creative products that young people love, the Shanghai Museum has submitted a reference answer sheet. At the Egypt exhibition, the Shanghai Museum launched over 1200 cultural and creative products, with a total sales volume of over 3 million pieces. Nearly 500 cultural and creative activities were held, covering nearly 300000 visitors. The revenue from cultural and creative activities and related derivative products exceeded 440 million yuan, surpassing ticket revenue. The popularity of museum cultural and creative industries is the result of the combined effects of cultural consumption upgrading, technological innovation, and changes in the younger generation. ”Xu Fei believes that for museums, the hot sales of cultural and creative products can achieve the goal of "nurturing culture with cultural and creative products" and contribute to the protection of cultural relics. The purchase of cultural and creative products by consumers is a unique cultural consumption that can meet personalized needs and cultural identity expression, while also bringing cultural memories home. From a social perspective, the development of museum cultural and creative industries helps promote the modern translation of traditional culture and is one of the effective means to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture. (New Society)