Pomegranate Cloud/Xinjiang Daily Reporter Liu Mengmeng
Rare language texts, stunning sculptures and murals, exquisite silk and wool textiles, and unique colored pottery art have all contributed to the booming popularity of museum visits in recent years. In 2023, museums of various types across Xinjiang welcomed a record 10.83 million visitors, marking a historic high.
As interest in museums continues to flourish, the public’s curiosity has expanded into cultural creative products: from the highly sought-after tiger-patterned gold medal ice cream to the popular “Little Smart & Little Wise” series. An increasing number of museums are crossing over into the realm of cultural creativity, captivating countless young people with the profound essence of Chinese culture.
Leveraging Cultural Depth for Closer Connections with Artifacts
“This refrigerator magnet features an enamel craftsmanship with a matte gold finish, depicting two dragons soaring above the Xinjiang Museum, alongside a gold bell pendant…” said Guan Yi, the director of the cultural creative department of the Xinjiang Museum, as she showcased a series of popular products named “Golden Scales for Good Fortune.” This series draws inspiration from Han dynasty dragon-patterned gold belt buckles found in museums across Xinjiang, Hunan, Yunnan, Anhui, and Liaoning. “These five museums collaborated creatively using similar relics, resulting in a cultural sensation.”
Among the treasures housed within the Xinjiang Museum is a national first-class artifact, the Han dynasty “Eight Dragon Pattern Gold Belt Buckle,” exquisitely designed and unearthed in 1975 from the Heigata site in Yarkant County. Researchers believe this gold buckle was a reward from the Han dynasty Emperor to the Wang of Yarkant in the Western Regions. “Similar artifacts found in Hunan, Yunnan, Liaoning, and Anhui reflect the central government’s effective governance through rewards in ancient times,” Guan noted, stressing that “drawing from distant mountains, yet sharing the same wind” is the biggest highlight of the “Golden Scales for Good Fortune” series.
As one of the first 92 pilot institutions for cultural creative product development designated by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Xinjiang Museum actively embraces digital technology and expands its presence on new media platforms. Through the digitalization of collections, live broadcasts, and online exhibitions, national treasures within the display cases are “given a voice,” and artifacts in storage are brought to life.
The Aksu Prefecture Museum has introduced the “Interesting Waves and Returning Tides” series of cultural creative products, modeled after artifacts like the eagle-winged dragon head gray pottery and color-painted child relic boxes discovered in the region. Designers have also creatively incorporated the paired bird motif from a brocade found in the Astana ancient tomb into chopstick designs, conveying a symbolic meaning of togetherness, making it a long-time favorite item. This approach makes relics more familiar and engaging to everyday viewers.
Each exquisite cultural creative product brings forth artifacts stored in museums, heritage spread across vast lands, and texts inscribed in ancient books, showcasing the continuous historical legacy of Chinese civilization. They tell the vivid stories of the close interactions and integrations among various ethnic groups.
Delving Deeper into Cultural Connotations and Continuous Innovation
As I walked through the cultural creative base on the first floor of the Turpan Museum, my attention was drawn to a wide array of intriguing products. Among them, the “Gaohang Wisdom” series inspired by the Gaochang ancient city stood out—complete with adorable figurines of the Gaochang King and Queen, notebooks, seal designs, hand-drawn books, phone cases, and postcards for visitors’ souvenirs.
Lu Bingjian, the general manager of Xinjiang Mohuying Cultural Media Co., which designed this product line, explained that the Gaochang Wisdom figures are based on the characters depicted in the wall paintings in Cave 20 of the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, which showcase the Gaochang nobility. “The male figure is named ‘Little Smart,’ and the female figure is named ‘Little Wise.’ Xinjiang’s unique geography and rich cultural resources inspire us to develop more cultural creative products that tell the stories of China and Xinjiang,” Lu said, noting that the company has developed over 400 products across multiple series.
How can museums expand their creative horizons? “The development of cultural creative products requires not only an understanding of the artifacts’ intrinsic significance and the values they embody but also the addition of practical functionalities. Only by aligning with contemporary needs and incorporating unique features can we effectively convey the cultural value of these relics,” said Deng Yonghong, the deputy director of the Turpan Museum.
In this year’s fifth “Hetian Gifts” cultural design competition, designer Wan Fang’s pop-up book “Hetian” won the gold award in the cultural relic creativity category. The book’s cover features Eidler silk and hand-embroidered titles, incorporating light and sound interactivity to provide readers with an immersive reading experience. “Creative design should spring from meticulous historical research; only by generating ideas from the fertile soil of history and culture can the outcomes reflect depth and withstand scrutiny,” Wan stated.
During the 2024 China Brand Day activity held in Shanghai, over thirty cultural creative products inspired by the Han dynasty’s woven arm guards turned heads. Sun Xiuqing, founder of Urumqi Silk Road Neon Garment Culture Co., shared that the resonance of this series with modern life allowed it to connect with people, awakening memories and cultural identities while elevating national sentiments.
The “14th Five-Year Plan” for cultural relic protection and technological innovation in the autonomous region encourages museums and cultural enterprises at all levels to leverage abundant relic resources to develop artistic and practical cultural creative products that meet the demands of modern life and market consumption.
In recent years, museums across Xinjiang have strengthened their studies and interpretations of cultural artifacts, continuously innovating. The Xinjiang Museum alone has launched over 800 cultural creative products, and the newly revamped cultural creative exhibition area at the Bayingol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum has introduced over 1,000 items. Moreover, the newly developed “Relics + Interpretation + Creative Innovation Museum Resource Activation” initiative was recognized as a notable case for high-quality development in the cultural relic sector for 2023. More designers are digging deep into the cultural meanings embedded in heritage, enhancing the revitalization of artifacts by harnessing historical nourishment, allowing the essence of outstanding traditional Chinese culture to shine anew.
Revitalizing Artifacts and Enriching Hearts through History
With ornate floral headpieces, delicate brows, and painted lips, a girl dressed in Tang dynasty attire gracefully embodies the charm of history, creating a sense of time travel within the Xinjiang Museum’s cultural creative exhibition area. The museum frequently hosts themed shows and educational displays, attracting many visitors eager to experience the allure of cultural creative products based on national treasures.
Twenty-one-year-old He Tian girl Aziguli Wufuer has a dream of becoming a fashion designer. With a strong interest in historical culture, she decided to visit the Xinjiang Museum during the National Day holiday. “In the exhibition hall, I saw various traditional costumes from different ethnic groups and learned that these historical artifacts narrate the story of cultural exchanges among various nations. I felt the deep roots of national identity being forged in Xinjiang,” she remarked. She specifically purchased items from the “Dreamy Jianghu” series to give to her friends, as they seemed to capture the glorious interactions among ethnic groups during the prosperous Tang dynasty.
The cultural creative products that embody the historical and cultural essence of Xinjiang resonate deeply, engaging audiences from all ethnic backgrounds. Young Korgak player Lu Lu from Henan believes that stories of ethnic interactions are abundant throughout Chinese history. A keychain modeled after a wooden Korgak has become her treasured item, “I bought this at the Qiemu County Museum, which houses two wooden Korgaks dating back 2,700 years. Over 2,000 years ago, Korgaks surged along the Silk Road, and when I finally encountered a remnant from that era, my emotions overwhelmed me.” Lu believes that museums encapsulate centuries of ethnic exchange, with each artifact and inscription serving as a testament to the interactions and learning among different ethnic groups throughout history.
At the Ruoqiang County Loulan cultural creative exhibition, a commemorative medal from the Great Wall Museum stands out as a popular souvenir. “Before coming to Xinjiang, I didn’t know that the Great Wall extended to its westernmost point. When visiting the ruins of the Kiyak Kuduk Beacon Tower, the guide shared that many border troops were from the Central Plains. Some soldiers, despite being over fifty, couldn’t return home due to manpower shortages. Yet they maintained the enduring spirit of ‘as long as the dragon city sends its generals, I won’t let the northern horse cross Yin Mountain,’ which deeply moved me,” said Wu Ling, a tourist from Gansu.
“The Great Wall symbolizes the spirit of the Chinese nation and represents significant national memories. It testifies to the turbulent history and great changes of the times while safeguarding the survival, development, and peaceful progress of the Chinese nation. It preserves and passes on the continuity of Chinese civilization across generations,” noted Sun Hu, head of the Ruoqiang Loulan Workshop. He hopes that these cultural creative products will introduce more people to the encompassing vision of nationhood.
Cultural creative products infused with museum elements quietly narrate the intertwined stories of ethnic exchanges, where diverse cultures shine together. Through creative transformation and innovative development, these products are flourishing in new forms, reaching and resonating with people’s hearts and enriching their spirits.
