This summer, hit film and TV works are becoming a new draw pulling the public into museums, and 'following dramas plus visiting exhibitions' has become a fresh culture-tourism trend. Today we look at the drama-related themed exhibitions on offer.
First is the hit CCTV drama 'Tree of Life' from earlier this year, which tells the moving story of Sanjiangyuan rangers protecting the plateau's wildlife. Seizing the opportunity, the National Museum of Natural History launched a 'Tree of Life' special exhibition, using a 'museum plus film' crossover to unlock new natural-science-popularization scenes.
Han Yuesheng, a geology PhD at the museum's Earth Sciences department, said: 'This exhibition is linked with the TV drama Tree of Life. We hope to build an initial emotional connection through the drama and attract visitors into the museum to explore the natural stories behind it.'
The exhibition also reviews China's years of plateau-ecology protection. The plateau guardianship dramatized in 'Tree of Life' finds its real-world scientific footnote here, with a dedicated crew-notes section extending the on-screen story into the exhibition hall.
The once-unfamiliar art of xuan paper has become a 'plot clue' that visitors actively seek out, with many parents bringing children specifically for study tours. Visitor Ling Hao said: 'We mainly came this time to bring the kid; we just visited the museum so she could learn about the xuan-paper making process and its history — it was quite moving.'
Beyond viewing artifacts, visitors can also try their hand at traditional steps like paper scooping and floral-paper making, transforming from drama viewers into participants in intangible-cultural-heritage crafts, immersing themselves in the charm of traditional ICH.
Visitor Zhai Yutong said: 'After watching the TV drama Zhongmo Garden, I became very curious about the whole xuan-paper craft. Hearing there was an experience here, I came specifically. I made a floral paper — great fun.'
Liu Shuang, head of the China Xuan Paper Town scenic area, said: 'After Zhongmo Garden aired, visitor numbers rose noticeably. By August, we had received about 200,000 visitors, up roughly 150% year on year.'
