Cultural items increasingly tailored to attract youth

LANZHOU — A plush toy named "Happy Loong" has recently captured the hearts of visitors to the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou, Gansu province.

Modeled after a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) gold ornament in the shape of a loong, or Chinese dragon, over 1,000 of the chubby, grinning toys were sold in the first week after it made its debut earlier this year.

Wu Xiaoyu, one of the toy's designers, said the museum's creative cultural product design team had aimed to create a more adorable and joyous version of the traditional loong to cater to the tastes of young people.

Established in 2015, the team consists of 12 young designers, with the youngest age 24.

This innovative approach to museum souvenirs reflects a broader trend of making cultural products more appealing to young Chinese museum-goers, driving up revenue across various museums.

The Palace Museum's online store, for instance, offers playful and humorous souvenirs featuring emperors in Chinese history. These souvenirs range from lipsticks and fans to adhesive tape and wallets, and have received rave reviews from customers.

Similarly, the Liaoning Provincial Museum has developed nearly 300 types of cultural products that generated 14 million yuan ($2 million) in revenue last year.