Fridge magnets prove hot sales items at museums

“How tin I bargain the fridge magnets of the phoenix coronet?” This is the astir often asked question astatine acquisition shops of the National Museum of China successful Beijing, and a emblematic effect is, “You should beryllium capable to get 1 if you get earlier 7:30 am.”

Recently, fridge magnets inspired by the phoenix coronet of Empress Xiaoduan from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) person gone viral connected societal media, with a flood of posts sharing acquisition experiences, attracting ample crowds to the depository shop.

The phoenix coronet is 1 of the museum’s astir celebrated exhibits. Adorned with 9 phoenixes and 9 dragons and embellished with thousands of pearls and hundreds of rubies and sapphires, it was worn by Empress Xiaoduan during visits to the ancestral temple. Notably, it is listed among the Chinese taste relics forbidden to beryllium exhibited abroad.

The magnets travel successful some wood and metallic styles, and are delicately crafted to bespeak the coronet’s archetypal design. Upon person inspection, they uncover subtle lines and patterns that mimic the texture of the existent artefact.

Thanks to their popularity, implicit 80,000 magnets person been sold wrong conscionable 3 months, contributing to merchandise income exceeding 10 million yuan (£1.08 million), said Liao Fei from the museum’s cognition and improvement department, according to a study successful Beijing Daily.

Given the intricacy of the magnets, the regular accumulation capableness has already reached its limit, Liao said. To negociate the influx of anxious buyers, a numbering strategy has been implemented, with 1,300 numbers disposable each time and a bounds of 2 magnets per person.

“I came present conscionable for the magnets,” 1 visitant lamented aft learning that each of the numbers had been distributed for that day. “I person visited the depository respective times, but contiguous was solely for the magnets, not the exhibits,” she said.

While immoderate visitors who didn’t unafraid a magnet near disappointed, others who completed their purchases proudly showcased them successful photos.

“I arrived astatine the depository astatine astir 6:30 americium and got fig 150,” said a Beijing nonmigratory successful her 20s who asked to beryllium identified lone with her household sanction Yu, portion clutching her magnets. “This is my 2nd visit, and I americium present specially for the magnets.”

Inside the museum, it’s communal to spot visitors carrying bags filled with these magnet souvenirs.

“These magnets are some beauteous and meaningful, fixed that the artefact itself is here,” said a tourer surnamed Zhou from extracurricular Beijing who arrived astatine astir 7 am.

According to the acquisition store staff, the magnets are not exclusive to the museum, arsenic they are besides disposable connected assorted online platforms but lone successful constricted quantities each day.

The beardown request for taste merchandise is not a caller phenomenon. Across China, museums person introduced unsocial taste and originative products inspired by their collections, with fridge magnets emerging arsenic the astir fashionable item. Numerous magnets person gained traction nationwide.

For instance, the magnet based connected the heavenly palace cauldron ceiling, which is exhibited successful the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum, has seen income of much than 30,000, according to the museum. The complexity of its design, featuring aggregate layers of miniature palace buildings, besides restricts its production, starring to it often being sold out.

At Hangzhou Museum successful Zhejiang province, a fridge magnet shaped similar a “little pinkish cup” has go highly sought after, and astir 40,000 of these person been sold since precocious July. This magnet is inspired by a shadowy bluish glaze high-foot cupful with reddish underglaze from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and reflects superior porcelain accumulation skills.

As the popularity of merchandise draws greater attraction to the artefacts and the museums themselves, the synergy betwixt originative taste merchandise and humanities artefacts benefits both.

Li Shangyi contributed to this story.