Creative cultural products bring new life to 1,000-year-old Dunhuang culture

The Dunhuang Museum in Dunhuang, northwest China’s Gansu province, has integrated cultural elements from the city's Mogao Grottoes, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site, into modern life, bringing new vitality to the millennium-old culture.

In 2019, the museum gave a local company authorisation to roll out Dunhuang-themed cultural and creative products, including scarves, mouse pads, and mobile phone cases. The products became an immediate hit after their launch.

In May, 2020, the museum opened its flagship store on Tmall, Chinese internet giant Alibaba's online marketplace, to sell its originally designed products and collaborations with U.S. facial mask brand Pond's and Chinese musical instrument brand Tom Music. The shop sold more than 0.3 million yuan (about $46,457) worth of products on that day.

The fascinating Dunhuang culture has also made its presence felt in popular Chinese entertainment TV programs including Go Fighting and Street Dance of China Season 3, as well as a documentary produced by China’s tech giant Tencent that attracted over 200 million views.

In August 2020, the museum held a live-streaming show on Tmall to showcase its cultural relics, winning a huge number of fans with its cultural and creative products.

One month later, the museum collaborated with U.S. fast-food chain Pizza Hut to open Dunhuang-themed restaurants in eight Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Xi'an. The restaurants attracted many young customers and became online sensations. The museum also collaborated with French cosmetics brand Carslan to launch makeup products inspired by cultural relics in the Dunhuang Grottoes.

Wan Falin, deputy head of the culture and tourism bureau of Jiuquan city, said the local government has encouraged and guided cultural companies to develop creative products, and has introduced high-quality resources to revitalize the cultural and creative products market.