As spring gathers strength in March, the galleries of Liaoning Provincial Museum have taken on a poetic air. Visitors entering the exhibition China in Poetry and Painting: The Poetic Realm of Chinese Painting, running until March 29, encounter a delicate window into classical Chinese aesthetics.
Among the highlights is a Song Dynasty (960-1279) replica of the painting Lady Guoguo's Spring Outing — long regarded as one of the museum's most treasured works. The original work, created by Tang Dynasty (618-907) court painter Zhang Xuan, has been lost to time.
Yet, the most striking scene does not always unfold inside the exhibition hall.
Each morning, even before the museum's cultural and creative product store opens, a queue begins to form outside. Those waiting are not only art enthusiasts — many are simply hoping to buy a small refrigerator magnet inspired by Lady Guoguo's Spring Outing. Designed to resemble traditional mother-of-pearl inlay, the magnet goes on sale twice daily, at 10 am and 3 pm.
When Xiaohongshu (RedNote) user Veena Coward arrived at 2:20 pm, more than 50 people were already ahead of her. She eventually secured one of the coveted items. "It looks really beautiful in person," she later wrote online. "It's worth the price."
The magnet quickly became an online sensation. Visitors to the exhibition competed to purchase it, while online sales channels reported equally strong demand. Another netizen, Nnnna, proudly placed the magnet in the center of her refrigerator collection, praising how "the mother-of-pearl glow looks stunning under different lighting".
What might once have been a niche museum souvenir has suddenly turned into a cultural symbol.
Around Lady Guoguo's Spring Outing, the museum has developed a range of derivative products, from practical household items to decorative pieces. It has also released digital collectibles based on the artwork. The response has been swift: when the digital collectibles first went online, subscriptions exceeded 10,000 within a single day.
From a Song Dynasty painting in a glass display case, to refrigerator magnets in kitchens, and now to digital collectibles in virtual space, cultural heritage is traveling across mediums — and reaching audiences in unexpected ways.
For the museum, the momentum reflects a deeper shift in how cultural institutions engage the public.
According to Zhou Yingqiu, head of the museum's cultural-creative division, sales of such products have surged in recent years. In 2023, the museum's cultural-creative revenue surpassed 10 million yuan ($1.45 million) for the first time, representing a year-on-year increase of 1,250 percent. The growth continued into 2024 with another dramatic rise of more than 534 percent, and the upward trend has persisted.
Today, the museum offers more than 2,000 cultural and creative products, ranging from stationery to home decor. Its self-operated store, Liaobo Yaji, has become a popular stop for visitors, while Liaobo Cultural Creations are increasingly seen as distinctive souvenirs representing Liaoning province. These products have also appeared at international cultural events in countries including the United States, Japan and South Korea, helping introduce the region's heritage to audiences abroad.
At the same time, the museum is exploring another frontier: digital collectibles.
