Through the digital platform, users can rotate objects 360 degrees and zoom in on details often invisible behind exhibition glass.
To make this possible, the museum captures original data at hundreds of millions of pixels, ensuring ultra-high-definition source material. The resulting digital collectibles feature detailed 3D models and high-resolution viewing modes that allow users to enlarge specific sections of calligraphy or paintings. For long scrolls, animation functions re-create the gradual unfolding of the artwork.
For Zhou and her colleagues, accuracy remains paramount.
"We see digital collectibles as the 'digital twin' of cultural relics," she says. "It cannot contain even a single mistake."
Each item therefore includes an extensive information page, and all historical descriptions undergo strict review procedures. Artifact names and explanatory texts must be verified by the museum's researchers before publication and checked again prior to release.
Even the virtual viewing environment is carefully designed. The display platform uses a 3D engine to simulate museum lighting conditions, creating an immersive atmosphere that echoes the experience of standing before an artifact in a gallery.
Ultimately, Zhou says, the goal is straightforward: to convey the cultural meaning embedded in the museum's collection while reaching a broader audience.
The results are already visible.
Some digital collectible owners who had never visited a museum before have traveled to Shenyang specifically to see the original artifacts in person — a real-world confirmation of their digital purchase.
Meanwhile, the collectibles have sparked new forms of public creativity. When a digital collectible based on a lion-head goose painting by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) artist Lyu Ji was released, netizens began using AI tools to create a series of humorous memes that quickly spread across social media.
Collectors have also organized cultural activities of their own. One calligraphy event invited participants to re-create cursive script works inspired by digital collectibles. Nearly 100 enthusiasts submitted entries, and more than 10,000 people took part in the voting. Some winning pieces were later auctioned and collected.
Back at the exhibition hall, another quiet shift is visible.
Young visitors often stand before the display cases with their phones raised, comparing images on their screens with the artworks inside the glass.
"That moment — when people discover something online and then come to experience it offline — is exactly what we hope for," Zhou says.
Many later share their discoveries on social media.
In doing so, she adds with a smile, they become something unexpected: "millions of volunteer museum guides".
