SINCE the beginning of summer, a diverse range of museums around the country have been extending their opening hours until late at night, some even staying open for a full 24 hours, so people get to see a different side of their collections.

At night, museums offer a different experience for visitors than during the daytime, which is a quieter and visually distinct one. This experience appeals to the public, said Chen Lyusheng, a former vice president of the National Museum of China.

Chen said that museums should first consider the needs of the public when changing their policies.

“Any new arrangements that can bring in more visitors and are welcomed by the public should be considered a success.”

Located in Hangzhou, the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History has transformed a 310-square-meter room into a 24-hour cultural space that will remain open through August. The venue has proven so popular that the museum had to limit entry to 100 people per hour in order to maintain the quality of the experience, according to a Guangming Daily report.

The 24-hour space has a number of interaction exhibits, including one for visitors to press buttons and listen to the distinctive sounds of birds whose specimens are displayed, and a metaverse theater where visitors can enjoy online exhibitions.

Yan Hongming, head of the museum, said that the space provides parents a cultural venue where they and their children can enrich their cultural lives after work.

Many museums in other regions around China including Central China’s Henan Province, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province and East China’s Jiangsu Province and cities such as Shanghai have also decided to join the nightlife crowd.

With the arrival of summer vacation for students, Beijing’s government announced that from July 12 the capital’s museums could extend their opening hours until late at night, as they did during certain holidays in 2021.

Previously, the opening hours for the Ancient Bell Museum in the Haidian District was extended to 7:30 p.m. during the Spring Festival holiday in 2021 and three ancient chime performances were held for visitors each day, according to an employee at the museum.

These activities have captured the attention of the young. On Chinese social media platform Little Red Book, more than 10,000 posts responded to a thread sharing strategies for taking night tours at museums.

“I’ve been to several museums at night and the one that impressed me the most was a museum in Suzhou, [Jiangsu Province],” a 32-year-old museum buff was quoted as saying by Global Times.

“The combination of traditional Chinese garden landscape and the darkness of night is a rare view, as the mysterious side of traditional Chinese beauty is brought out by the night. The Suzhou Museum is famous for its Chinese gardens and such a unique experience can only be enjoyed at night,” he added.

The night tours offer spectators greater flexibility in their time arrangement, which allows more to visit the museums.

“Disseminating cultural knowledge is one of the major responsibilities of museums. A night museum is more flexible and caters to a bigger audience, especially in cities where many people with full-time jobs have no time to visit during regular opening hours,” said Peng Xingxing, a museology researcher.

“Museums in China are celebrated by many young visitors, especially educated white-collars who are willing to pay to experience culture. If a museum only opens during work time, how can people maintain their passion for culture? Night hours are a solution with which museums can better serve their loyal consumers,” Peng noted.(Global Times)