Bringing "to life" the cultural relics hidden in museums is not only essential for boosting China's soft power, but also for building a shared spiritual home for the Chinese nation.
The National Museum of China Art Workshop (Guobo Yanyi) is a "cultural-innovation team" composed of nine departments, including product research and development (R&D), licensing business and store operations. Seventy percent of the team's members are women. In 2025, the team was named a National Civilized Women's Post.
The women play important roles in advancing the high-quality development of the cultural industry. With exquisite craftsmanship and unwavering dedication, they transform static cultural relics into warm, living art forms. While supporting the transformation and upgrading of "Made in China" products, they help promote Chinese culture to the world, telling the world stories about Chinese civilization, with their ingenuity and innovation.
"Cultural confidence isn't about replicating the symbols of cultural relics; it's about understanding their spirit, and daring to re-create," says product manager Liu Yanan, explaining the R&D department's work philosophy.
The series of oracle bone inscriptions was the most challenging project, Liu says, adding that project best embodied the spirit of "creative transformation." Department staff broke free from the stereotypical thinking of "replicating the forms of ancient characters," and instead began by studying the origins of the characters, how the characters were created and how ancient people perceived the world.
Staff explored core concepts — including pictography, associative compounds and the relationship between humanity and nature — while translating the oracle bone inscriptions into an intuitive design language accessible to both children and adults.
Guided by the philosophy of "learning through play, understanding through use," the staff combined the oracle bone inscriptions with the Chinese zodiac, and various auspicious characters. Each zodiac animal was linked to the original meaning of its corresponding character, enabling Chinese to appreciate the allure of their native language in daily life, and fostering a deeper sense of connection to the origins of Chinese characters and civilization. "The foundation of cultural confidence lies not simply in 'how ancient we are,' but in 'the continuous growth of our civilization,'" Liu says.
"Hello, Xiao Le the Owl is here! I can play games and tell stories with you ... Feel free to ask me anything!" says Xiao Le the Owl, the first cultural relic AI (artificial intelligence) toy, launched by the department in December 2025. Modeled after the "Fu Hao" Owl-shaped Bronze Zun (wine vessel), another exhibit from the museum's collection, the design of this toy embodies the department's ingenuity in advancing cultural communication.
"The magnificent bronze artifacts in museums represent the solemnity, and profundity, of Chinese civilization. However, to make such profound heritage resonate with contemporary teenagers, we need an emotional connection,"
Liu explains. Plush toys naturally evoke affection, and a sense of security. When the solemn, owl-shaped zun is transformed into a soft, cuddly toy, the cold relic becomes a warm companion, which allows ancient Chinese civilization to touch people's hearts.
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| Xiao Le the Owl AI toy |
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| "Fu Hao" Owl-shaped Bronze Zun (wine vessel), from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) |
The launch of Xiao Le the Owl marked a major breakthrough in the integration of technology into cultural and creative products, and it became an innovative highlight of the department's recent R&D efforts. "At the beginning of the design process, we identified two trends: First, the public's strong demand for high-quality traditional culture amid the strengthening of cultural confidence and, second, the shift of artificial intelligence from a technical tool to a carrier of humanistic care. Based on this, Xiao Le the Owl features a complete emotional interaction system," Liu says. "It can perceive children's emotions, simulate the voices of their loved ones, and provide companionship to children. This allows children to actively construct their understanding of traditional culture through interactions," Liu adds.
This three-dimensional-innovation model — "cultural symbols + intelligent technology + emotional design" — represents innovation in the department's cultural and creative product R&D, and it represents a step, taken by the museum, to embrace intelligent transformation. "Every design detail has been rigorously deliberated by the department's staff, ensuring innovation while respecting the cultural relic, and enabling technology to empower cultural inheritance," Liu adds.
Supported by big data and technological development, the department's staff has enhanced existing AR (augmented reality) and AI features, to provide visitors with a better experience. For example, in the phoenix coronet series, AR technology was integrated with cultural and creative products to create AR relic explanations. By scanning the product, visitors can intuitively learn about the coronet's historical background, and details of the product's craftsmanship.
Video by Pei Zhaoyue
Photos from Interviewees, Zhang Jiamin and VCG
(Women of China English Monthly March 2026)
Editor: Lei Yang
