China News Service, Haikou, October 20 (Zhang Yuehe) The press conference of the 11th "China Museums and Related Products and Technology Expo" (hereinafter referred to as the Expo) was held in Haikou on the 20th. According to the press conference, this exhibition is scheduled to be held at the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center from November 13 to 16, 2026. It will focus on displaying the achievements of my country’s museum construction, promote the in-depth integration of cultural and museum science and technology, and deepen exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations. It is expected to receive more than 300,000 visitors during the four-day exhibition period.
Founded in 2004, the Expo is a highly influential industry event in my country's cultural and museum circles. It ranks among the three major museum industry exhibitions in the world and is the largest professional museum exhibition in Asia. This exhibition has a total exhibition area of approximately 94,000 square meters, and brings together 515 museums and 190 cultural and museum-related enterprises to participate in the exhibition. The exhibitors cover 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country. A number of central and local key museums such as the Palace Museum, the National Museum of China, the Shanghai Museum, and the Shaanxi History Museum are all on display. Enterprises in the fields of cultural relic restoration, digital applications, cultural and creative research and development, and exhibition planning have brought cutting-edge industry technologies and innovative solutions to help cultivate and develop new productive forces in the cultural and museum field.
On July 27, tourists walked out of the Palace Museum. (File photo) Photo by China News Service reporter Yang Yuran
Twelve major thematic exhibition areas are arranged in a diversified manner, and the first country of honor is established to deepen mutual learning among civilizations.
This Expo has a total of twelve thematic exhibition areas, covering the international museum exhibition area, the museum development achievements exhibition area, the museum digital intelligence exhibition area, the cultural museum technology and product exhibition area, the museum teaching and research activity experience area, the cultural creative products and leisure interactive area, the ethnic museum exhibition area, the non-state-owned museum exhibition area, the mobile museum exhibition area, the museum accessibility achievements exhibition area, the intangible cultural heritage exhibition area, and the Hainan Province cultural and museum exhibition area, comprehensively presenting innovative achievements and practical cases in the field of cultural museums at home and abroad.
For the first time, the exhibition introduced the guest-of-honour mechanism, and Egypt became the guest-of-honor country of this Expo. Egypt's heavyweight cultural and museum institutions, such as the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the Egyptian Civilization Museum, landed in the international exhibition area to showcase their practical achievements in cultural relic protection, digital exhibitions, public education, cultural and creative development, and international touring exhibitions. They built a dialogue platform for China and Egypt, two ancient civilizations, in the cultural and museum field, and promoted cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonds between the two countries. At the same time, museums and cultural institutions from France and other countries will also participate in the exhibition, bringing advanced experience and excellent cases in the overseas cultural and museum industry and promoting exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations.
Six distinctive highlights highlight the warmth of the times. The cultural museum experience takes into account technology and inclusiveness.
This Expo has innovated and upgraded its exhibition content and activity planning, taking into account industry cutting-edge exploration, public inclusive services, youth education and popular cultural consumption. Many contents are presented for the first time in domestic exhibitions.
Focusing on the empowerment of science and technology, the museum digital intelligence exhibition area focuses on displaying the outstanding achievements in the intelligent construction of museums across the country, focusing on demonstrating the application of artificial intelligence in collection management, cultural relic restoration, digital communication, and public service scenarios, and intuitively demonstrating the transformative power that digital technology brings to the museum industry.
For the first time in a domestic exhibition, the museum's barrier-free construction achievements exchange exhibition was systematically launched, using bilingual displays, and bringing together outstanding demonstration projects selected by UNESCO. It focused on displaying tactile cultural relic replicas, Braille guide manuals, sign language explanation videos, AI intelligent audio guides and other practical achievements. Taking the exhibition as an opportunity, we advocate the creation of a public cultural space in museums that is accessible and shared by everyone, and promote cultural and museum public services to be more inclusive and inclusive.
For young people, the exhibition hall has a special area for museum teaching and research activities, with 5 activity venues and more than 50 research and learning experience activities. Primary and middle school students can make an appointment for free through the official mini program of the Expo. The stamp collection and check-in activity that is widely popular among enthusiasts has been upgraded to the "Cultural Museum Seal", and two sets of products, collector's edition and commemorative edition, have been launched. Original cultural and creative products from more than 500 museums across the country were unveiled at the exhibition, and many "hot-selling" cultural and creative products in the market gathered at the exhibition site.
The supporting activities are exciting, and industry seminars and popular science popularization are two-way efforts.
The exhibition has a rich supporting activity system, including a main forum, two major public lectures, and multiple special cultural activities, taking into account industry academic exchanges and knowledge popularization to the general public.
The main forum held on the afternoon of November 13 invited top cultural and museum experts at home and abroad, as well as heads of institutions such as the National Museum of China, the Dunhuang Academy, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and the American Alliance of Museums, to share keynotes on the application of digital technology, social education in museums, and exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations to build a high-level international academic dialogue platform.
Two public lectures are open to the general public. Mr. Yi Zhongtian used the theme of "Entering and Exiting the Museum" to explain the contemporary value of museums in improving the literacy of the whole people and strengthening cultural confidence; Dr. Zahi Hawass, a famous Egyptian archaeologist, shared the theme of "Secrets of the Pharaohs" and introduced the latest archaeological excavation results of the Giza Pyramids, Valley of the Kings and other sites as well as cutting-edge research findings on the mummy of Tutankhamun, bringing cutting-edge international archaeological knowledge to the general domestic audience.
The 11th Expo is a public welfare exhibition and is free and open to the public. Visitors can make real-name reservations in advance through the official mini program.
