Beijing's Palace Museum within the Forbidden City may be all about the past but it is taking a modern approach to marketing and embracing the Internet.
Having opened on Taobao.com, China's largest online shopping market, the museum's authorized online flagship store is offering around 200 items for sale, including cellphone straps, dolls and piggybanks, according a staff member surnamed Wu.
The online site is believed to be the first of its kind among the capital's museums.
Many of the royal-themed products are cute and modern in design. Most are based on comedic impressions of emperors, princess or soldiers.
Wu said the items were all designed in partnership with experts from the museum to appeal to young customers.
The items are only available offline in three places, he said - two locations in the capital and one in Macao - but he said people from all over the world can now get their hands on the souvenirs thanks to the Internet shop.
"We had been thinking about this for a long time as a way to get in touch with more people. Going online is our latest experiment," he said.
It is now becoming a trend for museums to develop their own souvenirs, according to Xiao Ruixia, from the publicity department of Beijing Arts Museum, an institution that is also considering launching its own products.
"They are not only good gifts for visitors, either to collect for themselves or send to other friends, but they are good promotional items for the museums as well," she told METRO on Tuesday.
She said museums should put a lot of effort into the design of such souvenirs to meet the different needs of various sectors of the market.
Yang Meng, a white-collar worker in Beijing, said the opening of the online store will make it easier for her to find gifts for her foreign friends.
"It is usually a headache to find gifts that are creative and not very expensive. The shop is a good alternative," she said.
