Cultural relic-themed creative products receive high praise from consumers

Several museums and historical sites across China have recently launched ice cream bars or ice popsicles shaped like iconic treasures or local landmarks, stoking people’s enthusiasm for these treasures and triggering lively discussions among Chinese netizens.

Photo shows an ice cream bar in the shape of a bronze mask unearthed from the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China’s Sichuan province. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

The heated competition began on the first day of the May Day holiday, when the Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan province rolled out 1,200 ice cream bars in the shape of two millennia-old bronze masks unearthed from the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins. The creative products became a massive hit and quickly sold out.

The ice cream came in two flavors -- chocolate and matcha -- and soon became a hot topic on social media, with some saying they would visit the museum just to taste them. Ice cream bars shaped like other cultural relics in more flavors such as lime and strawberry will also be introduced, according to relevant staff members.

Other museums, historical sites and tourist attractions around the country, such as Chengdu’s Wuhou Shrine, Wuhan’s Yellow Crane Tower, Nanchang’s Tengwang Pavilion, and Beijing's Badaling section of the Great Wall, soon joined the social media carnival with their own offerings, which were all well-received by visitors.

Not long ago, the National Museum of China in Beijing also rolled out its own ice cream bar by drawing inspiration from a 6,000-year-old eagle-shaped pottery ding vessel, which takes the shape of an eagle standing on its feet and originates from Neolithic Yangshao Culture. This cute eagle-shaped ice cream bar once again helped the museum win over the hearts of many.

Photo shows an eagle-shaped ice cream bar rolled out by the National Museum of China in Beijing. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

The eagle-shaped pottery ding vessel (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

A woman surnamed Jin in the city visited the museum with her son and remarked that the ice cream bar tasted “exceptionally good”, adding that this has given her more reason to visit exhibitions in the museum.

Apart from ice cream, some museums have also tried out other ingenious products. The Hubei Provincial Museum in central China’s Hubei province introduced some creative cultural relic-themed desserts, including mango-flavored mousse cakes featuring a pattern of the Sword of Gou Jian, which was named after its master king of the State of Yue from the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C. -476 B.C.), chocolate cakes in the shape of a chime bell, a treasure of the museum dating back to the Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.), red velvet cakes themed on the Bronze Crane with Antlers, and tiramisu topped with a pattern of a drum with tiger-shaped seats and a bird-shaped frame.

Last year, the Shanghai Museum introduced canned beers themed on ancient Chinese art, with cans containing patterns from its collections including ancient Chinese paintings.

Photo shows beers launched by the Shanghai Museum, with cans containing elements of ancient Chinese paintings from its collections. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

Photo shows canned beer launched by the Shanghai Museum, with the can featuring a porcelain pattern from one of the museum’s collections. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

Photo shows a chocolate cake in the shape of a chime bell launched by the Hubei Provincial Museum in central China’s Hubei province. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

The beautifully decorated beer cans were a hit with consumers. Many of them said they liked the cans’ exquisite design and would continue using the cans as vases or pen containers.

These fashionable cultural and creative products inspired by cultural treasures will certainly bring cultural relics closer to people, an industry insider remarked.