Museum's phoenix crown fridge magnet becomes unexpected cultural sensation

Photo shows a fridge magnet inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown and developed by the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily)

The National Museum of China has struck gold with its recent cultural and creative merchandise - a fridge magnet inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown.

"The phoenix crown fridge magnet has become an instant hit, selling 1,700 pieces within just two hours," said Liao Fei, deputy director of the museum's business development department.

Visitors select products at the cultural and creative product store of the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily)

Enthusiasts lined up as early as 6 a.m. in the drizzling autumn rain to get their hands on just one magnet. In merely three months after its debut, the sales volume of the fridge magnet has approached 80,000 pieces, with the total sales of all cultural and creative products featuring the phoenix crown exceeding 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) - a figure limited only by production capacity.

The fridge magnet's success caught even the museum's cultural and creative product design team by surprise.

"We initially produced a small batch just to test the waters. We never expected it to become such a hit," Liao said with a smile.

Photo shows a keychain inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown and developed by the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily)

The idea began when the design team noticed visitors frequently posting selfies with the original phoenix crown exhibit on social media last summer, which led to the fast-tracked development of cultural and creative products related to the crown.

According to Liao, the design team, which consists of seven members including himself, often watches exhibitions and follows popular topics on social media platforms to seek inspiration.

The museum has taken multiple measures to guarantee the quality of the phoenix crown fridge magnet due to its complex production processes. "The production capacity has been ramped up to about 3,000 pieces per day," Liao said.

Photo shows a cosmetic mirror inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown and developed by the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily)

The design team has since expanded the collection related to the phoenix crown to include over 10 items, from notebooks and plush toys to keychains and even coffee, with several products achieving phenomenal success.

To combat scalping and ensure fair access, the museum has implemented daily purchase limits both online and offline starting Aug. 13.

"This cultural phenomenon is both encouraging and challenging," Liao said, adding that it demonstrates the huge potential in the market for cultural and creative products.

Visitors line up to take photos of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown at the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily)

Social media users now consider it fashionable to photograph their newly purchased fridge magnets alongside the original crown display, which remains the only exhibit requiring people to queue up in the Ancient China exhibition hall of the museum.

"We are developing more cultural and creative products, all of which need to reflect Chinese aesthetics and be close to real life," Liao said.

Photo shows a music box inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown and developed by the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily)

Cultural and creative products related to the phoenix crown have even created a ripple effect on employment, with partner factories increasing their workers by approximately 50 percent to meet the huge demand.

Photo shows a notebook inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown and developed by the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily)