Wang Yiyou, the curator of Chinese and East Asian Art at the Peabody Essex Museum, studies a porcelain bowl. [Photo provided to China Daily]

But there are still hurdles.

For example, the China Program at the American Alliance of Art, an information-sharing platform for museums from China and the US, was put on hold earlier this year due to funding constraints even though it got bigger and bigger, says Wang.

Finney adds that there is a need to make exhibits more friendly for US visitors who may not be very familiar with Chinese history.

He recalls that when the Peabody Essex Museum was designing the Juanqinzhai exhibition, the museum had assumed that visitors would have a sense of Emperor Qianlong's power and wealth.

"But when we spoke to visitors, we heard things like: 'He couldn't be the most powerful one,' and 'I've never heard of him.' So, we have to tell people they (Chinese historical figures) are not all that different from their lives, and try to make them more relatable," he says.

Finney says that though marketing of museums is still something new in the US, he finds that some Chinese museums have a strong capability in the field.

As smartphone apps and souvenirs from the Palace Museum have gone viral on Chinese social networks in recent years, the Peabody Essex Museum plans to send a member of its digital team for a training program to Beijing soon.

Stuart says: "China is in the news every day, positively or negatively.

"Our people are interested in China, but many don't know what China really is.

"So, when we stage a good exhibition, it gives them a chance to understand a bit of Chinese history and also reflect a bit of China's present as well as what it is likely to become."