Short videos bring past to life

Her expertise in the field gives her the ability to stick to rigorous academic research methods. Even for a video of just a few minutes, she will spend two to three days consulting professional books and papers and writing the script.

However, her meticulously crafted videos didn't generate much attention online at the beginning.

In retrospect, she says that at first, she didn't choose topics that would captivate the audience's interest.

"I fell into the trap of focusing too much on using beautiful language without telling a compelling story," she says.

After experimenting with different angles of reporting, Wang found a way to deliver engaging stories that tugged at the audience's heartstrings.

"The key is to attract the attention of online users with interesting storylines or suspense, and then gradually delve into deeper perspectives," Wang says. "This makes it easier for viewers to absorb the content."

In one of her videos about anti-theft measures for tombs, Wang tells a fascinating story of a tomb owner's battle of wits with tomb raiders who were anticipated after death.

The video garnered millions of views on Douyin and earned her more than 300,000 new followers overnight.

As she has gained experience, Wang has not confined her work to cultural relics. She also has branched out to touring museums dedicated to different subjects and somewhat off the beaten track.

In 2021, Wang made her way to Shanghai's Black Museum, where an exhibition on depression and other mental problems was held.

"It was the one, of all the museums I had been to, that shook me to my core the most," Wang recalls.

She explained various devices that demonstrated the internal world of the patients while sharing her feelings of the tour every step of the way.