"This brings about a whole new viewing experience for our audiences," says Huang Chen, head of the museum's public education department.

A scan of the specific code will link the viewers to a related Internet website where they can immediately get the exhibit's introductory information in multimedia forms.

Interface of the National Museum of China's Weixin account. Provided to China Daily

"By saving the website, we can review the information after we leave the museum; we can also share it with friends on social network platforms like Sina Weibo or Weixin with a click," says Wu Li, a frequent museum visitor from Beijing.

Digital technologies have been helpful in improving the museum's service and enhancing audience experience. Weixin, a popular instant-messaging app marketed internationally as WeChat, is another successful example.

Since the National Museum of China opened a Weixin account six months ago, more than 100,000 have subscribed to its services.

Besides related information, such as the latest exhibitions, the platform includes free audio services for exhibitions.

It only takes the user to type the exhibit's number or name to get information. According to museum statistics, the service on Weixin has been used about 163,000 times for the Nature in Western Art exhibition and has been instrumental in bringing about a surge in visitor numbers.

A two-dimension code is scanned by a museum visitor. Jiang Dong / China Daily

"The public can still appreciate the exhibits after exhibitions have closed," Huang says.

The museum plans to boost the service on its Weixin platform. Meanwhile, more functions, such as bookings, are being developed on the platform, he adds.

According to Huang, applying new technological tools has greatly improved the efficiency of the museum's operation and lowered its costs.

"In the past, we often had to spend a lot of money to develop or purchase hardware to help visitors.

"Now we only have to focus on the content. Platforms like Weixin and channels like the Internet are already there for our use."

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