Museum enthusiasts may have made multiple visits in 2024, but on average, each Chinese citizen visited a museum once last year. A report released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration revealed that over 1.4 billion museum visits were recorded nationwide, a figure matching the country’s population and setting a new annual record.
The widespread popularity of museums reflects the success of promotional and educational efforts related to cultural heritage in China. Since the launch of the fourth national census of cultural relics in November 2023, over 93% of approximately 710,000 previously registered “immovable cultural relics”—such as archaeological sites, historical monuments, and ancient architecture—have been reverified. Additionally, 52,000 new relics have been identified during the ongoing census, which is expected to conclude next year.
Archaeological projects made steady progress in 2024, with 259 excavations initiated to address critical academic questions. These projects focused on significant sites of early civilization like Yinxu and Erlitou in Henan province, as well as newer areas, such as deep-sea explorations of Ming Dynasty shipwrecks in the South China Sea. Li Qun, director of the administration, emphasized the importance of archaeology in deepening the understanding of Chinese civilization.
In response to infrastructure development, 1,480 additional excavations were carried out to protect heritage sites, and over 10 new museums were established at major archaeological locations. Updates on the origins of Chinese civilization were also incorporated into the latest history textbooks for elementary and high school students.
China held 36 exhibitions of cultural relics abroad last year and successfully repatriated 211 lost artifacts from countries such as the United States, Japan, Argentina, and Italy. The country is also formulating a national strategy for cross-border archaeological collaborations over the next decade.
Li Qun stated that China will enhance international relations between its World Heritage Sites and those of other nations in 2025 while advancing efforts to recover significant cultural relics. An exhibition is also planned later this year to showcase the achievements in repatriating cultural artifacts since 2012.
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