Museums across China receive crowds of visitors ahead of International Museum Day

A visitor with a baby looks at a cultural relic on display at Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou, northeast China's Gansu Province, May 16, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Hou Chonghui/Xinhua)

People visit the Nanjing Museum in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Yang Suping/Xinhua)

People visit an industrial history museum in Hengyang, central China's Hunan Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Cao Zhengping/Xinhua)

People look at a cultural relic on display at the Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, May 16, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Yu Xiangquan/Xinhua)

A visitor looks at a cultural relic at the Hebei Museum in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, May 16, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Zhang Xiaofeng/Xinhua)

People click screens for interaction at a museum in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Chen Wei/Xinhua)

Children visit a bamboo flute museum in Yuping Dong Autonomous County in Tongren City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Hu Panxue/Xinhua)

People visit the Hebei Museum in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Chen Qibao/Xinhua)

People visit the Shandong Museum in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Hao Xincheng/Xinhua)

Visitors wearing VR glasses experience archeology scenes at Zaozhuang Museum in east China's Shandong Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Sun Zhongzhe/Xinhua)

People visit the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Weng Guangjian/Xinhua)

People visit the China Grand Canal Museum in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Ren Fei/Xinhua)

A teacher introduces the tips for making mud sculptures to children of a kindergarten at a museum in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Zhu Dayong/Xinhua)

People visit the Jiyuan Museum in Jiyuan, central China's Henan Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Duan Erping/Xinhua)

People visit the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Zhao Jun/Xinhua)

Students visit an ammeter museum in Taizhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Zhou Shegen/Xinhua)

People look at fossils of dinosaurs at Anhui Geological Museum in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, May 16, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Chen Sanhu/Xinhua)

People visit a museum themed on fishing village culture in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Wang Chun/Xinhua)

A child looks at an art decoration at Wuxi Museum in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Huan Yueliang/Xinhua)

People take photos at a clock museum in Hengyang County, central China's Hunan Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Liu Xinrong/Xinhua)

People visit the Yantai branch of the Geological Museum of China in Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Tang Ke/Xinhua)

People visit the China Grand Canal Museum in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2026. Museums across China receive large numbers of visitors with the upcoming International Museum Day, which will fall on May 18. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)