Shanxi is not alone. Across China, various cultural and creative products are now sought-after mementos or gifts for friends, with their images going viral on social media: necklaces that draw inspiration from traditional brush painting in the Palace Museum; wooden combs in the shape of traditional Chinese musical instruments; vanity mirrors bearing patterns resembling the one on display in the Luoyang Museum of central China; keyboards with the colors of the famous Dunhuang murals and the nine-colored deer image...

　　Creative cultural products are seen at a gift shop in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 21, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Wenjing)

　　According to a report by Zhiyan Consulting, the market size of China's cultural and creative products reached 16.38 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 13.09 percent. In 2020, the sector's market size accounted for 10.67 percent of the global total, and by 2023 it had risen to 11.56 percent.

　　One fridge magnet capturing the elaborate details of a superbly delicate empress crown from ancient China, a treasured piece from the National Museum of China (NMC), has emerged as an internet sensation and sparked a buying spree.

　　Aspiring collectors even start queuing from 6 a.m. outside the museum for their chance to snag the memento. Many exchange tips on how to obtain the popular magnet on social media.