As the Year of the Horse approaches, the festive spirit is in the air. The Liaoning Provincial Museum has released its 2026 Spring Festival cultural activities guide, inviting visitors to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the museum.
From February 1st to February 28th, to meet the diverse needs of visitors, the Liaoning Provincial Museum will create an “online + offline” cultural and creative interactive matrix, conveying the charm of the Spring Festival culture in various forms. Offline, the museum’s cultural and creative shops, drawing inspiration from special exhibitions such as “Galloping Hooves: Chinese Zodiac Artifacts Exhibition for the Bingwu Year of the Horse” and “Songs of Seasonal Joy in Chinese New Year Prints”, will launch a series of themed cultural and creative products, allowing visitors to take home a piece of the unique Spring Festival atmosphere of the Liaoning Provincial Museum. In line with the extended opening hours during the Spring Festival holiday, the museum’s cultural and creative shops will also offer extended service hours for a better shopping experience. Online, the “Liaobo WenChuang (Liaoning Provincial Museum Cultural and Creative Products)” will release real-time information on bestsellers and new products via platforms such as Xiaohongshu (RedNote) and Douyin.
From February 6th to February 24th, the “Liaoning Provincial Museum Handcrafts” series of activities, centered on the theme of “Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Inheritance”, will invite numerous ICH inheritors to guide visitors in an immersive cultural experience. From February 6 to February 24, the “Liaoning Provincial Museum Handcrafts” will gradually launch eight experiential activities, including leather carving, Songhua inkstone rubbing, paper cutting, porcelain carving, “Tang Guozi” (traditional Chinese pastry) making, Diancui (kingfisher feather art) replication, “Luodian” (mother-of-pearl inlay) handicraft, and Diancha (creating tea art in cups). These experiences will allow visitors to touch the craftsmanship and warmth of traditional arts through carving, molding, crafting, and tea-making.
From February 10th to February 23rd, the Liaoning Provincial Museum has specially invited 12 ICH inheritors and artisans, including Shenyang Li’s pleated paper art, to present the “Stepping into Spring, Galloping Hooves Bring Good Luck” themed ICH market, where they will demonstrate their skills to visitors. Visitors can not only purchase copper sculptures, embroidery, and woodblock New Year paintings but also learn and experience ICH techniques, feeling the warmth of craftsmanship. This cultural journey that blends traditional festive flavors with the temperature of handmade arts will immerse everyone in the “spirit” of the Year of the Horse and the profound heritage of Chinese traditional culture. During this time, the museum will also host traditional throwing pot games and fun “horse racing” board games, creating a dynamic cultural experience zone. Visitors can experience ancient rituals of throwing pots to bring good fortune in the “Throwing Pot for Blessing” area, using special “arrows” to throw into pots that integrate elements from the museum’s collection, symbolizing good luck.
From February 13th to February 23rd, an immersive experience will be created based on the famous Painting Lady Guoguo’s Spring Outing. Children will transform into “Little Artists”, using exclusive stickers to replicate the artwork, and under the guidance of teachers, they will share their understanding of the painting, including details of the clothing, etiquette, and other aspects. The activity combines hands-on creation with role-playing, encouraging children to explain their interpretation of the painting, and a commemorative video will be recorded throughout the experience.
On February 17th, the guides of Liaoning Provincial Museum will take young visitors to the “China in Poetry and Painting – The Poetic Realm of Chinese Painting” exhibition, where they will delve into the poetic threads of ancient paintings. After a deep understanding of the exhibits, the youth will create their own miniature paper art scenes, transforming the ancient paintings into tangible 3D works, bringing “the beauty of ancient art at their fingertips” and turning it into an exclusive Spring Festival memory.
