As the 11th ECI International Digital Innovation Festival concluded in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hangzhou Arts & Crafts Museum (also home to China National Museums of Knives, Scissors, Swords, Fans, and Umbrellas) was awarded Gold Prize in the International Digital Tourism Innovation Award (ECI Awards) for its project titled “Empowering High-Quality Museum Development through Culture + Technology.” The accolade marks another international recognition for Hangzhou’s ongoing digital transformation in cultural tourism.

Centered on the principle of “micro-renovation, refined enhancement,” the award-winning initiative deepens the integration of culture and technology. Transparent interactive screens demonstrate traditional crafts such as silk reeling and jade carving; a micro-carving display allows visitors to rotate and zoom in on artifacts in full 360 degrees; a large-scale autostereoscopic 3D screen brings to life the magical transformation of birds into folding fans; and a dynamic digital restoration of the monumental Along the River During the Qingming Festival breathes new vitality into ancient relics through intelligent technologies. Beyond digital exhibits, the museum reimagines physical space to create immersive experiences. In the entrance hall, a prized chicken-blood stone carving is paired with a curved panoramic screen and ceiling projection that shift with the seasons. At the Sword Museum, a 3D film delivers a sensation of flight; the Fan Museum weaves animated light and shadow to animate floral and avian motifs on historic fans; and the Umbrella Museum’s corridor evokes the ever-changing misty rains of Jiangnan across spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Further elevating engagement, four original animated IPs - Yu Jian (Sword), Hua San (Umbrella), Ni Shan (Fan), and Jiang Bao (Craftsman) - appear throughout the exhibitions as digital avatars and 3D animations. Notably, the Umbrella Museum features an AI-powered interactive robot portraying Xu Xian and Bai Niangzi from the classic Legend of the White Snake, transforming the iconic “returning the umbrella” scene from a static wax display into a real-time, responsive cultural encounter, ushering in a groundbreaking evolution in museum storytelling.