The Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on June 25 this year, brought a new wave of creative cultural products. Besides gift boxes containing zongzi, sticky rice dumplings, and other regular items, new products such as earrings in the shape of zongzi also emerged in the market. These triggered public debates. Some said product developers should respect culture and not commercialize it.
Today, over 20 Chinese museums have opened stores on e-commerce platforms, attracting more than 10 million consumers with various products to meet diverse demands. However, while pursuing profit by selling creative cultural products, museums should adhere to their social responsibility to pass on traditional culture and profound Chinese history. That should also be their principle when developing new products.
Considering the differences between different museums' ability in this regard, insiders suggest the authorities should formulate detailed standards to ensure the products show both quality and the culture principle.
(This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Guancha.gmw.cn on June 24)
(Print Edition Title: Culture Demands Respect)
