In a world where TikTok dances and AI art dominate our screens, museums are stepping up as unexpected heroes in the fight to preserve humanity’s intangible heritage. This International Museum Day, we sat down with Dr. Louis Ng, director of Hong Kong Palace Museum, to explore how institutions are turning ancient traditions into modern-day marvels.
📱 'Museums aren’t just about dusty artifacts anymore,' explains Dr. Ng. 'We’re using AR to revive disappearing tea ceremonies and VR to transport visitors to dynastic-era marketplaces—it’s like a time machine you can access through your phone.'
The museum recently launched interactive exhibits documenting Cantonese opera techniques and traditional shadow puppetry, partnering with local artists to create hybrid digital-physical experiences. Their latest innovation? A 'living archive' project using 4K video to record elderly craftspeople demonstrating century-old skills, from bamboo-weaving to mooncake molding.
🌏 For the Asian diaspora, these efforts hit close to home. 'When a student in London can learn traditional ink-wash painting via our virtual workshops, that’s cultural continuity,' says Dr. Ng. The museum’s social media campaigns blending historical reenactments with K-pop visuals have racked up millions of views, proving that Gen Z craves connection to roots—they just want it served with emojis and slick transitions.
As technology evolves, museums face new challenges in authentically preserving traditions that were never meant to be fossilized. 'The goal isn’t to freeze culture in amber,' Ng emphasizes. 'It’s to keep it alive, breathing, and relevant—one Instagram Story at a time.' 🎭📲
