Polar bears and their friends "escape en masse"? A group of polar animals came to Shanghai shopping malls
Summer vacation is here, and going to museums for study has become the choice of many parents and students, but the crowds in some popular venues are daunting. To this end, Shanghai has taken a unique approach and introduced museum exhibits into shopping malls to create an open science education classroom for citizens and tourists. Today, the "Museum WALK: Approaching the Arctic" polar biological specimen public science station event hosted by the Shanghai Natural History Museum landed in Shanghai Bauhinia Square. People will be able to watch 8 highly well-known polar rare animal specimens such as polar bears and reindeers, and learn about the unique culture and ecosystem of the Arctic region, becoming a new exploration of Shanghai's "Cultural, Commercial and Tourism Exhibition" to break the circle and integrate.
There are 8 pieces of collections from the Shanghai Natural History Museum that have entered the mall this time, including mammals, birds and plants, all of which have high collection and research value. Among them, the polar bear, which is very popular among tourists, is the largest existing land carnivore in the world and the king of Arctic beasts. It is majestic and cute. Also participating in the exhibition are wolves that are good at deploying troops, the "four-in-one" among carnivores - the marten, the world's largest deer - the moose, the reindeer that pulls Santa Claus' sleigh, the only pinniped that reproduces naturally in my country's waters - the spotted seal, the willow ptarmigan that "changes feathers in four seasons", and the "witness" of the earth's climate change - the dryas. In addition, people can also learn about the formation of the polar regions, the poles, the aurora, and polar scientific research at the exhibition site, and enjoy a science feast in the cool summer.
Regarding the polar bears and their companions in the Arctic walking into the shopping district, Ni Minjing, director of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, said that the public demand for museums is the strongest during the summer vacation. Museums have limited exhibition space, and shopping malls have made sufficient preparations in terms of site expansion, specimen protection, and public education services. This "Museum Walk·Approaching the Arctic" event will allow more citizens and tourists to approach the Arctic while shopping and relaxing, and conduct extensive scientific exploration. "This year coincides with the 40th anniversary of my country's polar scientific expedition. Polar changes are related to the global climate and the safety of human society. I hope everyone will take this opportunity to learn more about the Arctic, protect the Arctic, and jointly protect our home planet."
At present, with the rise of the new retail wave and the Z generation gradually becoming the dominant consumer, "cultural curation" has become a "highlight word" to attract young consumers. A survey of Chinese consumers showed that more than 50% of "post-00s" and "post-95s" believe that offline spaces with social attributes are the main attraction of offline shopping, and retail experience spaces with cultural atmosphere are their favorite shopping places. In order to adapt to this change, Shanghai has integrated consumption functions with cultural experience functions through the cross-border linkage of "commercial museum IP", outputting high-quality cultural content, making it a cultural distribution center and experience place in the city's commercial space.
Shanghai Bauhinia Plaza, where the "Museum Walk: Approaching the Arctic" event is held, is a "practitioner" of extensive cooperation between Shanghai commercial entities and museums. As early as the summer of 2023, Bauhinia Plaza and the Shanghai Insect Museum had cooperated to launch the "Secret Realm of the Insect Forest" event, exhibiting more than 200 insect specimens and some live insects. During the entire exhibition period, the mall's passenger flow increased by about 173% year-on-year, and sales increased by about 193% year-on-year. This "Museum Walk: Approaching the Arctic" event will immersively exhibit precious Arctic physical specimens in the public areas of the mall, providing citizens and tourists with a new type of popular science space, and will also provide support for the consumption upgrade of shopping centers.
Contemporary urban artist Andy Warhol once predicted: "One day, all department stores will become museums, and all museums will become department stores." In Shanghai, commercial entities as "new cultural tourism scenes" are defining and influencing cultural communication and fashion consumption with a new look. Looking to the future, the innovative power of the new model of "cultural tourism scene curation business" will breed more new formats, allowing culture to further empower cities and enter life.
