On May 15th, the 50th International Museum Day, the Hainan Museum of Ethnology will kick off a series of events combining culture, interactive activities, and hands-on experiences, with events including a museum guide competition, opening ceremony, and immersive experiences. These activities will be held from May 14-15, and are open to the public at no charge.

Preliminary Activities

The 2026 Hainan Province Museum Guide Competition is underway. This competition focuses on passing down the significance of Hainan’s multi-ethnic culture, telling the story of the island’s development and creating a cultural atmosphere in preparation for the International Museum Day activities.

Opening Day

This year’s main venue opening ceremony will feature a special ‘Donation of Fine Arts & Crafts’ segment, encouraging donations to expand the museum’s collection. A promotional event will be held for the 11th China Museum Expo and Related Products & Technology Expo, the official debut of cultural & creative products from museums across the province, and the Hainan Province Museum themed tour route. The awards ceremony for the 2025 Cultural & Creative Competition, a promotional event for the 2026 Cultural & Creative Competition, and the awards ceremony for the Hainan Province Museum Guide Competition will also be held during this period, giving recognition to outstanding talent in the fields of cultural & creative product design and communication.

Several Hainan ethnic cultural performances will be held in conjunction with the opening ceremony, including the Miao Panhuang Dance, the Community Dance, traditional musical instrument performances, ethnic flash mob dances, and a Li children’s choir performance. National and province-level intangible cultural heritage representatives will give in-person demonstrations, giving audiences the chance to view these traditional arts up-close.

Updated Exhibitions

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Hainan Museum of Ethnology, the museum’s four main exhibitions have been updated and are now open to the public. Through a combination of artifact display, detailed reconstructions, and images, the new and improved exhibitions showcase four aspects of Hainan’s ethnic culture: the millennium-long history of the interaction of different ethnic groups in Hainan, textile culture, ethnic medicine, and folk crafts.

Li clothing, daily use items, and musical instruments on display at the Hainan Museum of Ethnology.

Interactive Experiences

To transform museum visitors from passive viewers to active participants, outdoor and indoor experience areas have been set up at the museum. The outdoor area features several themed photo spots related to International Museum Day and local ethnic culture, and the indoor area includes a cultural & creative product display area, a public cultural treasure display area, and a cultural salon, offering many different ways to participate.