A student from the Beijing School for the Blind touches a model of a Chinese ridge beast at Sensory Experience Gallery of the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 1, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Marking its latest effort to optimize its accessibility environment, the Palace Museum has opened the Sensory Experience Gallery, a space integrating multi-sensory experiences to make culture more accessible for people with disabilities.

The event coincides with the upcoming International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on December 3, 2024 with the theme of "­Amplifying the leadership of persons with ­disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future."

Co-founded by the Palace Museum and the China Disabled Persons' Federation, the gallery features creative cultural works, cultural experiences, and study tours. 

"Creating an accessible cultural experience space, the museum makes cultural relics more accessible and understandable for people with ­disabilities, bridging the gap between these ­treasures and the community," Bu Xiting, an associate ­researcher at the Communication ­University of ­China, told the Global Times on Monday.

"This also highlights the social value and ­influence of museums as important carriers of cultural heritage. By exploring the integration of public welfare and culture, the Palace Museum's effort can serve as a model to empower more people to benefit from fine traditional culture," he added.

Located on the east side of the Hall of Union within the Palace Museum, the gallery is divided into three zones: a cultural products marketplace, an interactive experience area and a multi-­functional learning space. 

The cultural products marketplace provides a platform for disabled intangible cultural heritage inheritors from across the country to showcase and sell their artistic creations, encouraging more people with disabilities to engage in preserving and promoting traditional Chinese culture and sparking innovation and creativity in the disabled community.

The interactive experience area blends multiple innovative and multi-sensory elements including touch, sound, sight, and smell. 

The immersive design aims to create an environment where history is accessible, relatable, and enjoyable for all.

Meanwhile, the multi-functional learning space will continuously play introductions to the Palace Museum, the causes of disabilities, and more. 

It will also host educational activities for disabled calligraphers, artists, intangible cultural heritage inheritors, and children with disabilities, showcasing the museum's social value and influence as a key platform for cultural heritage transmission.

Wang Yuegong, deputy director-general of the Palace Museum, noted that people with disabilities should have equal opportunities to participate in cultural activities. 

According to Wang, the gallery serves not only as a platform for cultural dissemination, but also as an important window for social support of the disability cause. 

The Palace Museum has also made efforts to build an accessible environment, such as creating barrier-free pathways, establishing a volunteer service team for accessibility, offering sign language tours and providing cultural and creative platforms for outstanding disabled artists.