Aquaint, traditional courtyard off the beaten track has become a hit among visitors since Zhang Peng took the helm six years ago.

Nestled on a tree-covered hillside on the northern shore of Xihai Wetland Park in Beijing's Xicheng district, the Guo Shoujing Memorial Hall has served as a museum for more than 30 years, recounting the stories of Guo Shoujing, a Chinese astronomer, hydraulic engineer and politician of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

Since the summer season started a month ago, Zhang has been busy receiving "study tour" participants from across the country.

"We've extended our service by two hours to 7 pm and night activities like reading sessions, watercolor painting and embroidery have been held," says Zhang.

The events are all related to the history and culture along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal which Guo contributed to in its design.

The site is not large — about 800 square meters — with the exhibition hall covering roughly a quarter of the space, but it offers a wealth of information on the historical figure.

Zhang and his team offer visitors vivid and detailed guidance once they enter.

"Guo left two major legacies in astronomy and water conservancy," Zhang says.

"It is said that throughout his life, Guo developed more than 20 different types of astronomical instruments," Zhang adds.

There are life-size models of the armillary sphere and a simplified one at the museum.

Guo came up with the abridged one for better observation.

"The ball bearings used in the simplified armillary sphere were invented more than 200 years before they appeared in the West," Zhang says.

It was because of these advanced instruments that more accurate fundamental data was obtained, leading to the creation of the Shoushi (Season-Granting) Calendar, which has widely been deemed the most precise calendar of its time in the world.

"It's astonishing to think that over 700 years ago, with limited technology, Guo measured the length of a solar year with an error of only 0.003 days compared to today's precise measurements — equivalent to just 26 seconds," Zhang says.

As for water conservancy, Guo proposed to build an artificial canal in Shandong on the existing Grand Canal to allow cargo ships to bypass Luoyang of Henan province and sail straight to Beijing.

"Although Guo never visited the construction site in Shandong, the overall plan was based on his preliminary surveys. Therefore, whenever I share this story with friends, I always emphasize that Guo was the planner of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal," Zhang says.

Construction began in 1292 and was completed in 1293, allowing cargo ships to arrive at the port of Jishuitan, where the Guo Shoujing Memorial Hall was thus established.

Revitalization for tours

Before Zhang's involvement, the museum only received about 26,000 visits annually.

To revitalize the museum, Zhang led a team to develop three versions of audio guides that fit audiences of all age groups.

"For instance, we have one that offers simplified explanations for children. To appeal to young people, we invited cultural celebrities to record the tour instructions," Zhang says.

In the initial state of the exhibition design, Zhang listened to audience feedback and, for each significant year in Guo's life, his team marked Guo's accomplishments.

To highlight the exhibition's theme and emphasize Guo's expertise in astronomy and geography, the upper part of the hall features a screen that continuously displays a star map. Below, a bronze model showcases the topography and river-lake system of Beijing.

Water level changes at sluice gates are vividly demonstrated through visual representations to show how cargo ships navigate the canal.

Additionally, Zhang has staged multiple themed temporary exhibitions, such as those on flowers and cycling lanes along the Grand Canal, to spice up the visitor experience.

"Tourists from areas in the canal's passing have come and visited," Zhang says.

"Many of our visitors call or leave messages before holidays to ask about the events we plan to hold," he adds.

To date, the museum has managed to pack in more than 100,000 visits annually, with daily tourist visits peaking at 1,400.

"Before taking on the role of the museum's executive director, my knowledge of Guo was quite limited, based only on brief mentions in history textbooks about the Yuan Dynasty," says Zhang, who has been working in museums for over a decade.

"I have come to understand Guo much better and have developed a deeper affection for this small museum," he adds.

Making a commitment

Taking over the Guo museum is part of Zhang's commitment to promoting museums over the years.

He began as a volunteer docent at the National Museum of China in 2003, when he was studying law and sociology at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing.

Every weekend, he would spend four hours on the road and turn the history behind cultural relics at the museum into vivid stories for a large number of elementary and middle school students, as well as their parents.

He says he is lucky to be engaged in the field when the country's museums have embraced a golden era of development.

"Many exquisite exhibitions from home and abroad have been staged, where the items on display are much more alive than those described in books," he says.

He has also found an endless source of power during the museum's value-added services as he got to share his knowledge of and love and pride in museums with children, becoming a positive influence on their growth.

"I receive good news from my guests about their college acceptances every year," Zhang says.

Some have followed his tour services for years and have chosen academic careers in art design or cultural relics studies of Dunhuang at Lanzhou University in Gansu province.

After graduation, Zhang worked at several law firms but continued volunteering at museums in his spare time.

In 2008, as more museums began offering free entry to the public, Zhang embraced an increasing number of audiences.

Sensing the rising popularity of museums, Zhang founded a cultural business in 2014 offering online classes and "study tours" revolving around museums, particularly small and medium-sized ones.

In 2017, he rolled out the Museums in the Ear program, which aims to recommend lesser-known museums and give professional instructions for touring them.

Children can listen to online audio courses in their spare time, while eating breakfast, brushing their teeth or on their way to school, Zhang says.

His contribution to public education has won him multiple awards, including the Beijing May Fourth Youth Medal, the city's highest award for outstanding young workers.

About 80 percent of more than 6,800 museums across the country are receiving fewer than 100,000 tourists a year, Zhang notes.

"If major institutions like the Palace Museum, the National Museum of China and the Capital Museum are considered the main arteries of the cultural and museum system, then these smaller, medium-sized museums are like capillaries — they have a natural connection with their audiences," Zhang says.

Gaining enthusiasm

In recent years, China has put an increasing emphasis on the cultivation of comprehensive qualities in primary and secondary school students.

Museum regulations issued in February 2015 stressed the educational function of museums. In November 2016, 11 government organs, including the Ministry of Education, issued opinions on promoting study trips for primary and secondary school students, incorporating museum trips into the curriculum.

Luo Xin, a professor at Shaanxi Normal University, says museums expand the life coordinates of children and their parents.

"When you step into a history museum, you begin to wonder where you came from; why you are the way you are; why, as a Chinese person, you have this culture; and you start to develop thoughts and hopes for the future," Luo says.

Luo sees museums as a subtle yet powerful form of identity education, offering a multisensory and immersive learning experience.

To date, Zhang's audio services have covered more than 60 museums across the country.

In June 2020, he teamed up with Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and launched a 50-episode online class for teenagers.

The Museums in the Ear program has developed explanations for more than 100 museum exhibitions at home and abroad and more than 40 audio classes on museums, which has attracted 6 million listeners.

The popularity has affirmed his faith that small and medium-sized museums can have a big impact.

"I can sense more people are developing a strong bond with museums and follow us multiple times," Zhang says.

Having worked in the museum field for over 20 years, Zhang has come to know almost all the major museums in Beijing like the back of his hand due to his exploration of their connections with young people.

"In the past, museums infused a city with soul; looking to the future, they will infuse it with strength," he says.

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