The Shenyang Palace Museum announced on November 1 that as of the same date, it had received more than 6 million visitors this year, hitting a record high, The figure has already surpassed the total arrivals for the whole of 2025, representing a year-on -year increase of 14.76%.

Built in 1625, the Shenyang Imperial Palace was a palace complex constructed and used in the early Qing Dynasty. After the Qing court moved its capital to Beijing,the palace served as an important site where emperors including Kangxi and Qianlong stayed during their eastern inspections and where imperial treasures were preserved. The year 2026 marks the centenary of the founding of the Shenyang Palace Museum. It has enriched cultural programs and refreshed visiting modes to deliver immersive and tangible experiences to tourists from home and abroad.

In 2026, the Shenyang Palace Museum presents the special exhibition Chen Palace·Guochao: Fashion Codes and Artistic Resonance from Qing Palace Cultural Relics, which interprets ancient humanistic charm and artistic beauty through its collection. The exhibition Whiteness in A Thousand Years: Dehua Porcelain Art Exhibitionfeatures more than 100 precious Dehua white porcelain works from past dynasties alongside masterpieces by contemporary arts and crafts masters, showcasing the body and glaze techniques, elegant forms, and enduring craftsmanship. Mountains and Rivers Enshrined: 100 Cultural Relics for the Centenary of the Shenyang Palace Museum reviews the museum’s century-long development journey through one hundred selected relics.

Visitors at the Shenyang Palace Museum, November 1. Photo: Yu Haiyang/China News Service

In terms of visitor experience, the Shenyang Palace Museum has launched evening sessions, moving beyond the conventional one-way guided tour model. Drawing on its profound historical heritage, designated evening zones and operating hours, the museum creates heritage experiences that balance scholarship, fun and interaction. During holidays, themed on early-Qing court history, Manchu folk customs, ancient construction techniques and imperial food culture, guides take on the role of NPCs (non-player characters) for immersive storytelling. Visitors learn the stories behind the halls through interactive dialogue and savour the unique charm of traditional culture intertwined with historic architecture. This summer, it launched a new digital production, A Glimpse Across a Thousand Years. Equipped with headsets, visitors can travel back in time and “witness” the construction of the Shenyang Palace Museum.

As of November 1, the Shenyang Palace Museum has offered extended opening for 98 days in 2026, with an extra 292.5 hours of service.