Yang Kaiyong, deputy director of Jingzhou Museum, says that visiting museums during Spring Festival has become more popular in recent years. Last year's daily numbers peaked at 20,000.

Jingzhou Museum had shows planned to attract visitors during the holiday, and, to improve service, it closed for three days before the Lunar New Year to prepare for the expected influx.

In celebration of the Year of the Dragon, visitors were invited to look for dragon-related elements engraved on the jade, lacquer and bronze ware in the collection. The items, either in the shape of dragons or featuring dragon patterns, were used as containers for food, cups for alcohol, decorative pieces for nobility, musical instruments and ritual vessels.

"To cater to increasing demand, our museum remained open during the eight-day holiday and many of our visitors during this period were local residents," Yang says.