This is where the creative souvenirs can come in handy. The beaded earphones, for example, can help visitors who buy them appreciate the marriage of cultural and historical elements with modern design. People can observe minute details such as how many beads did a Qing Dynasty-style necklace accessorized with court dress have. This will help them better understand China's history and culture.

The critics must realize that serious derivative tourism products such as copies of ancient works have failed to attract the younger generation in the past, perhaps because they lacked the vitality and fun element which youths look for while buying something at a scenic spot.

Besides, the Palace Museum is neither the first nor the only museum to come up with such fashionable merchandise. After the National Palace Museum in Taipei introduced in the market an adhesive tape with the Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) that reads, "I, the emperor, know it", which took the Internet by storm, many museums have followed the idea and received positive market response and feedback from visitors. A museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, has even offered visitors group souvenirs with local features, one of which is a paper clip decorated with animated Nanjing salted duck.

But while using mascots and fashionable products to promote a historical site, authorities should be careful not to go the extreme of just focusing on commercial promotion to make money and ignoring their social responsibility of highlighting the site as a educational and cultural tourist destination. Using modern souvenirs is indeed a good way of promoting a heritage site, but it requires much more than that to attract more people to enjoy and appreciate the genuine cultural relics passed down by our ancestors.

The author is a writer with China Daily. xiaolixin@chinadaily.com.cn

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