In the “Origin of Ancient Shanghai Civilization” exhibition area of the Qingpu Museum in Shanghai, as soon as a group of tourists approached the Songze black pottery, the explanatory voice automatically rang out: “This is a black pottery single-ear pot made by the Songze people 6,000 years ago. The body is as fine as paper. Look at these patterns, they are all hand-carved…” ; At the “Charm of Shanghai’s Water Culture” exhibition area next door, another group of people were listening to the story of water conservancy tools, and their voices did not disturb each other. In the past, during the summer peak season, the explanations in the two exhibition areas would have been mixed up long ago, and visitors had to get close to the guides to hear clearly – this change is all thanks to the Yingmi MC200 zoned explanation system.

I. The “Annoying Incidents” of Qingpu Museum in the past: The stories of Fine cultural relics are hard to tell

The Qingpu Museum houses the earliest civilized memories of Shanghai. The jade wares of the Songze Culture, the water conservancy tools of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the exhibits with the theme of the Red Building all need to be well explained. Before installing the MC200, these stories were always held back by all kinds of troubles.

1. During peak season, there are many teams and their voices clash

Every summer vacation and holiday, more than 20 teams can visit the museum in a day. The two exhibition areas, “The Source of Ancient Civilization” and “The Charm of Water Culture”, are close to each other and the space is open. One side talks about pottery, the other about water gates. The sounds blend together like a “vegetable market”. Teacher Wang, who was in charge of the explanations, said, “Last year during the ‘Grand View ? Red Chamber’ exhibition, when I was leading a group to talk about Daiyu burying flowers, the voice of the tour guide next door was even louder than mine. Some tourists directly said, ‘I can’t hear clearly. Can you emphasize the key points again?’ By the end of the day, my voice was so hoarse that I couldn’t speak, and the tourists didn’t understand either.”

To avoid noise, the museum has to allow teams to visit at different times. Popular exhibition areas often have queues for half an hour. Many people can’t wait and leave, not even catching the question “How old is the Songze Culture?”

2. The exhibition area change was “interrupted”, and the sense of immersion was lost

The visiting route of the museum is connected. From one exhibition area to the next, traditional equipment has to be switched manually. Either the guide is busy pressing buttons while the visitors stand and wait. Either walk to the new exhibition area, where the equipment is still talking about the previous content. Once when leading an elderly group, when they reached the water conservancy display cabinet, the equipment was still talking about pottery. The elderly person asked, “Why are you still talking about jars?” Teacher Wang had no choice but to apologize and adjust it again. The originally coherent historical story was abruptly broken into “fragments”.

What’s more troublesome is that in areas with many metal display cabinets, the signal is prone to interference, and there is always a delay when switching devices. Sometimes, when tourists have already reached the next exhibition area, the explanatory sound follows slowly, and the experience is particularly poor.

3. Foreigners want to understand, but they can’t speak the language

In recent years, tourists in Shanghai have become increasingly international. Overseas visitors account for 15% of the Qingpu Museum, but there are only brochures in both Chinese and English. Multilingual explanations need to be booked a week in advance, and they only understand English and Japanese. Once, a French couple spent half a day in the Red Chamber exhibition area. They used a translation software to look up “Daiyu Burying Flowers”, but it was translated as “Daiyu Burying Flowers”. The staff could only explain it in simple English. The couple smiled and nodded, but their eyes were filled with regret. Sister Li, the operation supervisor, said, “We want foreigners to understand the history of Shanghai, but due to the language barrier, no matter how good the culture is, it can’t be passed on.”

II. Yingmi MC200: By addressing the questions, explanations become smoother

Yingmi’s team didn’t immediately move the equipment upon arrival. Instead, they spent a week in the museum: measuring the dimensions of the exhibition areas, testing the sound environment, and recording the peak hours of the team. Finally, they settled on the MC200 solution, and each function precisely solved the troubles in the museum.

1. Multi-channel independent sound field: Each speaks its own way without crosstalk

The most remarkable feature of the MC200 is its “multi-channel independent audio”, which has set up “exclusive sound zones” for each of the eight core exhibition areas. The technical team installed signal collectors and speakers in each exhibition area, using U-band high-frequency signals of 860-870 MHZ. They also added SOC embedded noise reduction technology. The explanation sound was only transmitted within their own exhibition area. Even if two exhibition areas were 10 meters apart, there would be no crosstalk.

Now, “The Source of Ancient Civilization” talks about pottery, and “The Charm of Water Culture” about water conservancy. Even when the three teams visit at the same time, there won’t be any noise. Teacher Wang said, “I wear a lapel microphone and speak at a normal volume. Tourists can hear me clearly no matter where they stand. During the Red Building exhibition, it received 25 groups a day, 10 more than before, and there was no need to stagge the time.”

According to the statistics of the museum, after using the MC200, the waiting time for the group was reduced from 40 minutes to 10 minutes, and the proportion of tourists saying they “could hear clearly” rose from 62% to 96%.

2. LD positioning automatic switch: Sound starts when people arrive, no need to wait

The LD high-precision positioning technology of MC200 has solved the problem of “disconnection during zone change”. The technical team installed positioning points at the connection points of the exhibition areas, with an error of less than half a meter. As soon as visitors step into the new exhibition area, the explanations will automatically switch over. After leaving, the sound in the original exhibition area stopped and there was no need to press the buttons by hand.

“Now, when leading a tour group from the pottery area to the water conservancy area, as soon as they crossed over, the tour guide changed from black pottery to water gates. Tourists never felt interrupted.” ” Teacher Wang said that previously, the signal was poor in areas with many metal display cabinets. The technical team also optimized the wireless module, and the signal performance was improved by 150%. Even in the jade exhibition area, the switching was very accurate, and there was never a single mistake.

3. Multilingual + Pre-stored audio: Foreigners can also understand the culture

To facilitate foreigners, the MC200 supports 8 languages (English, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Arabic), and can also store 9,999 segments of explanation content. The translation is not a stiff one but rather a adaptation based on the understanding habits of foreigners. When telling European and American tourists about Songze jade wares, it would add, “This is similar to the sacrificial function of ancient Egyptian gold masks.” When talking about Shanghai’s water culture to the Japanese, one would compare it with the water management techniques of Lake Biwa.

The tour guide can select the language in advance on the host and also connect to the mobile phone to play the pre-stored audio. After visiting the Red Chamber exhibition area, French tourist Pierre said, “In the past, when I came to the Chinese Museum, I could only see. This time, I understood the story of Daiyu burying flowers and also learned about the connection between ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ and Shanghai. It was so worth it.” Now, the complaints from overseas tourists have dropped from 28% to 3%, and many people are still sharing their experiences of “visiting the Qingpu Museum with the MC200” online.

4. Sound and light linkage + emergency compatibility: Cultural warmth in the details

The “sound and light linkage” feature of MC200 has further enhanced the atmosphere of the exhibition area: upon entering the “Source of Ancient Civilization”, as soon as the explanation starts, the warm yellow lights come on, making one feel as if they have returned to Songze 6,000 years ago. When it comes to “The Charm of Water Culture”, the lights turn light blue, complementing the water conservancy model, as if standing by the lake and looking at the water gate. Sister Li said, “Before, the lights were always on and I didn’t feel anything. Now, the sound and lights move together. Tourists say, ‘Visiting the exhibition is like watching a cultural film.'”

What’s more considerate is that the MC200 can be connected to the museum’s background music and emergency announcements: when a leader comes, the background music automatically decreases, making the explanations clearer. In case of any emergency, the emergency broadcasting system can issue alerts in multiple languages through the system, ensuring safety and not delaying the visit.

Iii. The current Qingpu Museum: Visitors can understand it well and the museum is well-managed

1.Tourists experience “from shallow to deep”

The average stay time of tourists has increased from 1.2 hours to 2.5 hours, and the proportion of “deep visitors” who can visit more than six exhibition areas has risen from 35% to 72%. The museum has conducted a survey. Among the visitors who listened to the MC200’s explanations, the proportion of those who remembered the “Songze Cultural Time” and “characteristics of water culture” has increased by 50% compared to before. One student said, “In the past, I would forget what the patterns on the pottery represent after visiting. This time, I know what the patterns on the pottery represent. I’m going to write it in my composition when I get back.”

2.Operation management “from complex to simple

There is no need to arrange people to coordinate the team’s off-peak hours anymore, and the labor cost has been reduced by 40%. The MC200 host is small and can be installed in just two days. For maintenance, only the signal collector needs to be checked. The charging box can charge 36 devices simultaneously and comes with ultraviolet disinfection, so you don’t have to worry about it. Sister Li said, “In the past, three people were in charge of the equipment during peak season. Now, one person is enough and can also help tourists answer more questions.”

The cultural influence “from the inside out” has become a benchmark in the industry

The MC200 zoned interpretation system of Qingpu Museum has also become a “smart tour guide model” in Shanghai’s cultural and museum industry. Venues such as Shanghai History Museum and Shanghai Natural History Museum have come to visit and want to draw on this “low-cost and highly adaptable” solution. In March 2025, Qingpu Museum was selected as a “Shanghai Smart Cultural Relics and Museums Demonstration Project” with this system, attracting coverage from media outlets such as Jiefang Daily and Wenhui Daily, and further expanding the reach of cultural dissemination.

Conclusion: Let the stories of cultural relics be heard more clearly by more people

Nowadays, when visiting the Qingpu Museum, it is common to see tourists strolling through the exhibition areas following the explanations: elderly people are listening carefully in front of the pottery, foreigners are looking at the exhibits of the Red Chamber with headphones on, and children are asking questions around the water conservancy models. The sound was clear and the lighting was timely. The story of the cultural relics finally reached more people’s hearts.

Yingmi has always believed that a good interpretation system is not a “machine”, but a “megaphone” – helping museums explain their culture clearly and helping visitors understand history. In the future, we will strive to make the MC200 even better. We will add AI interaction to enable visitors to ask questions and introduce more foreign languages to make it easier for foreigners to understand. This way, whether it’s the Songze cultural relics of the Qingpu Museum or historical exhibits from overseas, they can all be heard and remembered by more people. Yingmi?Customer Service Hotline: 400-990-7677 Official website: www.it2002.com, always ready to provide you with exclusive tour plans.