In the “Long March Exhibition Area” of the memorial hall, American scholar Peter was holding up his mobile phone in front of the Red Army cap in the display case – the camera was pointed at the QR code beside it and scanned it. Immediately, clear English came out of the phone: “This cap followed the Red Army across Luding Bridge. The patch on the brim was sewn stitch by stitch by the soldiers with thick hemp thread. At that time, even the thread was borrowed from the homes of ordinary people…” A dynamic map of the Long March also pops up on the screen, and even the photos of the diaries written by the soldiers back then can be enlarged for viewing. He stood there and watched for a full 15 minutes, twice as long as the last time he followed the manual explanation. Before leaving, he specially took a photo of the QR code and said he would share it with his colleagues who study Chinese history.
In a memorial hall, what is precious is never the objects in the glass cabinets, but the people and events behind them. But before, it was too difficult to tell these stories thoroughly: human guides were too busy to keep up, and if they told too much, their voices would become hoarse; if they told too little, tourists wouldn’t understand. Why not buy large-scale tour guide equipment? I’m afraid of damaging the old buildings and my budget can’t afford it either. Yingmi has been engaged in the production of interpretation equipment for 15 years and has served many memorial halls. It fully understands this dilemma. The QR code tour guide system that was later developed aims to enable every exhibit in the memorial hall to “speak for itself” in the simplest way.
I.The “difficulty” of memorial halls
Xiao Li, a guide at the memorial hall, has been in this line of work for eight years. When talking about his previous job, he always rustles his throat and laughs: “Our museum has over 3,000 exhibits. During the peak season, we have to lead four groups a day and tell the story of ‘The Red Army Crossing the Grassland’, so much so that our lips go numb.” These difficulties are not the problem of just one memorial hall; almost all memorial halls have encountered them
1. Manual explanation: You can only focus on one end but not the other
What troubles Xiao Li the most are “repetition” and “omission”. Once when I was leading an elderly group, right after I finished telling the story of “The Red Army eating grass roots to cook belts”, an elderly man in the back row didn’t catch it clearly and insisted on repeating it. When she finished speaking again, the tourists in the front row urged her to go to the next exhibition area. The whole process felt like catching a train. When someone asked for details, such as “What model of rifle did the Red Army use?” or “How was the grain stored in the base area?”, she often couldn’t answer – not because she was unprofessional, but because she had repeated it so many times every day that her mind had long been confused.
It is also more difficult to meet personalized demands. Some tourists want to know the craftsmanship details of the exhibits, while others want to talk about the stories behind them. Manual explanations can only follow a fixed process and cannot take care of everyone. A military enthusiast held up a Red Army water bottle and asked me, “How does this bottle prevent leaks?” I could only say, “It’s made of iron sheet.” I had no idea what was thinner. Seeing his disappointed look, I felt particularly embarrassed.” Xiao Li said.
2. Overseas tourists: Language barrier, a wasted trip
Nowadays, more and more foreigners come to the memorial hall, but most of the halls only offer explanations in Chinese and English. When Peter first came, he just wandered around aimlessly with a Chinese group. There were only a few lines of English on the display boards. When he saw the photo of “Climbing the Snow-capped Mountain”, he didn’t know it was Jiajin Mountain. When he saw the introduction of “Base Area”, he thought it was just an ordinary village. Later, he told me that it felt like watching a silent film. Even though he knew these exhibits had stories, he just couldn’t understand them. Director Wang from the Operations Department said.
Last year, the reception of the Chinese delegation from Southeast Asia was even more awkward. There was no Malay language explanation, and the delegation could only translate the exhibition boards sentence by sentence with their mobile phones. The one-hour visit was delayed for two hours. Finally, the delegation leader said, “We need to bring a translator next time.” Director Wang felt uncomfortable and said, “They came specifically to learn about the red history, but were blocked by words. What a pity!”
3. Young people: They find it boring and can’t stay
Nowadays, quite a few young people come to the memorial hall, but the traditional exhibitions are all text and pictures. After looking at them for a while, they lose interest. A post-2000s person wrote in the guestbook: “I know these things are important, but after looking at them for a long time, I really feel sleepy.” The back-end data is more realistic: Previously, young people spent an average of only 8 minutes, which was half of the overall average time.
It’s difficult to install smart devices – some of the buildings in the memorial hall are cultural relics and cannot be randomly drilled and wired. Even if it can be installed, a set of equipment costs hundreds of thousands of yuan, which is simply unaffordable for small and medium-sized memorial halls. “We also want to make the visit more interesting, but we can neither damage the old buildings nor have that much money. We can only be anxious.” ” Director Wang spread his hands and said.
II.Just scan the code and it will work
The core of Yingmi’s QR code tour guide system is “no hassle” – no need to dismantle walls and lay wires, no need to purchase expensive equipment. Tourists can use it with their own mobile phones, which precisely hits the pain point of memorial halls.
1.Scan the code to listen. Both the elderly and foreigners can use it
This system is ridiculously easy to operate: a QR code is pasted beside the exhibit. Tourists can open wechat, QQ, or even the built-in scanning function of their mobile phones, scan it, and then they can be redirected to the explanation page. The entire process takes at most three seconds. Peter used it for the first time and got it done without asking anyone. Once when leading an elderly group, a 70-something man failed to scan the QR code twice. Xiao Li taught him, “Point your phone’s camera at the QR code and don’t shake it.” The second time, he managed to scan it successfully.
The QR code labels are also considerate. They are clamped between the front and back with acrylic, which is waterproof and moisture-proof. They don’t take up space when stuck on display cabinets or walls and won’t block the exhibits. Director Wang said, “When our museum was making the arrangements, two workers finished pasting it in just two days. It didn’t affect the opening of the museum and didn’t touch a single brick or tile of the venue. It was so worry-free.”
2. The content is lively and not just about reading the text
To make history less boring, Yingmi has put a lot of thought into the content of the explanation – not only reading the text, but also adding voice, video and dynamic images.
When talking about the Red Army radio station, in addition to saying “This is the captured enemy equipment”, a video of the radio station’s operation was also shown. Even the photos of the communication password book from back then could be enlarged for viewing. Tourists could directly understand “how to use this thing to convey intelligence”.
When explaining the production tools in the base area, a dynamic graphic and text demonstration of “How a spinning wheel spins thread” was used, accompanied by an audio of a farmer’s oral account: “At that time, we farmed during the day and spun thread for the Red Army at night to ensure that the soldiers had clothes to wear.”
There’s no need to worry about the language. It supports over 10 languages. The memorial hall can add whichever one it wants. the English explanation used by Peter was revised by Yingmi with the help of professional translators and historians. For example, “base” was not directly translated as “base”, but the sentence “the Red Army’s stable area” was added to enable foreigners to understand that this was not an ordinary place. “Now when we receive overseas tour groups, there’s no need to find interpreters anymore. Tourists can scan the QR code themselves to listen, and we can also spare some time to have in-depth conversations with them.” ” Xiao Li said.
3. Can you browse however you like without having to rush to the market
The most popular feature of this system among tourists is that it allows them to “control the pace themselves”. If you like the Red Army cap, scan it several times to listen to the details. If you have no interest in weapons, just skip it. There is also a “progress memory” function. For instance, if you answer a call halfway through, hang up and scan again, you can directly go back to the place you heard last time without having to start from the beginning.
There was a college student majoring in history who came last time and specifically focused on the exhibits related to “Education in the Revolutionary Period”. He scanned over 20 QR codes and wrote in the guestbook: “Finally, I don’t have to follow the main group. I can read history according to my own interests. It’s so great.” For young people, the system has added some interactive features – by scanning certain QR codes, they can answer red knowledge questions, and those who answer correctly will receive an electronic commemorative certificate. Some exhibits can even be restored by AR. Just scan the display case with your mobile phone, and the scene from that time will pop up on the screen. Young people all love to take pictures and post them on Moments.
Iii. The “Ease” of Memorial Halls: Saving money, effort and manpower
This system not only pleases the tourists but also relieves the staff of the memorial hall, effectively solving a lot of problems for them.
1.It costs little and even small and medium-sized restaurants can afford it
Previously, installing a smart tour guide device cost no less than several hundred thousand yuan and required regular maintenance. The QR code system of Yingmi requires almost no purchase of hardware. Just spending a little money on making QR code labels is less than one-tenth of the cost of traditional equipment. Director Wang did the math: “Our museum has over 3,000 exhibits. The cost of labels and back-end services is still less than that of hiring temporary guides before.” “
It’s also convenient to update the content. There’s no need to change the display board. After making the changes in the background, all QR codes will be updated simultaneously. Previously, if I wanted to supplement the new research results of the Red Army cap, I had to make new display boards, which was both costly and time-consuming. It’s now edited in the background and will be done in a few minutes.
2. Can you look at the data and know what tourists like
The system’s backend can display a lot of useful data: which exhibits are scanned more frequently, how long tourists stay on average, and which language overseas tourists prefer. Director Wang found through the data that the “Red Army Telescope” had the highest number of scans, so he specially added a small display cabinet beside it to put more related old photos. Finding that there were more users in English and Japanese, we focused on optimizing the explanations in these two languages and added more cultural background information.
“Previously, adjusting the layout of the exhibits was all based on intuition. Now, with data to follow, the optimization is particularly accurate.” ” Director Wang said that, for instance, based on the data, the “Long March Exhibits” were rearranged and combined with the dynamic content of the QR code, the stay time in this exhibition area increased from 12 minutes to 20 minutes.
3. Tour guides no longer need to act as “Repeaters”
The QR code system has taken on the task of providing basic explanations. Now, Xiao Li doesn’t have to repeat “The Red Army Crossing the Grassland” four times a day. She can free up time to do more meaningful things: when tourists ask in-depth questions, she can answer them well. Small activities can also be organized, such as telling children stories about the Red Army and teaching them to recognize old objects.
“Before, my voice was hoarse after a whole day. Now, I can chat well with tourists and see their expressions after understanding history. I feel more energetic now.” ” Xiao Li said that after the system was launched, the complaint rate dropped from 12% to 1%, all of which were minor issues due to the large number of people in the exhibition area. No one said “I didn’t understand” or “I didn’t hear clearly” anymore.
IV. Overseas users can also use it with confidence: compliant, service-oriented, and experienced
Many overseas memorial halls and cultural institutions have come to inquire, most concerned about “Can it be used here?” and “Who should we turn to if there are any problems?” Yingmi has been engaged in overseas business for 15 years. These have long been taken into consideration:
1. Complies with international standards and can be used anywhere
The system’s server is equipped with gigabit optical fiber and also runs through dual lines of China Telecom and China Netcom, ensuring that overseas users can scan codes without any lag. It has fully passed the European CE and ROHS certifications. It can be used normally in Europe, America or Southeast Asia without any special Settings.
2. Multilingual services, always accessible
Yingmi has launched 7×24-hour Chinese and English customer service. For overseas users who cannot scan the code or want to add a minority language, sending an email or contacting the online customer service can all solve the problem. Once, a memorial hall in Europe wanted to add German explanations. The customer service immediately connected with the translation team on the same day, and it was done within a week.
3. I have handled many cases of memorial halls and am well-versed in this field
The plans previously made for the Baofeng Central Plains Liberation Memorial Hall and the Wangjiaba Flood Control Memorial Hall have all been carried out very steadily. These cases reassure overseas users: “Yingmi doesn’t just sell technology; it also understands how memorial halls should convey culture and won’t let us fall into a trap.”
Conclusion: Let the story of each exhibit be heard
In the evening at the memorial hall, the setting sun shone brightly on the glass cabinets in the exhibition area. Peter was still taking notes on his phone. The English explanation on the phone was still saying, “This Red Army cap was later given by the soldiers to the local villagers. The villagers kept it for 50 years until it was donated to the memorial hall in 1990…” He looked up and said to Xiao Li, “I used to think that China’s red history was far away from me. Now, hearing these details, I suddenly feel it’s very real.”
Yingmi’s development of QR code Tours has never been about “showing off technology”. It aims to enable the stories in the memorial hall to transcend language and age and reach more people’s hearts. Without complex equipment or spending a lot of money, visitors can simply scan with their mobile phones and have a dialogue with history – this is what a memorial hall should be like.
In the future, Yingmi also plans to add some more functions: for instance, allowing tourists to choose the tone of the explanation. Those who prefer a friendly style can choose “storytelling style”, and those who prefer a professional style can choose “academic style”. Add more minor languages so that users of Arabic and Russian can also understand them. After all, the stories hidden in these exhibits deserve to be seen and heard by the whole world.