Beijing’s Palace Museum has designed a new iPad app for children entitled “The Emperor’s One Day.” The app contains interactive games that allow children to experience life as a Qing Dynasty emperor, with more than 200 missions for them to complete.
The app was designed by the museum’s Information Department. It has released two iPad apps in the past, including “Twelve Beauties of Prince Yong,” which lets users interactively learn about several paintings found in the museum, and “Auspicious Symbols in the Forbidden City,” which explains the cultural significance of the museum’s royal collections.
“The Emperor’s One Day” is unique, however, as it is the first of the museum’s apps to be designed specifically for children. It is part of an initiative to encourage kids to develop an interest in history by making it more hands-on, engaging and fun.
The museum’s first two apps have been downloaded more than one million times. In the future, the Palace Museum plans to develop smartphone apps as well as an online animation.