Photo shows a fridge magnet inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown and developed by the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily) The National Museum of China has struck gold with its recent cultural and creative merchandise - a fridge magnet inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown. "The phoenix crown fridge magnet has become an instant hit, selling 1,700 pieces within just two hours," said Liao Fei, deputy director of the museum's business development department.

Visitors select products at the cultural and creative product store of the National Museum of China. (Photo courtesy of the official account of Beijing Daily) Enthusiasts lined up as early as 6 a.m.

in the drizzling autumn rain to get their hands on just one magnet. In merely three months after its debut, the sales volume of the fridge magnet has approached 80,000 pieces, with the total sales of all cultural and creative products featuring the phoenix crown exceeding 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) - a figure limited only by production capacity.

The fridge magnet's success caught even the museum's cultural and creative product design team by surprise. "We initially produced a small batch just to test the waters. We never expected it to become such a hit," Liao said with a smile.

Photo shows a keychain inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Empress Xiaoduan's phoenix crown and developed by the National Muse.