1. Introduction

General Secretary Xi Jinping places great importance on museum work, emphasizing that “museums are vital sanctuaries for the protection and inheritance of human civilization, bridges connecting the past, present, and future, and they play a special role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among world civilizations” [1]. Against the backdrop of surging globalization and rapidly evolving digital technologies, museums, as key hubs of cultural communication, are undergoing profound and comprehensive transformations in both function and form. According to research by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), an increasing number of museums worldwide are advancing digital transformation, with enhancing audiences’ space-time experience becoming one of the crucial objectives [2]. China’s “14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Relics Protection and Technological Innovation” explicitly proposes “promoting the intelligent upgrading of museums,” emphasizing the use of modern technologies to improve museums’ exhibition, communication, and service capabilities [3]. How to successfully achieve innovative development while steadfastly upholding the mission of traditional cultural inheritance has become a core issue facing modern museums. The Marxist conception of space-time, as a scientific and profound worldview and methodology, and as an important component of Sinicized Marxist philosophy, with its core ideas such as “the unity of history and reality” and “dialectics of the objective and subjective,” closely aligns with the Chinese traditional cultural concepts of “the unity of heaven and humanity” and “connecting the past and present.” This theoretical framework offers a localized path for museums to realize “innovation while keeping integrity” amid globalization and digital waves, serving as a crucial theoretical foundation and guiding direction. This paper aims to conduct an in-depth and systematic study of the integration between the Marxist conception of space-time and modern museum cultural communication practices, precisely identifying their organic connection points and deeply exploring innovative development paths.

2. Theoretical connotations of the marxist conception of space-time

2.1. Basic concepts of the marxist conception of space-time

Marx’s conception of space-time is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. In Marx’s philosophical perspective, time and space are not abstract forms existing independently of matter, but rather fundamental attributes inherent in the movement of matter.[4-7] In the digital age, this conception of space-time applies not only to the material world but also extends to virtual spaces. The rise of virtual reality technology blurs the boundaries of time and space, allowing museums to transcend physical spatial limits through virtual exhibitions, enabling audiences to experience the charm of historical culture within virtual space-time [8] Time resembles an invisible thread that clearly reflects the continuity and sequence in the development and change of things; space is like a vast stage vividly displaying the extension of existence and the positional relationships among things. This definition of space-time fundamentally overturns the previous absolute notion that regarded space and time as independent from the material world, providing a fresh perspective for correctly understanding the world.

2.2. Dialectical characteristics of the marxist conception of space-time

① The Dialectical Relationship Between Unity and Difference

Marx insightfully observed that time and space possess a close intrinsic unity while each having distinct characteristics. Their unity lies primarily in that both are indispensable forms of material motion, mutually dependent and constraining, together constituting the fundamental framework of the material world. The difference lies in that time emphasizes describing the dynamic process of development, marked by irreversibility; space focuses on presenting the static distribution of things, characterized by extensiveness and three-dimensionality. This dialectical unity of unity and difference makes space-time an organic whole that jointly propels the development and change of things.

② The Dialectical Relationship Between Objectivity and Subjectivity

Space-time possesses objective reality; it does not change according to human will but is an inherent attribute of the material world itself. However, space-time is also closely connected with human subjective cognitive activities. Through long-term practical activities, humans gradually recognize and grasp the laws of space-time and use these laws to transform the world. For example, humans create calendars based on the understanding of time and carry out urban planning and architectural design based on the understanding of space. From the perspective of embodied cognition theory, visitors’ physical movements within museum spaces (such as pausing, touching, interacting) are not merely physical acts but also subjective constructions of the meaning of space-time through sensory experience [9] For instance, the Shanghai Museum’s ceramics exhibition simulates an ancient kiln scene, allowing visitors to embody historical space-time through “walking—observing—touching.” This dialectical relationship between objectivity and subjectivity reflects both respect for the objective world and human subjective initiative.

③ The Dialectical Relationship Between Continuity and Discontinuity

Space-time exhibits continuous characteristics while also experiencing qualitative leaps and ruptures. In the development process of things, the passage of time and changes in space are often gradual and continuous, but at specific historical nodes or conditions, drastic transformations may occur, causing discontinuities in space-time. This dialectical relationship forms the basic law of development and change, driving things to evolve from lower to higher levels, and from simple to complex forms.

2.3. Implications of the marxist conception of space-time for cultural communication

① Emphasizing the Unity of Historical and Real Dimensions

The Marxist conception of space-time reminds us that in cultural communication, the historical origins of culture must be closely integrated with its current development situation. Only by deeply excavating the historical connotations of culture can we better understand its value and significance in reality; simultaneously, attention must be paid to the practical needs and developmental trends of culture to make communication more targeted and effective.

② Focusing on the Dialectical Relationship Between Spatial Carriers and Cultural Content

Space, as an indispensable carrier of cultural communication, directly affects the presentation effect of cultural content through its layout, design, and usage. Therefore, the mutual relationship between space and culture must be fully considered, and through reasonable spatial planning and design, the appeal and influence of cultural communication can be enhanced.

③ Valuing the Interactive Relationship Between Communicators and Audiences

Cultural communication is a two-way process; interaction between the communicator and the audience is crucial. The Marxist conception of space-time highly values human practical activity. In the field of cultural communication, this means encouraging active interaction between communicators and audiences, jointly participating in the creation and dissemination of culture, thereby improving the effectiveness of cultural communication.

3. Current status and challenges of cultural communication in modern museums

3.1. Basic functions of modern museums

① Cultural Preservation Function

Museums bear the sacred mission of collecting, preserving, and researching cultural relics. They are precious repositories of human civilization and important witnesses to history [10] By employing cutting-edge relic preservation technologies and implementing scientific management strategies, museums ensure the safety and integrity of artifacts, maintaining their original state and the completeness of historical information. This legacy leaves rich historical and cultural heritage for future generations, allowing the diversity of human civilization to continue.

② Educational and Communication Function

Museums disseminate historical and cultural knowledge to the public through exhibitions, guided tours, educational activities, and various other forms, playing an important role in social education [11] By presenting vivid and engaging experiences, museums enable visitors to personally feel the charm of history and culture, inspiring a pursuit of knowledge and a love of culture.

③ Cultural Innovation Function

On the solid foundation of preserving traditional culture, museums actively explore innovative modes of expression, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of culture [12] Through interdisciplinary integration with contemporary technology, artistic creation, and digital media, museums inject new vitality into traditional culture, enabling it to better adapt to the demands of the times.

Museums not only endow traditional culture with new life but also foster diversification of cultural forms and modernization of content, making culture more aligned with contemporary aesthetics and needs. This effectively advances cultural inheritance and revitalization, establishing museums as key sites of cultural innovation practice.

3.2. Main challenges currently faced

3.2.1. Conflict between traditional display methods and modern audience demands

With social development and technological progress, contemporary audiences have raised higher expectations for museum display methods. They no longer accept superficial engagement with traditional static exhibits but eagerly seek immersive, interactive, and highly experiential exhibition environments. Traditional display modes struggle to effectively meet these deeper audience needs, resulting in low visitor engagement and waning interest. This poses a significant challenge to museums’ attractiveness and educational functions.

3.2.2. Contradiction between space constraints and exhibition content expansion

As the excavation and research of cultural heritage deepen, the cultural connotations to be presented have become increasingly rich and diverse, undoubtedly imposing higher demands on exhibition space. However, the physical exhibition spaces of brick-and-mortar museums are often limited, and these physical boundaries often restrict the breadth and depth of exhibitions. Therefore, how to cleverly plan and efficiently utilize every inch of existing space to maximize the presentation of diverse and profound cultural content has become a major challenge facing museums.

3.2.3. Tension between cultural inheritance and innovative development

In the process of cultural communication, museums bear the responsibility of maintaining cultural authenticity and originality, striving to inherit and promote the essence of excellent traditional culture. Simultaneously, museums must actively adapt to the trends of the times by adopting novel modes of expression to attract broader audiences and promote modern interpretation and revitalization of culture. Museums must both preserve cultural authenticity and tradition, and adapt to evolving times through innovation to attract more visitors. In practice, however, how to precisely balance cultural inheritance and innovative development—retaining cultural genuineness while incorporating contemporary vitality—has become a critical issue urgently to be resolved by modern museums.

4. The practical application of marxist conceptions of time and space in museum cultural communication

4.1. Innovative practices in exhibition design

4.1.1. Reconstruction of temporal-spatial sequences

Employing an exhibition approach that integrates history with the present: by combining historical artifacts with modern technological display methods, museums reconstruct temporal-spatial sequences to achieve a deep dialogue between history and reality. For example, multimedia is used to restore historical scenes, allowing visitors to experience history while appreciating how modern technology promotes cultural communication. Creating multidimensional visitor pathways: breaking away from traditional single-route tours, museums innovatively build multidimensional and multi-layered viewing experiences. Through carefully planned multiple exhibition routes with different themes and levels of difficulty, they meet the diverse needs of different audience groups. For instance, specialized, research-oriented pathways are designed for scholars, encompassing detailed historical backgrounds, artifact analyses, and academic discussions; meanwhile, popular science and entertaining routes with interactive experiences and engaging explanations cater to general visitors. Overcoming the limitations of linear narration: abandoning the traditional chronological linear storytelling, museums adopt thematic, scenographic, interactive, and other diversified narrative methods to vividly present the cultural connotations and values.

4.1.2. Optimization of spatial layout

Scientific planning of functional zones: according to the museum’s functional positioning and exhibition content, the space is scientifically and reasonably divided into zones such as exhibition areas, education zones, and leisure spaces, making each area both independent and interconnected. Flexible utilization of exhibition space: movable and combinable display equipment is employed, enabling flexible adjustment of exhibition layouts in response to changing content, thereby improving spatial efficiency. Combining virtual and physical space to expand the exhibition scope: using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and other technologies to create virtual exhibition spaces that complement physical spaces, expanding the spatial boundaries of exhibitions.

4.1.3. Enhancement of interactive experiences

Application of immersive display technologies: by constructing immersive exhibition scenes using advanced technologies such as 3D projection and surround sound, museums enable visitors to feel culturally immersed, enhancing participation and experiential engagement. Multisensory experience design: beyond traditional visual and auditory experiences, museums increasingly emphasize the development of tactile, olfactory, and other sensory experiences to achieve “holistic perception.” For example, some exhibitions feature touch zones where visitors can physically feel the texture and material of artifacts. Additionally, olfactory installations recreating scents related to specific historical contexts—such as the smell of ancient spice markets—further enrich visitors’ sensory engagement. This “olfactory memory” design strategy has significant effects in cultural communication, deepening visitors’ emotional connection to the exhibition content. Improvement of audience participation mechanisms: establishing channels for visitor comments, voting, sharing, and other forms of engagement encourages active visitor feedback and discussion. This fosters two-way interaction between visitors and exhibition content, enhancing interactivity and enthusiasm.

4.2. Innovations in narrative methods

4.2.1. Multidimensional narrative strategies

Interweaving Historical and Contemporary Dimensions: While presenting historical culture, exhibitions also incorporate current social issues and development needs, enabling visitors to deeply perceive the close connection between historical culture and contemporary life. This approach enhances both the timeliness and attractiveness of the exhibition. Combination of Macro and Micro Narratives: Macro narratives grasp the broad context of historical and cultural development, presenting a wide historical perspective; micro narratives focus on specific artifacts, individual stories, and details, allowing visitors to feel the warmth of history in its minutiae. Together, this combination provides visitors with a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of culture, covering both the overall historical development and detailed personal or object stories. Integration of Thematic and Problem-Oriented Narratives: Using themes as the main thread, a series of related questions are posed to guide visitors to explore the cultural connotations and values through reflection and inquiry.

4.2.2. Cross-media narrative approaches

Integration of Traditional and New Media: By combining traditional exhibition displays with new media platforms, museums break the limitations of a single communication channel and achieve diversified and wide-ranging cultural dissemination. For example, using WeChat public accounts, Weibo, and other new media platforms to provide exhibition previews and artifact interpretations, thereby expanding the reach of cultural communication. Innovative Application of Digital Technologies: Utilizing big data, artificial intelligence, and other digital technologies to analyze visitor behavior and needs, providing scientific bases and technical support for exhibition planning and narrative method selection. This supports optimizing exhibition content, adjusting layouts, and personalizing visitor services. Introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology: Through VR, visitors can traverse time and space, personally experiencing historical scenes. This immersive virtual environment offers more intuitive and profound cultural cognition, enhancing the vividness and emotional impact of narratives.

4.2.3. Interactive narrative models

Visitor Participatory Narratives: Encouraging visitors to share their own stories and feelings, integrating these into the exhibition narrative to deepen their sense of participation and experience, making the exhibition more personalized and approachable. Situational Experience Design: Designing various situational activities such as role-playing and simulated archaeology, allowing visitors to experience the essence and connotations of culture firsthand in simulated contexts. This deepens cultural understanding and identification, providing an immersive platform for learning and cultural exploration. Personalized Exhibition Paths: Based on big data analysis and visitor behavior research, personalized visit routes and display content are tailored to visitors’ interests, cultural backgrounds, and learning needs. Visitors can explore exhibitions at their own pace and according to their points of interest, thus enjoying the cultural feast while achieving both intellectual and emotional growth.

4.3. Enhancing the effectiveness of cultural communication

4.3.1. Deepening the communication content

Multilayered Presentation of Cultural Connotations: Culture is explored from multiple perspectives such as history, art, and science. This includes tracing the origins and evolution of culture and its impact during different historical periods; conducting in-depth analysis of artistic works (such as paintings, sculptures, architecture) in terms of style, techniques, and themes; and applying scientific methods for the protection and restoration of cultural heritage. Moreover, a variety of display methods—such as artifact exhibitions, expert interpretations, and multimedia presentations—are employed to fully showcase the richness of culture. Contemporary Interpretation of Historical Value: In light of modern societal development needs, the values of historical culture are reinterpreted and reconstructed. This requires an open and inclusive attitude to integrate traditional culture with modern civilization, allowing visitors to recognize the importance and relevance of historical culture in contemporary society. Strengthening Cultural Identity: By showcasing outstanding cultural traditions of one’s own ethnic group, such as folk activities, festivals, and intangible cultural heritage, museums inspire visitors’ national pride and cultural identity, thereby enhancing national cohesion.

4.3.2. Optimizing communication methods

Integration of Traditional and New Media: Fully leveraging the advantages of both traditional media and new media to achieve coordinated online and offline communication. For example, while holding physical exhibitions, museums can also offer live streaming or online exhibitions to enable a wider audience to appreciate the content. Coordinated Online-Offline Promotion: Online promotion through social media, official websites, and other platforms is complemented by offline events such as lectures and activities that attract visitors to museums. This reciprocal reinforcement creates a positive interactive communication mechanism. Effective Use of Social Media: Utilizing social media’s rapid dissemination and wide coverage, museums produce engaging and informative cultural content to attract user attention and sharing, thereby expanding the influence and reach of cultural communication.

4.3.3. Evaluating communication effectiveness

Establishing Audience Feedback Mechanisms: Setting up visitor guestbooks, online surveys, suggestion boxes, and other channels to broadly collect visitor feedback, understand their satisfaction and needs regarding exhibitions, and conduct in-depth analysis of this feedback to more accurately grasp visitor expectations. Quantitative Analysis of Communication Effects: Using data analytics tools to quantitatively analyze visitor attendance data and social media dissemination metrics, in order to understand the exhibition’s attractiveness and the breadth and depth of its spread on social platforms, thus evaluating the effectiveness of cultural communication. Improvement and Adjustment Mechanisms: Based on visitor feedback and communication effectiveness evaluations, promptly adjusting exhibition content and communication strategies to continuously improve cultural communication methods. Establishing a regular evaluation and adjustment system ensures that cultural communication activities can continuously adapt to visitor needs and changes in the market environment.

5. Case studies

5.1. Domestic cases

5.1.1. The palace museum’s digital exhibition practice

Project Background and Objectives: With the increasing frequency of global cultural exchanges and the rising demand for cultural experiences among domestic audiences, the Palace Museum, as a renowned cultural heritage site in China and worldwide, has seen a steady increase in visitor numbers. However, the traditional on-site visitation and static exhibition model have shown growing limitations in terms of time and space. On one hand, the influx of large crowds within limited visiting hours poses potential risks to artifact preservation and restricts visitors’ ability to fully appreciate the rich cultural connotations of the Palace Museum. On the other hand, global audiences unable to visit in person also desire accessible ways to engage with the Palace’s culture. Therefore, the Palace Museum aims to leverage digital technologies to break the constraints of time and space, enabling widespread sharing of cultural resources, enhancing the visitor experience, and presenting Palace culture in more diverse and vivid forms to the world.

5.1.1.1. Implementation plan

Building a Digital Resource Library: Utilizing high-precision photography, 3D reconstruction, and other technologies to comprehensively digitize the Palace’s architecture and artifacts. For example, laser scanning is employed to capture precise spatial structure data of the ancient buildings, creating 3D models that serve as the foundation for subsequent virtual displays. Simultaneously, a large volume of artifacts is captured with high-resolution photography, while detailed information on materials, dating, and historical context is recorded, forming a complete digital resource repository.

Developing Online Exhibition Platforms: Launching the “Digital Palace Museum” website and the Palace Museum mobile app. Through the website, visitors can engage in panoramic virtual tours to immerse themselves in various palace complexes as if physically present. The app offers rich artifact interpretations, exhibition guides, and additional interactive features such as virtual exhibitions and games, further enhancing user engagement and enjoyment.

Innovative Immersive Experience Projects: Using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to create immersive exhibition experiences. For instance, during the “Night of Lantern Festival at the Forbidden City” event, AR technology allows visitors in designated Palace areas to witness virtual scenes of ancient imperial Lantern Festival celebrations, blending these with real historical architecture to evoke a unique sense of traveling through history.

5.1.1.2. Innovative features and effects

Innovation: This project realizes deep integration of traditional culture with modern technology, pioneering a new paradigm in museum digital exhibitions. The diversified application of technologies—combining advanced digital acquisition with emerging VR and AR technologies—demonstrates both depth and breadth of innovation, setting an industry benchmark and leading a new wave of digital transformation in museums.

Significant Impact: The digital exhibitions have driven exponential growth in online visitor numbers, extending the Palace Museum’s cultural influence across borders globally. Public awareness and interest in Palace culture have been greatly enhanced, while the digital backup of precious artifacts reduces physical risks during displays. Moreover, the project provides a practical model and profound insights for the digital transformation journeys of many museums domestically and internationally.

5.1.2. Shanghai museum’s exploration of “interactive” exhibitions

Exhibition Concept and Design: Adhering to a “visitor-centered” philosophy, Shanghai Museum strives to overturn traditional exhibition viewing patterns and inaugurate a new era of interactive exhibitions. Special emphasis is placed on open spatial layouts and the potential for interaction, with storylines linking exhibits to guide visitors in active exploration. For example, in the Sino-European Ceramics exhibition, the museum carefully reconstructs simulated environments of domestic and international kilns, skillfully integrating a wide range of ceramics spanning different eras and types to create an immersive atmosphere, allowing visitors to intuitively experience the development trajectory of ceramic culture [13].

Technical Means Applied:

Multimedia Displays: Numerous multimedia screens in the exhibition halls continuously play historical documentaries and videos demonstrating production techniques related to the exhibits, revealing the rich stories behind the artifacts in depth.

Sensing Devices: Incorporating cutting-edge infrared and pressure sensors, the system automatically activates audio explanations or detailed information when visitors approach specific exhibit areas, enhancing immersion and providing unprecedented participatory experiences.

Touchscreen Interactivity: Advanced touchscreen devices allow visitors to rotate exhibits 360 degrees, zoom into fine details, and engage in educational and entertaining activities such as knowledge quizzes and virtual artifact restoration, greatly enriching interactive dimensions.

Visitor Response Analysis: Through surveys, on-site interviews, and online comments, Shanghai Museum has received high praise from visitors for its interactive exhibitions. Visitors commonly report that this exhibition format significantly increases enjoyment and participation, transforming them from passive recipients of information into active explorers of history and culture. The interactive exhibitions effectively enhance cultural communication outcomes. Visitors have also offered improvement suggestions, such as increasing difficulty levels in interactive sections to cater to audiences with varied knowledge backgrounds. Shanghai Museum continuously optimizes exhibition content and formats based on this feedback.

5.2. International cases

5.2.1. Louvre virtual reality project

Project Overview: As one of the world’s most famous museums, the Louvre houses an enormous collection of precious artifacts. However, its physical space capacity and geographical location limit its ability to meet the visiting demands of a global audience. To address this challenge, the Louvre launched a virtual reality (VR) project aimed at enabling audiences worldwide to remotely appreciate its rich collection through digital means.

Innovative Elements:

Advanced VR Technology: Utilizes cutting-edge virtual reality technology to offer visitors a highly realistic virtual tour experience. Wearing VR devices, visitors feel as if they are physically present inside the Louvre’s galleries, able to closely observe every artwork, including textures of sculptures and brush strokes of paintings.

Intelligent Guided Tours: Incorporates smart tour functions allowing visitors to select customized routes and commentary based on their interests. For example, art history enthusiasts can explore by historical period, while fans of specific artists can focus on detailed presentations of their works, thus providing personalized and tailored visits.

Multilingual Support: Offers guided tour services in multiple languages to break down language barriers, enabling visitors from different countries and regions to enjoy the experience seamlessly.

Implementation Effect: The project rapidly gained global attention upon launch, becoming a major highlight in the cultural sector. Statistics show that virtual visitors reached millions in a very short period, greatly expanding the Louvre’s audience base and international influence. Additionally, the comprehensive collection and analysis of visitor behavior data during virtual tours—such as time spent, types of exhibits viewed, and frequency—provided valuable insights for optimizing exhibition layouts and adjusting artifact display strategies.

5.2.2. British Museum digitalization strategy

Strategic Planning: The British Museum has formulated a comprehensive and long-term digital strategy aimed at digitally preserving and efficiently managing its collections, as well as broadening their dissemination. The strategy includes building a world-leading digital collection database, creating an integrated online and offline exhibition model, and leveraging emerging channels such as social media to extend cultural influence globally.

Implementation Path:

Digital Collection and Organization: Collaborates with professional technology firms to invest substantial resources in digitizing collections. High-resolution imaging and 3D modeling technologies are used to capture minute details of each artifact accurately. The collected data is rigorously categorized, thoroughly annotated, and systematically organized to establish a structured digital collection database.

Online Exhibition and Education Platform: Develops a fully functional online exhibition platform featuring high-definition images, virtual displays, and multimedia narration to bring physical exhibitions online. Additionally, the museum offers a variety of rich and diverse online educational resources, including academic lecture videos and artifact interpretation courses, catering to audiences of different ages and knowledge levels.

Social Media Operation: Actively utilizes social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to regularly post artifact images, historical stories, exhibition information, and other content to attract attention and engagement. Through organizing online interactive events like artifact quizzes and discussion topics, the museum boosts user participation and expands its brand influence.

Effectiveness Evaluation: Since implementing its digital strategy, the British Museum has achieved remarkable success in cultural dissemination. Its digital collection database has become an essential resource for global scholars. The online exhibitions and educational platforms have attracted a massive worldwide audience. Extensive social media use has enabled the museum to transcend traditional geographical boundaries, sparking public interest and discussion about history and culture globally. Furthermore, in-depth analysis of online data has allowed the museum to better understand visitor needs, providing scientific support for future exhibition planning and cultural innovation.

6.  Innovative paths and development suggestions

6.1. Theoretical innovation paths

6.1.1. Deepening the study of marxist conceptions of space and time

Modern Interpretation of Theoretical Connotations: In light of rapid contemporary social developments, especially under globalization and digitalization, re-examine and deeply explore the theoretical connotations of Marxist views on space and time. Specifically, investigate the expansion and reconstruction of spatial dimensions from the perspective of digital space, analyze the presentation of time in virtual environments, and explore its influence on cultural communication pathways. Research how Marxist space-time theory can explain the emergence, development, and dissemination of cultural phenomena within a modern context, thereby providing more timely theoretical support for museum cultural communication. Methodological Framework for Practical Application: Centered on Marxist space-time concepts, develop a methodological system applicable to museum cultural communication practices. This system should include how to apply spatiotemporal narrative techniques in exhibition design to organically integrate historical cultural time dimensions with the physical exhibition space; how to leverage the relativity of space and time to design personalized visiting experiences tailored to different audience groups’ specific needs and characteristics; and how to control space-time factors effectively to enhance the targeting and effectiveness of cultural communication. Systematic Improvement of Innovative Theory: Based on Marxist space-time theory, further integrate interdisciplinary theoretical achievements from philosophy, sociology, psychology, communication studies, and other fields to construct a museum cultural communication innovation theory system with Chinese characteristics. This system should emphasize theoretical systematicness, completeness, and operability, aiming to provide comprehensive and in-depth theoretical guidance for museums’ practical innovation and development. For example, borrowing group behavior theory from sociology to study visitor behavior patterns and interaction relationships within museum spaces, thereby optimizing exhibition layout and service design in a targeted manner.

6.1.2. Interdisciplinary theoretical integration

Innovation in Museology Theory: Draw on research methods and findings from other disciplines to promote innovation in museology theory. For instance, incorporate architectural spatial design concepts into optimizing museum exhibition layouts to create display environments more aligned with visitors’ logical flow and aesthetic preferences; apply historical research methods to deeply excavate the historical and cultural connotations behind artifacts, providing richer historical materials and cultural resources for exhibition planning. Application of Communication Theories: Deepen the study of communication theories and apply them to museum cultural communication practices. Use communication effects theory to analyze how different channels and modes influence visitors’ cognition and behavior, thereby precisely optimizing communication strategies; draw on agenda-setting theory to design attractive exhibition themes and events that effectively guide public in-depth attention to museum culture; utilize interpersonal communication theory to strengthen two-way interaction and communication between museums and visitors, enhancing cultural communication effectiveness. Theoretical Support for Digital Technologies: Strengthen research on digital technology theories to provide solid theoretical support for museum digital construction and cultural communication. Study principles and methods for applying big data, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and other digital technologies in museums, exploring how to use these technologies to realize digital preservation, intelligent management, and precise dissemination of artifacts. For example, leveraging blockchain’s immutability to ensure authenticity and security of digital artifact information; employing AI algorithms to analyze visitor browsing records and behavior data to achieve personalized exhibition content recommendation and intelligent service provision.

6.2. Practical innovation suggestions

6.2.1. Technological innovation

Deep Application of Digital Technologies: Increase investment in the research and application of digital technologies, continuously exploring new scenarios for their use in museum cultural communication. For example, leverage 5G’s high speed and low latency to enable smooth transmission of high-definition videos and virtual reality content, providing audiences with a superior online visiting experience. In the future, museums can further engage with the metaverse by building innovative cultural communication spaces within virtual worlds. In such spaces, visitors can freely tour exhibitions, interact in real time with others, and even participate in artifact restoration and preservation processes, thereby enhancing interaction and immersion. For instance, create virtual artifact trading platforms based on blockchain technology, allowing users to “collect” digital artifacts in the metaverse and use smart contracts for co-creation and sharing of cultural resources; establish digital asset protection systems for artifacts to ensure copyright and transaction security; utilize AI-powered image and voice recognition to enable intelligent artifact search and voice-guided tours. Development of Intelligent Systems: Develop intelligent museum management and exhibition display systems to improve operational efficiency and service quality. For example, implement smart environment monitoring systems that track key parameters like temperature, humidity, and lighting in exhibition halls to ensure stable and suitable preservation conditions; use intelligent guided tour systems that push personalized tour information based on visitors’ locations and interests; develop intelligent exhibition planning systems that provide scientific data support for exhibition design through data analytics. Integration of New Media Platforms: Integrate various new media platforms to form a comprehensive and multi-layered cultural communication matrix. Strengthen cooperation with social media platforms like Weibo, WeChat, and Douyin, utilizing their dissemination advantages to publish engaging and informative museum content that attracts user attention and sharing. Simultaneously, actively explore emerging media applications such as short video live streaming and virtual reality social platforms to expand channels and methods for cultural communication.

6.2.2. Management innovation

Optimization of Operation Mechanisms: Establish a scientific and efficient operational framework that clearly defines and strengthens the functions and cooperation boundaries of each department, improving museum operational efficiency and management level. For example, set up a dedicated digital operations department responsible for planning, executing, and continuously optimizing museum digital projects; build cross-department collaboration mechanisms to deepen communication and integration among key areas such as exhibition planning, artifact conservation, and promotion; introduce market-oriented operational concepts by collaborating with enterprises and developing cultural creative products to diversify funding channels. Strengthening Talent Development: Enhance the cultivation of museum professionals by improving their skills and innovative capabilities while encouraging continuous learning to keep pace with the latest international museum management trends and technological frontiers. Regularly hold high-level training seminars and academic exchanges, inviting top domestic and international experts to share experiences and broaden staff horizons. Actively recruit professionals from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, such as experts in digital technology and communication strategy, injecting fresh innovative vitality into museums. Improvement of Resource Integration: Strengthen cooperation and exchanges with other museums, cultural institutions, and research universities to achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages. Establish museum alliances to jointly promote digital project cooperation and co-curation; collaborate closely with research institutions to conduct in-depth studies and technology development in museology and related fields; integrate social resources by promoting volunteer programs and improving donation mechanisms to gather wide social support and participation for sustainable development.

6.2.3. Service innovation

Precise Understanding of Audience Needs: Use big data analysis and audience surveys to comprehensively understand visitor interests and demands. Analyze factors such as age, gender, region, cultural background, and behavioral data during visits—such as duration, routes, and exhibits of focus—to provide more personalized and precise services. For example, push personalized exhibition recommendations and guided tour information based on visitor preferences; design exclusive educational activities and experience programs tailored to different age groups. Diversification of Experience Modes: Continuously innovate visitor experience methods to enrich cultural experience dimensions beyond traditional exhibition tours and explanations. Incorporate diversified formats such as night exhibitions, parent-child activities, study tours, cultural lectures, and artistic performances. For example, organize nighttime museum concerts that creatively combine music with artifact displays to create a unique cultural atmosphere; hold parent-child craft workshops that allow families to appreciate the profound charm of traditional culture through hands-on practice. Continuous Improvement of Service Quality: Establish a comprehensive service quality evaluation system and implement regular assessments and iterative upgrades. Collect visitor feedback to promptly identify shortcomings in services and respond swiftly with targeted improvements. Strengthen employee training on service awareness to raise their service level and professionalism, ensuring every visitor receives warm, thoughtful, and meticulous care.

7. Conclusion

Based on the theoretical framework of Marxist views on space and time, this study deeply explores its practical value in the field of modern museum cultural communication, drawing the following conclusions: ①The Marxist view of space and time provides important theoretical guidance for innovative practices in modern museum cultural communication. Its dialectical and unified approach offers significant insights for resolving contradictions encountered in museum development. ②From a practical perspective, the Marxist view of space and time can systematically guide innovation in exhibition design, narrative methods, and communication effectiveness, thereby promoting the modernization and transformation of museum functions. ③Looking ahead, the museum sector should further deepen theoretical research and practical application of the Marxist view of space and time, continuing to explore innovation in technology, management, and services.