Guangzhou's Xuelei Fragrance Museum, officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest fragrance museum, is celebrating its first anniversary this July.
To mark the occasion, it is offering 10 free single-admission tickets (worth 128 yuan each) exclusively to South readers. Ten lucky winners will be randomly drawn from all applicants and notified via text message on or before July 27.
World-Class Fragrance Realm
Spanning 9,500.878 square meters, the museum was also recognized by Prix Versailles as one of the world's seven most beautiful museums in 2026.
Instead of static displays, the museum invites visitors to explore 18 themed galleries with more than 300 scent-smelling devices.
Using a smart scent card, guests can sample everything from ancient Egyptian and Chinese fragrances documented in historical texts to iconic designer perfumes, rare animal- and plant-derived extracts like musk, and milestone scents from Eastern and Western perfumery history.
As visitors rate each fragrance, the card records their preferences. At the end of the tour, the system generates a personalized fragrance profile based on each visitor's preferences. Visitors can then use this profile to create their own custom perfume on-site or with the help of AI-powered customization tools.
Beyond smell: When fragrance meets all five senses
What sets the museum apart is its hands-on, interactive approach.
With more than 50 interactive installations, the museum goes beyond the sense of smell. It connects scent to touch, taste, sound, and sight, making abstract ideas like joy, faith, or even money feel tangible through fragrance.
Visitors can listen to a scent symphony, where each fragrance element corresponds to a unique musical note. They can also experience the brain's illusion effect of aromas and "taste" more than a dozen everyday delicacies purely through smell.
Dr. Cecilia Bembibre Jacobo, Director of Research at University College London's Institute for Sustainable Heritage, noted that scents are often overlooked in traditional heritage conservation because they're difficult to capture and describe. However, the smells of daily life, from city streets to household rituals, can evoke deep collective memory.
Xuelei's work helps preserve fading olfactory heritage by recreating historical perfume formulas. For example, the museum has revived six royal fragrances from the 18th-century House of Savoy and showcased 26 historical scents in a special exhibition, tracing the evolution of perfume from royal courts to everyday life.
Museum Director Weng Haocong says the next phase will focus on creating richer, multi-sensory experiences, alongside cross-sector collaborations and international exchanges. Already a must-visit cultural landmark in Guangzhou, the museum aims to continue pushing the boundaries of how people experience scent.
Scan the QR code below to register for a free ticket to the Xuelei Fragrance Museum. Ten winners will be chosen at random and notified via text message on or before July 27. Please regularly check your messages for updates.
Text | Huang Xinyi, Hong Yichen (Intern)
Photo | Xuelei Fragrance Museum
