A popsicle shaped like the Xiaoyou – a bronze wine vessel from the late Shang Dynasty on display at the Shanxi Museum – becomes a firm favorite with the public. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Shanxi Museum – located in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province – has recently caught the imagination of people with an imaginative and fun new popsicle resembling a character in the mobile game Angry Birds.

The ice pop launched by the museum on May 30 is actually inspired from the collected cultural relic Xiaoyou – a bronze wine vessel shaped like two owls standing opposite each other – from the late Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC). 

The real deal: Xiaoyou, a bronze wine vessel from the late Shang Dynasty is a fascinating artifact housed in the Shanxi Museum. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The sweet frozen treat comes in two flavors, grape and sea buckthorn, which were chosen by the public from a trial offering of six flavors. The two flavors reflect Shanxi in that the province is full of sea buckthorn, and Qingxu county, administered by Taiyuan, is one of the four famous grape-producing areas in the country, boasting a history of viticulture stretching back some 2,000 years. 

Jia Jingnan, a staff member of the museum, said that by inviting the public to vote for the flavors of the popsicles, Shanxi Museum hoped to let people know that it's not only about ancient artifacts, but also has a fun and popular side that can explore the region's rich cultural roots in a more relaxed and accessible way. 

A visitor gets ready to take a bite out of the new popsicle. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

It's not the first time that this kind of product has been created by Shanxi Museum based on its relics. Last summer, it unveiled ice pops shaped like bird-shaped wine vessels, enabling folks to know a little bit more about the history of the museum's bronze wares.

Various fun products based on the Xiaoyou are for sale in Shanxi Museum. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Popsicles created after cultural relics have now become a hot favorite for many visitors to the museum. While giving them a little relief from the hot summer, the popsicles also promote the history of the artifacts. 

Through this process of imaginative marketing, the museum has been raising the profile of the culture and history of Shanxi to more people.