The new Dongguan Museum became an instant hit during its trial opening over the National Day holiday. It ranked sixth among more than 7,000 museums nationwide on the 2026 National Day Holiday Top 10 Most Popular Museums list. It placed just behind the Palace Museum, the National Museum of China, the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, the Shanghai Museum and the Sanxingdui Museum.

The museum received around 29,000 reservations on October 1, while total attendance exceeded 32,000, double its designated daily capacity of 16,000. The turnout set a new single-day reservation record among China's popular provincial-level museums.

Nine exhibitions featuring more than 5,000 cultural relics welcomed visitors at the new venue. Highlights included a permanent exhibition tracing Dongguan's history, a display of treasures from the museum's collection, an exhibition on the Lingnan School of painting and a special showcase of ancient bronze civilizations from southern and southwestern China.

Night tours, traditional bell music, intangible cultural heritage activities and a creative market further enriched the experience. With extensive exhibitions and interactive programs, the new museum has quickly emerged as one of the Greater Bay Area's most talked-about cultural destinations.