Xuelei Fragrance Museum. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

Two museums in southern China's Guangdong province have been recognized in the Prix Versailles, a global architecture award established by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects, highlighting the country's advances in contemporary design.

The two are the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum in Shenzhen, a hub of China's reform and opening-up, and the Xuelei Fragrance Museum in Guangzhou, the provincial capital.

"The award showcases the systematic construction, contemporary expression and cultural confidence of China's fragrance culture to the world," said Weng Haocong, director of the Xuelei Fragrance Museum.

Widely regarded as a major prize in architecture and design, the 2026 list of the world's most beautiful museums — commonly known as the Prix Versailles — was announced in France on Monday.

The award recognizes outstanding contemporary architecture and spatial design projects worldwide, emphasizing how architecture responds to urban, cultural, ecological and public life challenges.

According to the organizers, the award values innovation, local cultural expression, ecological efficiency, social interaction and public engagement.

The Shenzhen museum, with a building area of about 128,300 square meters, features a 38-meter-high atrium and permanent exhibition halls covering 35,000 sq m.