[Purpose/significance] Smart public cultural service is the modern public cultural service mode provided by the smart society or smart country for the benefit of the public. Clarifying the conception and characteristics of the smart public cultural service helps to explain the goal, means, content and environment of it. [Method/process]From two approaches,one is research and policy literatures, the other is the development history from intelligent information system to smart information services, from intelligent libraries to smart libraries, smart museums and cultural heritage, combined with the current condition of smart cultural service, this article draws the evolution of the concept from“intelligent”to“smart”, based on theoretical and practical progress, policy requirements. And then proposes a conceptual framework and elements for the concept of smart public cultural service and finally reach the expression of the concept and its five characteristics.[Result/conclusion] The concept and five characteristics of the smart public cultural service are summarized: focusing on user needs and human value, innovating and developing with smart technologies, driving the data governance by data, interconnecting the knowledge network and opening access, collaborating multisource data and multi-subjects.