Xian Museum
Xian Museum was opened to the public in May 2017. The museum is next to Small Wilde Goose Pagoda, so here tourists can not only visit the museum, but also see the time-honored pagoda, and ancient Chinese-style garden, making it one of the most popular museums in Xi’an.
The logo of Xian Museum adopts the pagoda image consisting of gray and yellow colors because the Small Wilde Goose Pagoda is the largest cultural relic in the museum. The image also stands for time changes and the continuing of Chinese civilization.
Main Exhibition Halls & Theme of the Museum
The museum covers an area of 16000m2 and collects 130 thousand historical relics. Some of the best ones are the relics of the Zhou, the Qin, the Han, and the Tang Dynasties. The exhibition in the museum falls into three parts: Regular Exhibition Hall, Special Subject Exhibition, and Temporary Exhibition.
The exhibition area in the museum themes on “Ancient Capital”, and dedicated to relics of the 13 dynasties which chose Changan as their capitals. The displayed relics reflect basic facts of Changan in different period in history. The exhibition hall covers an area of 2485m2 and totally 660 relics are on display.
Under the theme of “Ancient Capital”, there are two sections: Millenary Imperial Capital and Phenomenon of Imperial Capital.
In the Millenary Imperial Capital section, the mini themes of exhibition are named as Fenghao of the West Zhou Dynasty, Epang Palace of the Qin Dynasty, Changan of the Han Dynasty, Changan of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Xian of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties. This section uses the different names of Xian City in different dynasties and models to present the layout and scale of Xian in each dynasty. Through these models, visitors will clearly see the city development and changes from 400 BC to the 1900s.
In the Phenomenon of Imperial Capital section, there are three mini themes: Civilization of the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, Demeanour of the Han and Tang Dynasty, and Important Northwestern Town. The relics in different dynasties are the best things to learn about the city’s history.
Exhibits and Relics Displayed in Xian Museum
Buddhism in Changan
The mainly displayed subjects in this section are stone and bronze statues of Buddhist figures. Through these subjects tourists could see the Buddhism’s influence and position in the city’s development. There are 120 relics in the 640m2 exhibition hall.
Chinese Calligraphy and Paintings Exhibition
In this 760m2 hall 100+ Chinese calligraphy and painting works are on display.
Jade Articles Exhibition
This exhibition parts classifies ancient jade articles by their main application. The 120 set exquisite jade works are selected and displayed in the 350m2 exhibition hall.
Seal Exhibition
Seal Exhibition hall displays 200+ ancient seals. The seals on display are mainly official seals of the Han, the Song, the Liao, the Jin, the Yuan, the Ming, and the Qing Dynasties. And here you will witness several precious seals of the Qin Dynasties unearthed in Xian. The private seals and seals of Buddhist and Taoist temples are also the highlights in this hall.
Travel Information
- Location: 72 Friendship West Road, Beilin District, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province.
- Entrance Tickets: present your passport to get a ticket for free.
- Opening time: 09:00-17:30. Close on Tuesdays (except for public holidays)
- Highlights: Jade articles, seals, calligraphy, paintings, porcelain, Buddhist Art, etc.
- Time needed: about 3-4 hours
Travel Tips for Xian Museum
- Xian Museum and Small Wilde Goose Pagoda were located in one scenic area, so the entrance tickets is also the entrance tickets of Small Wilde Goose Pagoda.
- The entrance tickets excluding ascending the pagoda and striking bell. Please pay on spot if you like to do it.
- To get to the museum, visitors can take bus No. 29, 18, 32, etc., and get off at Xiaotanta Station, then walk to the museum. Or, take Metro Line 2 or Metro Line 5 and get off at Nanshaomen Station, then walk to the museum.
