Xi'an Museum

Located to the southwest of the Jianfu Temple where the Small Wild Goose Pagoda is in, Xi'an Museum displays as many as 2,000 fine cultural relics chronologically for more than 2,000 years. Most of them were unearthed in or around Xi’an, the one-time capital of 13 dynasties for more than 1,300 years, including the Zhou Dynasty (1046BC-221BC), the Qin Dynasty (221BC-207BC), the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), and the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
 

The architectural design of the museum follows the traditional Chinese concept of the universe - a round heaven and a square earth. It has been recognized as one of the ten landmark buildings of Xi’an and offers excellent facilities for the display of precious cultural relics thereby ensuring their full appreciation.
 

It is a three-storied building, with an underground floor unseen from the outside.

Xi'an Museum Photos

The underground exhibition hall features many relics showing the splendid history of Xi'an. On this floor, you will find cultural relics of various kinds: (1) weapons; (2) relics of ancient city walls and imperial palaces; (3) daily-use articles such as coins, potteries, bronze wares, and iron wares; (4) decorations like tri-color pottery figurines... All of these present economic and social development of time-honored Xi’an, and also its cultural exchange and trade with foreign countries.
 

The exhibition hall on the first floor has a display of Buddhist statues and other precious historical relics. Most of the statues are carved with stone while some fine gilded statues are made of copper and bronze. They display the pomp of the Buddhism in Chang'an, name of Xi'an in ancient times meaning perpetual peace.

The display includes delicate jades used in ceremonies and daily life. There are some famous seals in the display, such as the clay seal of the Qin Dynasty, and also more than 200 official seals excavated in the square of Bell Tower and Drum Tower in the city. The museum has many paintings and calligraphies, including works by Zheng Banqiao, a very famous painter during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

As a representative bronze vessel in China’s history, Yongyu records how the land is granted by the emperor to Yong, a nobility member, with 123 traditional Chinese characters on its inner wall. This vessel can be used to store food, and its outer wall is decorated with beautiful patterns and also two bronze elephant heads with long and curly noses.
 

This jade cup is famous for its long history of more than 2,200 years and also impressive appearance. Looking from its top to bottom, you will be amazed by its multiple tiers of decorative interlocking patterns, which are similar to drifting clouds and persimmon calyxes and bear people’s wishes for happiness and good luck. The jade cup was unearthed in the site of the Epang Palace, whose construction was ordered by Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Maybe the first emperor of China owns this cup. It’s further said that ancient people use jape cups to collect dew, and they drink the dew to pursue immortality.

Yongyu in Xi'an Museum

Ancient Jade Cup

Sheep-shaped Lamp Holder

This cute gold-colored ware shows ancient people’s artistic creativity, because it’s a decoration during the daytime and a lamp holder at night. Its secret lies on its back which can still be flexibly opened and closed even after more than 2,000 years since it was made. When night falls, the back cover is opened to contain lamp oil for illumination, and after that, the cover is turned back to its original position, waiting for the next “shining period”.
 

Gilded Bronze Alcohol-storing Vessel

Alcohol-storing vessels are quite common, but one with a gilded bird on its top is rare, and one with a gilded bird holding a pearl on its top is even rarer. What is even more astonishing is that this vessel was still fully sealed when unearthed, thus people finding 26 kilograms of emerald green alcohol in it, which was considered to be the most ancient alcohol in China.

  By Metro:
You can take Metro Line 2 or Line 5, get off at Nanshaomen Station, leave from Exit F, walk to west for about 6 minutes, and find the North Gate of the attraction.

 By Bus:Xi'an Bus/ Metro Search