Xi’an Museum

Xi’an Museum
西安博物院

Address: 72 West Youyi Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi province
Websites: www.xabwy.com (Cn)
www.xabwy.com/Project.aspx?NID=000002&Url=index.html (En)
Hours: 9:00-18:00, 15 March - 31 October (Last ticket: 17:00)
9:00-17:30, 1 November - 14 March (Last ticket: 16:30)
ClosedTuesdays (except for national holidays)
General admission: Free (passport required for entry, with daily limit of admittance of 3,000)

Standing at Xi’an Museum, hearing the bell ring from the Small Wild Goose Pagoda of the Jianfu Temple, you may fall back in a trance to the centuries-old bustling Chang’an. The 13 storey, 43.4 meter Small Wild Goose Pagoda, a world cultural heritage, was built in the Jinglong Reign (707-710) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907)for the purpose of reception and storage of Buddhist scriptures brought to the Jianfu Temple by dignitary Yijing. It has a history of more than 1,300 years.

Xi’an Museum, consisting of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, exhibition halls, and a garden, was opened to the public on World Museum's Day, May 18th, 2007. The museum centers on the theme of the ancient capital of Xi'an and represents its thousand-year history as the imperial city of 13 dynasties.

Basic displays include nearly 1,000 cultural relics in permanent exhibition halls showing Xi’an’s urban development through the brilliant and splendid civilizations of the Zhou (c.11th century -256 BC), Qin (221-206 BC), Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang dynasties, such as bronze wares, gold and silver wares, colored paintings and ceramics, including tri-colored glazed statues.

The exhibition hall of special themes on the first floor displays Buddhist statues and other precious historical relics of municipal counties and districts. Jade articles, seals, paintings and calligraphies, including delicate items used in ceremonies and daily life, are shown on the second floor.