Yunnan Provincial Museum

Yunnan Provincial Museum
云南省博物馆

Address: 6393 Guangfu Road, Kunming, Yunnan province
Website: www.ynmuseum.org (Cn)
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (No entry after 16:30)
Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)
Ticket booking: 0871-67286863
General admission: Free (passport required for entry)

Yunnan is the most diverse province in China, both in its extraordinary mix of peoples and in the splendor of its landscapes. More than half of the country’s minority groups reside here, providing a glimpse into China’s hugely varied mix of humanity. The Yunnan Provincial Museum emphasizes this local minority culture in its exhibits, featuring art from the Dali Kingdom (278 - 115BC) as well as other periods in Yunnan’s history. It has spent the last 50 years amassing over 220,000 pieces of folk art, handicrafts, bronze, ceramics, ancient books, and more.

The museum covers an area of 150 acres with a building area of 60,000 square meters. The design inspiration originates from the Yunnan Folk House, called Yi Ke Yin (resembling a seal when seen from above) and the exterior shape of the main building was inspired by the geological features of the Stone Forest of Yunnan.

The museum’s permanent relics of the ancient Dian Kingdom of two thousand years ago describe the class relations and social, spiritual and production culture of the Bronze Age. Some of those items have been exhibited in over ten countries. Two of them, the Cowry Container with Bull and Rider and the Ornament with Two Dancers, were included in the Exhibition "Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties" held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2017. Buddhist relics, jewelry and jade articles, and carvings are also on display. The Museum exhibits rich intangible cultural heritages of the local ethnic minorities such as manual dyeing, batik, metal crafts and handmade Pu'er tea. In addition, different kinds of art exhibitions, such as Ceramics, Chinese calligraphy and paintings, and other temporary exhibitions present splendid art treasures. The museum helps visitors understand the ethnic culture of Yunnan; for history lovers, its rich collections give them an opportunity to draw closer to Yunnan and the ancient Dian Kingdom.