Historical Museum of Shaanxi Province

Lantian Homo erectus and other exhibits of the Historical Museum in Xi'an

Opening of the Historical Museum of Shaanxi Province (Shanxi Lishi Bowuguan) in 1991 marked the transition of Chinese state-owned museums to a absolutely new level of quality. The museum is a complex with a central palace and four buildings around it. The houses are built after the style of the Tang era, but with the latest technology used. The architects successfully combined the local coloring and spirit of the present times. The museum is located in Xi'an city to the northwest of the Big Goose Pagoda. The museum complex territory occupying an area of 65,000 square meters, keeps over 370,000 exhibits related to the history of Shaanxi Province from ancient to modern times.

Historically, for several centuries, Shaanxi was one of the most developed areas not only in China, but also the world. Throughout thirteen centuries Shaanxi was the center of the states of successive dynasties of ancient China. This period saw palaces and temples built, science, craft and art flourished. The Shaanxi History Museum exhibits clearly demonstrate the visitors the development of Shaanxi Province in chronological order. Its galleries represent a lot of artifacts from the Bronze Age, luxury goods and everyday items, jewelry, costumes, weapons, sculptures, and so on.

Thus, the ground floor of the main building houses artifacts related to the pre-historical period of China's development, from the Neolithic sites - Lintong and Banpo, to the early dynasties of Shang, Zhou, and Qin. The bronze cooking tripods of the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, Qin burial objects of this exhibition produce lasting impression. There you can also see the terracotta warriors from the tomb of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang.

On the first floor you will see Han Dynasty, Western Wei, Northern Zhou dynasty relics. Among unusual exhibits of this floor there are also goose-shaped bronze lamps. Finally, the second floor presents the findings of the Sui, Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties. Of special beauty and elegance of artistic performance are different ceramic and porcelain products of the Tang era.

The museum’s other galleries hold themed exhibitions, and separate expositions devoted to the local culture and everyday life of Shaanxi Province. Perhaps the most valuable exhibits of the Shaanxi History Museum are the remains of Lantianensis erectus Homo (Palaeolithic Langtian Man), sculptures from Binmayun, jade seal of the Han first emperor, and wall paintings from the Han Dynasty emperors’ tombs.