Mega museum featuring the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi will open in June

A mega museum named after the Qinling Mountains with a building area exceeding 40,000 square meters is soon to be completed in the hinterland of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi, known as the Qinling Mountains Museum. The museum is expected to open to the public by the end of this June, becoming the first comprehensive museum in China showcasing the Qinling Mountains.

The Qinling Mountains Museum consists of the Qinling Hall, Shangluo Hall, Special Exhibition Hall, Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall, and other sections. It focuses on showcasing the natural ecological history and culture of the Qinling Mountains, the historical and cultural heritage of Shangluo, and local intangible cultural heritage. 

Since February 2023, the Shaanxi Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, in conjunction with the Shaanxi History Museum and Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, has been restoring nearly 500 cultural relics awaiting exhibition at the Qinling Mountains Museum.

In August 2023, the Qinling Mountains Museum solicited exhibits from the public, seeking items such as physical objects, pictures, and visual materials that can reflect the natural geographical environment evolution and the cultural and historical development process of the Great Qinling Area (involving six provinces and one city: Qinghai Province, Gansu Province, Shaanxi Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Sichuan Province, and Chongqing City).

Rendering of the museum's night look

One of the highlights of the Qinling Mountains Museum is its architectural design, inspired by several ancient artifacts. The museum's exterior design is based on the national first-class cultural relic "Jade Yazhang Blade of the Xia Dynasty" unearthed from the Donglong Mountain of Shangluo City.

The design of the Qinling Mountains Museum relies on the natural landscape, integrating the building with the surrounding mountains and waters. The building's roof serves as a balcony for public activities and a grandstand for watching performances, well delivering the concept of bonding the city with nature.

The Qinling Mountains Museum serves as a significant venue for showcasing the natural ecology and historical culture of the Qinling Mountains, presenting the unique value and charm of the Qinling Mountains to the public in a comprehensive and systematic way.

The main part of the Qinling Mountains is located in Shaanxi Province, with the Shaanxi section of the Qinling Mountains covering six cities and 39 counties, with a total area of 58,200 square kilometers, accounting for 28.31% of the province's total area. Over the years, Shaanxi Province has been committed to serving as a guardian of the Qinling Mountains' ecology, carrying out ecological protection and restoration work in the Qinling Mountains, further strengthening ecological protection in the Qinling Mountains, promoting coordinated development of the ecological and economic aspects, and fostering harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

The establishment of the Qinling Mountains Museum is a microcosm of Shaanxi Province's efforts in the ecological protection of the Qinling Mountains. Furthermore, the construction of the Qinling Mountains National Park, covering 21 counties (districts) in six cities including Xi'an, Baoji, Weinan, Hanzhong, Ankang, and Shangluo, with a total area of 12,900 square kilometers, is also underway.