China's first archaeological museum opens tomorrow

Recently, construction was officially completed on China's first archaeological museum, the Shaanxi Archaeology Museum, which will be open to the public on a trial basis on April 28, 2022.

Why is it necessary to build another archaeological museum in Shaanxi, where there are many museums already?

As of 2020, there are 7.74 million cultural relics and 319 museums in Shaanxi, which include most of the important archaeological discoveries in Shaanxi. However, there are still some artifacts that are currently under excavation and restoration, as well as artifacts that have not been displayed before. These cultural treasures are yet to be introduced into the museums.

The Shaanxi Archaeological Museum is a major platform to showcase the cultural relics, based on more than 60 years of archaeological excavations by the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute. It is a magnificent museum integrating archaeological research, cultural relics protection, education and display, and cultural industry.

For the first time, these precious cultural relics unearthed from major archaeological excavation projects will be systematically displayed to the audience on a large scale. For the featured artifacts, which could only be seen in the news, visitors can now take a look at them in person in the Shaanxi Archaeological Museum.

History of Chinese Archaeology

Unit 1: The accumulation process of epigraphy, the predecessor of archaeology.

Unit 2: The birth of Chinese archaeology and the beginning of archaeology in Shaanxi —— the archaeology of Douji Terrace.

Unit 3: The development of archaeology in Shaanxi since the founding of New China, involving the famous sites such as the Banpo Site, Bronze Warehousing, Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Famen Temple Underground Palace, and Han Yang Ling Mausoleum.

Cultural Genealogy

"The Most Luxurious Car in the Western Zhou Dynasty"——Remains of Carriage Pit at Hejiazhuang

Unit 1 "Paleolithic": This unit focuses on the origins of modern man and the communication and migration of the ancient man;

Units 2, 3 and 4  "Neolithic" "Xia and Shang Dynasties" "Pre-Zhou Culture":

These units introduce the various types of culture that have evolved in Shaanxi, including their distribution, characteristics, and representative sites, also supported by introductions of some archaeological subdisciplines such as zooarchaeology, phytoarchaeology, and physical anthropology;

Unit 5 "Zhouyuan Site": This unit basically summarizes the archaeological accumulations of the Zhouyuan Site over the past sixty years.

Key Archaeological Discoveries

Unit 1: The focus is on the three metropolitan sites of Yangguanzhai, Lushanmao and Shimao.

Unit 2: The richest remains of the Qin, Han, and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi, including capital cities, imperial tombs, and noble and civilian burials.

Unit 3: The life of the ancient scholars, such as the Lü family cemetery, and the development of the ancient porcelain industry, such as the Yaozhou kiln.

Archaeological Conservation

The exhibition hall involves the restoration, conservation and study of ceramics, bronzes, complex remains, murals, textiles and lacquer.

Guide for visiting

The Shaanxi Archaeological Museum will be open to the public on a trial basis from Thursday, April 28 to Sunday, July 31, 2022. Daily opening time is 09:00 to 17:00, ticket checking stops at 16:00, and the museum closes every Wednesday (except for legal holidays).

Suggested touring period: around 2 hours

Reservation

Please reserve your tickets 5 days in advance (including the day of visit) through the museum's official WeChat account "考古陕西". During the trial period, tickets will be automatically released in batches at 9:00 a.m. and 14:00 p.m. every day, with 750 tickets per batch. A maximum of 5 tickets can be reserved by one person, so please make reservations subject to your actual need.

Scan to follow "考古陕西" to make reservations

Consult tel: 029-89251666

Ticket price: Free admission during the trial period.

Please collect your paper tickets at the Visitor Center with your electronic reservation proof and valid ID.

Special notice

Visitors are requested to present green health code, green digital travel records, valid ID, negative 48-hour NAT, and to take temperature measurement.

Per continuous epidemic prevention and control, all visitors must wear masks and shall not gather, maintain one-meter line, and please cooperate with the guidance and management of the museum staff.