Shaanxi History Museum, Xian (must see)

The Shaanxi History Museum is one of the first state museums with modern facilities in China. The collection has objects from the Stone Age to contemporary sculpture and displays objects from the 13 feudal dynasties that ruled Shaanxi province.

The Shaanxi History Museum was built in 1983 and inaugurated in 1991. The building covers 55,600 square meters and has a display of over 370,000 objects. The building has the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty with a central hall and multiple storied buildings rising from each corner. The museum collects, conserves and conducts research programs into the rich history and culture of the province. It has also held exhibitions abroad in Japan, France and the United States.

The basic exhibition hall consists of three large display halls where exhibits are arranged in chronological order. The first hall has Stone Age tools to objects from the Qin Dynasty of 206 BC. The second hall has exhibits from the reign of the Han Dynasty in 206 BC to 589 AD. The third hall has objects from the Sui Dynasty to the Qing Dynasties. The East Exhibition hall is dedicated to contemporary art and the Theme Exhibition Hall is used for temporary themed exhibitions. The museum also has an impressive collection of Tang Dynasty mural paintings from the tombs of Tang Dynasty nobles.