Xian Museum, Xian (must see)

The large Municipal Xian Museum was opened to the public on World Museum Day, the 18th of May 2007. It is a repository of objects relating to the 13 dynasties that called Xian their capital.

The Xian Museum is designed based on the Chinese concept of the Universe with a round heaven and a square earth. It was designed by Ms. Zhang Jinqiu. It covers an area of 70,000 square meters. The exhibition halls cover an extent of 11,000 square meters. It has three floors including an underground floor. Permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions and temporary exhibitions are hosted by the museum.

The Museum displays over 130,000 exhibits from different dynasties that ruled Xian. There are objects from the Zhou Dynasty, the Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty among others. The first floor has Buddhist stone statues and gilded figures made of bronze. There is also a theater showing the history of the Wild Goose Pagoda here. The second floor has jade objects, seals and screens with calligraphy on display. A collection of paintings by Zheng Banquiao a well known Qing Dynasty painter is displayed here. The underground floor has exhibits unearthed from different parts of the city. Temporary exhibitions displaying objects from districts and locations around are held periodically by the Xian Museum.