Liaoning Provincial Museum

Liaoning Provincial Museum

The Liaoning Provincial Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Liaoning Provincial Museum is a modern comprehensive museum that integrates collection, preservation, research, and exhibition. As a national-level museum jointly established by the central and local governments,

As the first museum of New China, it is celebrated both at home and abroad for its rich collections and distinctive features. The museum currently houses nearly 120,000 cultural relics, including tens of thousands of precious artifacts. Its collections mainly consist of archaeological finds and historical artworks from the Liaoning region, categorized into seventeen types such as calligraphy, paintings, silk embroidery, bronzes, and ceramics. It is especially renowned for its calligraphy and paintings from the Jin, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties; silk tapestries and embroideries from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties; jade artifacts from the Hongshan Culture; bronze ware from the Shang and Zhou periods; Liao dynasty ceramics; historical stone inscriptions; Ming and Qing woodblock prints; ancient maps; and various historical currencies.

As a preserver and promoter of the nation’s outstanding traditional culture, the Liaoning Museum is committed to showcasing the achievements of Chinese civilization across different historical periods, promoting the nation's splendid cultural heritage, and disseminating advanced human culture. We deeply understand that rediscovering and exploring our historical and cultural legacy serves as an enduring driving force to meet people’s spiritual and cultural needs and to drive the continuous development of a nation and the progress of society.

The new building of the Liaoning Provincial Museum is located on the northeast side of the Central Square in Hunnan District, Shenyang City (No. 157, Zhishisan Street, Hunnan District), covering a land area of 83,200 square meters with a total construction area of 100,013 square meters. It is divided into five functional zones: exhibition display, visitor services, cultural relics storage, cultural relics conservation, and comprehensive operations.

Exhibition Display Area: With a construction area of 42,979 square meters, it has a total usable exhibition hall space of 24,101 square meters across 22 exhibition halls. The first-floor exhibition area spans 8,739 square meters, primarily hosting temporary exhibitions featuring historical, cultural, and artistic displays from both domestic and international sources. Additionally, there are three halls for showcasing the museum’s own collections, planned to host exhibitions on ancient Chinese stone inscriptions, Ming and Qing jade artifacts, and Ming and Qing ceramics. The second floor contains six exhibition halls totaling 5,437 square meters of usable space, intended for exhibitions of Liao dynasty ceramics, currencies, Buddhist statues, seals, bronze mirrors, and Manchu folk customs. The third floor is dedicated to permanent exhibitions—mainly the “Ancient Liaoning” exhibition—with five halls spanning 9,925 square meters of usable space. There are also three additional halls for displaying the museum’s collections, planned for exhibitions on calligraphy, paintings, and silk embroidery.

Visitor Service Area: Covering a construction area of 11,171 square meters, this area includes a multifunctional lecture hall, VIP rooms, interactive experience zones for visitors, an extracurricular activity center for minors, a volunteer activity center, a members’ activity center, an audiovisual room, a souvenir shop, and other visitor interaction spaces.

Cultural Relics Storage Area: Located on the underground first floor, this area spans 10,019 square meters and includes 18 cultural relics storage rooms, along with auxiliary facilities such as a disinfection room, photography room, viewing room, and organization room for relics.

Cultural Relics Conservation Area: With a construction area of 7,456 square meters, this section includes spaces for relic restoration, reproduction, scientific conservation laboratories, and expert workrooms.

Comprehensive Operations Area: Covering 13,110 square meters, this area mainly consists of operational spaces such as the exhibition center, information center, research center, cultural exchange center, training center, and library.

In addition, the front wall and twelve side walls of the new museum’s entrance lobby feature bronze relief sculptures themed around the history and culture of Liaoning. These artworks showcase the long and splendid civilization of the Liao River basin, adding rich cultural significance to the architecture of the new museum. Arranged clockwise starting from the right front of the main relief and taking the central piece titled “Dawn of Civilization” as the starting point, the 13 reliefs are titled: “Northern Tributary States,” “Territorial Expansion,” “Unification of China,” “Development of Liaodong,” “Spread of Confucianism Northward,” “Sui and Tang Yingzhou,” “Rise of the Khitans,” “Liao Capital in the Jin Era,” “Foremost of the Nine Garrisons,” “Rise of the Manchus,” “Flag Change in the Northeast,” and “Prelude to the National Anthem.” These 13 reliefs vividly and systematically depict the developmental history of Liao River culture through highly symbolic artistic imagery. This unique feature of the new museum’s lobby is well worth a close appreciation by visitors.

After its completion and opening, the new Liaoning Provincial Museum aims to become the largest national museum in Northeast China, and one of the top-tier museums nationally and internationally. Guided by the vision of “Five First-Class” standards—first-class facilities, functions, management, services, and exhibitions—the museum strives to play an active role in preserving and promoting China’s outstanding cultural heritage, spreading advanced human culture, enriching the spiritual and cultural lives of the public, and advancing the flourishing development of Liaoning’s cultural endeavors.

Further Reading:

· National First-Class Museum of China