Yanbian Museum

Yanbian Museum

Yanbian Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Yanbian Museum (also known as Yanbian Korean Ethnic Folklore Museum and Yanbian Korean Ethnic Revolutionary Memorial Hall)

Institution Level: National Second-Class Museum

Location: No. 8627 Changbai West Road, Yanji City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. It is adjacent to the Yanbian Prefecture Urban Exhibition Center (Science and Technology Museum, Women and Children’s Science Popularization Center), Yanji People's Stadium, Yanbian Comprehensive Gymnasium, Ice Skating Hall, and Yanji Sports School Training Ground.

Postal Code: 133001

Opening Month and Year: April 1960

Institution Overview: Yanbian Museum was established in 1960 and is located in Yanji City, the capital of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. It is a comprehensive museum that integrates local history and the ethnic characteristics of the Korean people. The museum has relocated three times, and its current building covers an area of over 20,000 square meters, with a construction area of 14,570 square meters and an exhibition area of 7,200 square meters. The collection includes nearly 15,000 cultural relics, among which more than 500 are classified as nationally precious. The collection mainly consists of ancient relics, modern and contemporary relics, and Korean ethnic folk cultural relics. The museum features a scientifically and rationally planned layout with complete functions, including seven major functional areas: collection storage, artifact restoration, exhibitions, visitor interaction, public services, research, and office spaces. There are three permanent exhibitions: Korean Ethnic Folklore Exhibition, “Eternal Righteousness – Exhibition on the Revolutionary Struggle History of the Korean Ethnic Group,” and “Cultural Relics Unearthed in Yanbian.” Additionally, there are three temporary exhibition halls. Yanbian’s rich cultural heritage and traditional folk customs have endowed the museum with a unique social status and ethnic identity. With its exquisite design and profound content, the museum vividly presents Yanbian’s yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Yanbian Museum is recognized as a National Civilized Museum among county-level cultural heritage protection units, one of China’s “Top 100 Key Museums,” and a National Education Base for Ethnic Unity and Progress. It is also a Provincial Patriotic Education Base and a Provincial Party History Education Base among cultural heritage protection units. In 2009, it was rated as a National Second-Class Museum. In 2010, it was awarded the title of Prefectural-Level Civilized Unit, and in 2011, it received the “May 1st Labor Certificate” from the Prefectural Federation of Trade Unions. In 2015, it was designated as a AAAA-level tourist attraction by the National Tourism Attractions Evaluation Committee.

Historical Development:

On April 19, 1960, the Preparatory Office of Yanbian Museum was established, under the administration of the Cultural Affairs Department of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. At the same time, the Yanbian Cultural Relics Management Committee was dissolved, and the Preparatory Office took over the cultural relics protection and management responsibilities for the entire prefecture. In the second half of 1966, with the start of the Cultural Revolution, the Preparatory Office of Yanbian Museum was impacted by “leftist policies,” and collected relics were labeled as part of the “Four Olds,” leading to severe suppression of the museum’s development. On December 20, 1972, Yanbian Museum was officially reinstated as a cultural institution under the Political Department’s Culture Bureau of the Prefectural Revolutionary Committee, with a staff quota of 35, including political work, relics, exhibitions, and mass work groups. In January 1973, Yanbian Museum was formally established.

In April 1982, the independent museum building of Yanbian Museum was completed, located near the confluence of the Yanji River and the Buerhatong River. From then on, the museum’s operations became standardized. On June 12, 1983, approval was granted to establish the Yanbian Korean Ethnic Folklore Museum, which shared the same office space with Yanbian Museum. In September 2002, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the prefecture, a new museum building was constructed west of Kimdalrae Square.

In September 2007, approval was granted to establish the Yanbian Korean Ethnic Revolutionary Memorial Hall, operating under a system of three names but one administrative body, with a staff quota of 55. In 2012, a modern new museum building with a construction area of 14,570 square meters and an exhibition area of 7,200 square meters, located on Changbai West Road, was officially opened to mark the 60th anniversary of the prefecture.

Visit Guide

No. 8627 Changbai West Road, Yanji City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province

Transportation: Bus Route 28

Contact Information: 0433-4311033, 4311028 (for tour guide reservations and inquiries)

0433-4311007 (office phone)

0433-2211307 (fax)

Email: ybbwg@163.com

Official Website: www.ybbwg.org.cn

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays)

Summer: 9:00–16:30; Winter: 9:00–16:00

Admission: Free

Information Source: Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism

Further Reading:

· China’s National Second-Class Museums