Jilin City Museum

Jilin City Museum

Jilin City Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a science education base, and a patriotic education base.

Jilin City Museum is a comprehensive local museum that integrates natural science, humanities, history, and art. Located at No. 100 Jilin Street in Jilin City, Jilin Province—a national historical and cultural city and a charming Chinese city—it sits on the picturesque southern bank of the Songhua River, backed by Jiangnan Park and facing Century Square. The natural landscape of the park and the unique architecture of the square blend seamlessly with the cultural ambiance of the museum. With convenient transportation, it is a must-visit attraction for tourists in Jilin City. The museum building covers a construction area of 35,700 square meters, with an exhibition space of 18,600 square meters, capable of accommodating over 5,000 visitors simultaneously.

Jilin City Museum is affiliated with the Jilin City Bureau of Culture. It was established on December 25, 1962, initially housed in the Jilin City Confucius Temple. In 1978, it merged with the Jilin City Exhibition Hall and moved into the latter’s building. In 1990, it began colocating with the newly established Jilin City Meteorite Museum. In 1996, a new museum building was reconstructed on the original site and completed for use in 1998. In 2009, a 14,450-square-meter expansion was added and put into service by the end of the year. On October 22, 2009, the 9,600-square-meter Century Ship building was transferred to the management of Jilin City Museum. The museum is equipped with automatic fire systems, security surveillance, office automation management, cultural relic protection systems, audiovisual education systems, and more. With comprehensive facilities and fully functional services, it has become a landmark cultural infrastructure in Jilin City.

Over the years, Jilin City Museum has leveraged its unique advantages to promote advanced culture. Its exhibitions primarily focus on the distinctive Jilin meteorites and the region’s rich cultural heritage, gradually forming a complementary and mutually enhancing exhibition system of permanent displays, thematic exhibitions, and temporary exhibitions. The museum has hosted numerous major exhibitions, including "Visitors from the Sky—The Jilin Meteorite Shower Exhibition," "Historical Exhibition of the Jilin Region," "Exhibition of Socialist Construction Achievements in Jilin City," and "Exhibition of the History of Jilin City’s Urban Development." It has also organized hundreds of large-scale thematic and specialized exhibitions such as "Exhibition of Primitive Cultures in the Jilin Region," "Exhibition of the Museum’s Finest Cultural Relics," "Exhibition on the Deeds of the Five Martyrs of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army," "Exhibition on the Deeds of Jiao Yulu," "Grand Series of Patriotic Education Exhibitions ‘Red Festivals, Red Flags’," "Advancing Towards the New Century with Science—Exhibition on Science Popularization of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity," "Changxia Lives On—Exhibition on the Advanced Deeds of Ren Changxia," "Glorious Journey—Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Great Communist Party of China," "The Road to Rejuvenation," "Fifty Years of Splendor—Photo Exhibition for the 50th Anniversary of Jilin City Museum," "Ink Rhymes of the Song River—Exhibition of Fine Works by Calligraphers and Painters Through the Ages in Jilin City," "Unforgotten Memories—Large Photo Exhibition on the Flames of the Anti-Japanese United Army," "Monument That Will Never Fade—Exhibition on the Deeds of Jiao Yulu," and "Exhibition of the Museum’s Finest Cultural Relics." Among these, the multimedia-rich exhibitions "Jilin Meteorite Shower Exhibition" and "Exhibition of the History of Jilin City’s Urban Development," which integrate sound, light, and electricity, won the "Top Ten National Premium Exhibitions" and "Top Ten Jilin Provincial Premium Exhibitions" awards, respectively. Currently, permanent exhibitions such as "Jilin Meteorite Shower Exhibition," "Exhibition of the History of Jilin City’s Urban Development," "Jilin Niu Zihou and Peking Opera Art Exhibition," "Jin Yian Art Gallery," "Liu Haisu Art Gallery," and "Songhua Lake Driftwood Art Gallery" are open to the public year-round, offering high aesthetic value along with significant historical, cultural, and scientific importance.

Jilin City Museum currently houses a collection of 18,836 cultural relics, predominantly archaeological artifacts and meteorite specimens. Archaeological items span the Neolithic Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age, with the richest collections from the Xituanshan Culture, Fuyu Culture, Mohe Culture, and Bohai Culture. Notable relics include wool fabric fragments from the Bronze Age, pig-headed stone carvings, and extra-large crescent-shaped stone knives; bronze swords with double bird heads from the Han-Fuyu period; bronze horse-chariot ornaments from the Bohai period; the Zhongshu Menxia seal from the Song Dynasty, and the Flying Dragon Mirror from the Northern Song Dynasty; the Double Carp Bronze Mirror from the Jin Dynasty; and the Haixi Liaodong Dao Xuanwei Sizhi Seal from the Yuan Dynasty. The meteorite specimens mainly come from the Jilin meteorite shower, and the museum’s most distinctive feature is its collection of the world’s largest known stony meteorite—the Jilin No. 1 Meteorite, weighing 1,770 kilograms.

Leveraging its strengths, Jilin City Museum has made significant contributions in areas such as cultural relic collection, appraisal, restoration, preservation, exhibitions, research on historical relics, museum studies, local history, public education and interpretation of cultural relics, science popularization, online information development, and archaeological excavations. The museum has published numerous professional works including "Archaeological Report Collection of the Xituanshan Culture," "Historical Sites of Jilin," "Academic Papers on the Xituanshan Culture," "Research on the Xituanshan Culture," "Panshi Guerrillas," "Chronicles of Jilin City Cultural Relics and Museums," "China’s Jilin Meteorite Shower," "The Universe, Earth, and Humanity," "Butterflies in Flowing Robes," "The Everflowing Songhua River," "Visitors from the Sky—Exploring Meteorites," "Visitors from the Sky—The Jilin Meteorite Shower," among others. It has also issued over 500 academic papers, with hundreds of photography and calligraphy works receiving national, provincial, and municipal awards.

Over the decades, Jilin City Museum has welcomed tens of millions of visitors, generating substantial social and economic benefits while contributing to the enrichment of local cultural heritage and the growth of tourism. Visiting dignitaries have included Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, NPC Standing Committee Vice Chairpersons Fei Xiaotong, Chen Muhua, Xu Jialu, CPPCC Vice Chairpersons Ye Xuanping, Zhang Siqing, Zhang Kehui, Zhang Meiyings, and Bai Lichen, as well as members of the Politburo Standing Committee and the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Foreign guests from over 30 countries and regions—including Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, South Africa’s Ambassador to China Dereck, U.S. Consul General in Shenyang James V. Cunningham, and envoys from Japan, North Korea, France, the UK, Canada, Russia, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, India, Nepal, Chile, and Belgium—have also visited the museum.

Jilin City Museum is a microcosm of nature, culture, and art, serving as a hall of art that embodies the national spirit. For many years, guided by its philosophy of showcasing excellence, inheriting civilization, serving the public, and contributing to society, the museum has built a bridge between the public and its collections. It has earned dozens of honors, including "Outstanding Socialist Education Base," "Top Ten Patriotic Education Bases in the Province," "Provincial-Level Civilized Unit," "Advanced Unit in Jilin City’s Efforts to Create a Top-Tier Chinese Tourism City," "Civilized Window," "Youth Civilization Award," and "Youth Task Force." In 2009, it was designated a "National Science Education Base."

Witness the world’s wonders, explore ancient civilizations, appreciate regional cultures, and enjoy leisure and entertainment—Jilin City Museum warmly welcomes you.

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China