Hezhe Ethnic Museum in Tongjiang City

Hezhe Ethnic Museum in Tongjiang City

The China Hezhe Ethnic Museum is located in the natural forest on the east side of the zero-kilometer starting point marker of the Tong-San Highway at Sanjiangkou in Tongjiang City. Covering an area of 10,000 square meters with a building area of 1,470 square meters, the museum was completed and opened to the public in August 2002.

The architectural style of the museum is an abstract cylindrical, pointed-roof brick-and-tile structure based on the traditional Hezhe dwellings of the chum and semi-subterranean houses. The golden relief on the cylindrical outer walls vividly depicts six aspects of Hezhe life: migration, defense, hunting, fishing, beliefs (Shamanism), and art. The museum has a three-story structure with a collection of over 1,500 cultural relics. The first floor mainly showcases the two natural environments of fishing and hunting. The museum's name was inscribed by Zhou Tienong, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The second floor consists of ten units, displaying the long history of the Hezhe people and their contributions to developing and defending the frontier, especially their resistance against Russia during the Qing Dynasty and their role in the War of Resistance against Japan. It also exhibits the unique customs, religious beliefs of the Hezhe people, as well as the tremendous changes in education, healthcare, and other sectors after the founding of New China under the care of the Party and government. The third floor primarily displays the development achievements of Tongjiang City.

The Hezhe Ethnic Museum was initially built in October 2000 and officially opened to visitors in October 2002. Covering an area of 10,000 square meters with a building area of 1,470 square meters, it receives an average of over 30,000 domestic and international visitors annually. The Hezhe Ethnic Museum is the only ethnic museum in China with a relatively rich collection, unique style, and comprehensive exhibition and introduction of the Hezhe people’s politics, economy, culture, history, fishing and hunting lifestyle, religious beliefs, and customs. In 2006, it was approved by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission as a “National Unity and Progress Education Base.”

The architectural style of the museum is abstracted from the ancient Hezhe dwellings such as the semi-subterranean house (diyinzi), the pole-supported house (majiazi), and the chum. The cylindrical exterior wall reliefs vividly depict six aspects of Hezhe life: migration, defense, hunting, fishing, beliefs, and art. The museum has a three-story structure, including one open exhibition hall and ten cabinet-style exhibition units, with an exhibition area of about 1,100 square meters. The current collection includes over 1,500 cultural relics and various exhibits, among which over 850 items include stone axes and pottery jars used by the ancestors of the Hezhe people, as well as fish-skin clothing, birch bark boats, torogi (a Hezhe term for dog sleds), and 118 photos reflecting the Hezhe people’s religious beliefs, cultural arts, and production life.

The first floor mainly showcases the natural environment of fishing and hunting, featuring the museum name inscribed by Zhou Tienong, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, six painted pillars reflecting Hezhe folk customs, and one totem pole. The Hezhe people are one of China’s ancient ethnic groups with a long history, currently numbering around 4,600 people, who have traditionally lived along the Songhua River, Heilongjiang River, and Ussuri River basins. The fertile Three Rivers region boasts abundant flora and fauna and is one of the world’s renowned wetlands. It has nurtured the Hezhe people and given rise to their distinctive fishing and hunting culture. Before liberation, the Hezhe people’s mode of production and social life were at the primitive stage, engaging in fishing and hunting in forests and water areas. Fishing and hunting were their main sources of food and clothing. They not only consumed fish and game but also made clothes mostly from fish skin, roe deer hide, and deer hide. Making clothing from fish skin is a specialty of Hezhe women. Due to the Hezhe people’s skill in using dogs, they were historically referred to as the “Dog Sled Nation.”

The second floor consists of ten exhibition units that display the long history of the Hezhe people and their contributions to developing and defending the frontier, especially their resistance against Russia during the Qing Dynasty and their role in the War of Resistance against Japan. It also exhibits the unique customs, religious beliefs of the Hezhe people, as well as the tremendous changes in education, healthcare, and other sectors after the founding of New China under the care of the Party and government. After liberation, as they entered modern society, the Hezhe people’s production remained primarily based on fishing and hunting. However, with the guidance and support of the Party and government, they successfully transitioned to modern agriculture and a market economy. Through long-term fishing and hunting activities, the Hezhe people developed their unique ethnic culture. The Hezhe people do not have a written language but do have their own spoken language. Currently, a large number of professional writers, artists, and scholars have emerged among the Hezhe people in Tongjiang City.

The third floor is an exhibition of photographic achievements in the economic and social development of Tongjiang City.

Over the years, under the care of leaders at the national, provincial, and municipal levels and the support of relevant departments, and under the correct leadership of the Tongjiang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, our museum has remained committed to its founding purpose, never forgetting the principles of collection, exhibition, research, and utilization. Relying on the Hezhe Ethnic Museum, we have carried out practical work in protecting Hezhe traditional culture, promoting cultural exchanges, fostering ethnic unity, and advancing local economic and social development.

This museum allows you to learn about the history and present of the Hezhe people, as well as to discover Tongjiang City, the pearl of northern China.

Further Reading:

· National Third-Class Museum of China