Zhao Yuan Museum

Zhao Yuan Museum

The Zhao Yuan Museum was established on July 18, 1999. It is currently integrated with the Zhao Yuan County Cultural Relics Management Office, operating jointly in the same office space. The institution currently has 10 registered staff members, with a building area of 1,440 square meters. It includes six exhibition halls: Ancient Animal Fossils, Historical Relics, Revolutionary Martyrs, Fifty Years Since the Founding of the PRC, Advancing Zhao Yuan, and the "98" Flood Control Exhibition. The museum houses a total of 897 collections in the fields of nature, history, and art, including 41 fine cultural relics such as jade artifacts, bronze ware, porcelain, and pottery. Among them, the complete fossil specimen of the "Wang's Buffalo," an ancient animal, is a rare find in China.

The Basic Exhibition — "Exhibition of Zhao Yuan’s Historical Relics" covers an area of 240 square meters. The main display follows a chronological order and highlights major historical events. It makes full use of archaeological materials from national, provincial, and municipal protected sites such as the Baijinbao Site, Xiaolaha Site, Wanghaitun Ancient City, Daqingshan Ancient Battlefield, and Yanfu Temple Twin Pagodas to comprehensively showcase the historical development of Zhao Yuan from ancient times to the present. The exhibition emphasizes the study and verification of prehistoric civilization in the Songnen River Basin in northern China, as well as the political, economic, and cultural aspects of the ancient tribes of Gua Li and Fu Yu during the Bronze Age. It also features rich displays of artifacts, photographs, and textual introductions on units such as Liao-Jin period ancient city sites within the jurisdiction, spring hunting activities at the Chunnabo Palace, the Battle of Chuhedian, ancient post roads from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the Zhanren culture. This exhibition displays over 500 cultural relic items.

Thematic Exhibitions — Five exhibition areas: "Ancient Animal Fossils of Zhao Yuan," "Revolutionary Martyrs of Zhao Yuan," "Zhao Yuan Folk Customs," "The '98' Flood Control," and "Advancing Zhao Yuan." "The Ancient Animal Fossils of Zhao Yuan" exhibition covers an area of 180 square meters. Using the museum’s prized fossil skeleton of the "Zhao Yuan Wang's Buffalo," discovered locally, along with fossil skeletons of the Songhua River mammoth and woolly rhinoceros, combined with background murals and photo descriptions, it showcases the living conditions of ancient animals in the paleo-riverbeds of the Songhua and Nenjiang rivers in Zhao Yuan during the Late Pleistocene epoch (15,000–20,000 years ago). It explores the relationships between ancient climate, geography, and biology. The exhibit includes over 100 items. "The Revolutionary Martyrs of Zhao Yuan" exhibition covers an area of 60 square meters. It primarily presents through archival photos, lists of martyrs, and some personal belongings of the martyrs. The display focuses on martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the "12th Detachment of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army," the "13 Provinces," as well as those who died in the Liberation War and the Korean War. It connects major battles, events, and key figures, reflecting the revolutionary traditions of Zhao Yuan as a veteran revolutionary base and the heroic, indomitable, and sacrifice-driven spirit of its martyrs. The exhibit includes over 120 items. "The Zhao Yuan Folk Customs" exhibition covers an area of 80 square meters, highlighting the Zhao Yuan Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage such as the "Customs of Post Station Staff along the Ancient Post Road" and "Traditional Architectural Painting Art," as well as folk relics. "The Advancing Zhao Yuan" exhibition covers an area of 150 square meters. It reflects the development of Zhao Yuan across various historical periods since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially the tremendous changes since the reform and opening-up. Through photos and artifacts, visitors can see the beautiful, eco-friendly, harmonious, and prosperous new city of Zhao Yuan. The exhibit includes over 200 items. "The '98' Flood Control" exhibition covers an area of 50 square meters. Centered around the once-in-300-years massive flood that struck the Songhua-Nenjiang River Basin in 1998, the exhibition showcases how Comrade Hu Jintao, then President of China, personally visited the front lines of flood control in Zhao Yuan to inspect and direct rescue efforts. It also highlights how the people of Zhao Yuan, together with party and government departments at all levels and the People’s Liberation Army, fought the floods in close coordination, composing a magnificent anthem of unity, resilience, disaster relief, and reconstruction. The exhibit includes approximately 300 items.

The county has a total of 105 cultural relic sites, including 1 national-level, 4 provincial-level, and 100 municipal- and county-level sites. In December 1999, the Zhao Yuan Museum was awarded the "Nomination Prize for Top Ten Excellent Exhibitions in the Province" by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture and the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau. In November 2001, it was designated as a "Third Batch Patriotic Education Base" by the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee and Provincial Government.

Further Reading:

· National Third-Class Museum