Jin Shangjing History Museum

Jin Shangjing History Museum

The Jin Shangjing History Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Jin Shangjing History Museum, located in Acheng District, Harbin, is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and was awarded the "Top Ten National Cultural Relics Exhibition Excellence Award" and the "Asia-Pacific Interior Design Gold Award" in 1998.

The museum spans a total area of 41,000 square meters, with a building area of 5,800 square meters. Its architectural design was completed by Qi Kang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a renowned architect nationwide, and a professor at Southeast University's School of Architecture. Through architectural language, it narrates the history of the Jin Dynasty and interprets the culture of the Jin origin with a unique concept.

In 2005, due to the relatively outdated exhibition methods, obsolete fire prevention equipment, and natural indoor lighting that caused varying degrees of damage to the cultural relics, the Acheng Municipal Party Committee and Government decided to comprehensively renovate the museum. With strong support from the provincial and municipal governments and the leadership of Harbin, active coordination by the museum's management, and funding from effective social sponsors, the project was fully completed in 180 days from August 20 to December 31, with a total investment of 8.3 million yuan.

The museum currently houses 1,996 sets of cultural relics, with 410 sets on display. These primarily feature artifacts from the Jin Dynasty, along with items from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties that reflect characteristics of the Jurchen people and Manchu culture. Among them are national precious relics and outstanding cultural artifacts. Notably, the bronze seated dragon, with its distinctive Jurchen features and mysterious totem worship, is the museum’s prized treasure. Other exhibits include Jin Dynasty weapons such as iron caltrops, four-edged square clubs, and iron maces; architectural ornaments like green-glazed dragon-patterned roof tiles, chi-dragon ornaments, pottery phoenix heads, dragon-patterned carved bricks, and column bases; and thematic collections such as a series of bronze mirrors. The museum owns over 200 Jin Dynasty bronze mirrors, the largest in both variety and quantity in China, making them extremely valuable. One of these, an obsidian mirror, remains remarkably shiny to this day, clear enough to reflect individual hairs. Additionally, a newly added Manchu customs exhibition displays fishing and hunting tools such as harpoons, deer calls, badger fur sleeping bags, and birch bark boats, along with mysterious Shaman costumes.

Address: No. 49, Jinyuan Road, Acheng District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province (near the suburbs)

Ticket: 20 RMB per person; 10 RMB per person for students and military personnel

Opening Hours: 8:30–16:30

Transportation: From Harbin, take a bus to Acheng and get off at the terminal, then transfer to Bus 7 to reach the museum.

Self-driving Route: From Harbin, take the Suiman Expressway for 25.7 km, exit at Acheng South/Wuchang, turn right onto the ramp and drive 430 m, then turn right onto Yanchuan Street and drive 1.2 km. Continue straight onto X006 for 680 m, then turn right and drive 90 m to arrive.

Further Reading:

· China National Second-Class Museum