Heilongjiang Northern Folk Museum

Heilongjiang Northern Folk Museum

Heilongjiang Northern Folk Museum is a comprehensive ethnic and folk museum in China, located in Bayan County, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. The museum is committed to "promoting folk culture and inheriting historical civilization," featuring synchronized Chinese and English introductions. It serves as a center for research, exhibition, and dissemination of northern Chinese history and culture, northern folk culture, and broader Chinese civilization. It functions as an important platform for international cultural exchange in Heilongjiang Province, a national model for the operation and management of non-state-owned museums, an outstanding non-state-owned museum in Heilongjiang Province, a patriotism education base in Harbin and Bayan County, a joint police-civilian construction unit, a heritage research and development center for intangible cultural heritage projects in Harbin, as well as a cultural leisure destination for residents of both Harbin and Bayan County.

Functions and Social Impact Approved by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture and authorized by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, the Heilongjiang Northern Folk Museum is a privately-run non-enterprise institution. Its main functions include collection, exhibition, academic research, social education, cultural exchange, and accepting public donations. It has three approved departments: the Office, Management Department, and Business Department. The museum covers an area of 21,000㎡, with a building area of 3,100㎡ and an exhibition area of 5,100㎡. It houses over 40,000 items in its collection, with 16,000 on display. The staff consists of 12 people, including 2 guides. There are four non-resident technical teams totaling 12 members, five history and folklore experts — including 3 senior-level and 2 associate senior-level professionals — and five foreign language translation experts, comprising 2 PhDs, 2 masters, and 1 bachelor's degree holder. Additionally, there is 1 legal advisor and 1 internet director. Over the past three years, the museum has received 1.02 million visitors, including 300,000 primary and secondary school students, 157 deaf and mute visitors, 36 visitors from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and 152 visitors from the United States, Russia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea.

Collections The museum houses a collection of over 40,000 items (sets), primarily consisting of objects related to the production and daily life of various ethnic groups north of the Yellow River, spanning from the Neolithic Age to the modern and contemporary periods, with additional artifacts from the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The collection features a rich variety of cultural relics such as stone statues from the Liao and Jin periods, as well as Qing dynasty items like fan wheels and household utensils. These collections serve not only as physical evidence of the development and continuity of northern Chinese ethnic groups but also as testimony to the diversity, richness, innovation, and continuity of northern Chinese culture. Guided by the philosophy of “collecting memories,” the Heilongjiang Northern Folk Museum continuously acquires cultural relics and artifacts that reflect the historical transformations of the north and the artistic and cultural characteristics of the modern and contemporary era.

Exhibitions The exhibitions are characterized by reconstructing history through physical objects, showcasing the achievements of northern ethnic civilizations. They primarily focus on the production, lifestyle, and folk culture of various ethnic groups north of the Yellow River. Real objects are used as display elements, and family-themed displays recreate the living conditions of these ethnic groups, highlighting the diligence, wisdom, and simplicity of the people of the north. The museum features 10 exhibitions dedicated to the folk customs of the 10 ethnic minorities indigenous to Heilongjiang Province — Han, Manchu, Korean, Mongolian, Hui, Daur, Xibe, Hezhen, Oroqen, and Kirgiz — as well as 25 other thematic exhibitions covering household utensils, production tools, ancient animals, stone implements, Shamanism culture, and the history and culture of Bayan. These exhibitions complement and extend the showcase of northern Chinese history and ethnic folk culture.

Phone: 0451-57503328

Address: Yongfa Village, Hongxing Village, Bayan Town, Bayan County

Further Reading:

· National Third-Class Museum of China