Jiangshan Museum

Jiangshan Museum

Established in 1989, Jiangshan Museum was formerly the Office of the Jiangshan Cultural Relics Management Committee. In 1991, a small museum covering an area of 1,200 square meters was built, showcasing the essence of Jiangshan’s cultural relics through its Natural Hall and History Hall. Less than 20 years later, with the care of higher-level cultural relics authorities, the Jiangshan Municipal Government invested more than 40 million yuan to rebuild the museum at a new location. The new medium-sized county (city)-level museum covers a construction area of approximately 5,000 square meters. Utilizing modern high-tech presentation methods, the museum features lifelike scenes and a large number of physical exhibits to display Jiangshan’s rich natural resources and historical cultural heritage. It pioneered Natural and History Halls at the county (city) level, forming a uniquely styled comprehensive museum that maximally showcases Jiangshan’s natural and historical cultural resources, opening a new chapter for the museum.

The construction of the new Jiangshan Museum took nearly two years of planning, with various design schemes created by renowned designers and put to a public vote. Construction began in May 2008. On February 10, 2010, the Natural Exhibition Hall was completed and opened for trial operation, while the History Hall also opened to the public in late March.

By introducing new concepts, drawing on successful experiences from both domestic and international sources, and employing advanced scientific methods in exhibition design, the new museum has created realistic large-scale scenes, installed interactive touch screens, multi-angle wide-screen displays, and interactive games, among other multimedia features. Coupled with finely crafted physical exhibits enhanced by lighting and sound effects, the exhibitions are highly engaging, rich in knowledge content, and have significantly increased visitor interest. Since opening to free admission, the museum has seen phenomena such as queuing, scheduled, and group visits, becoming a shining pearl among museums in western Zhejiang.

The new Jiangshan Museum exhibition consists of three parts: the Introduction Hall, the Natural Hall, and the History Hall. The Natural Hall is divided into six exhibition zones: Jiangshan’s Geology and Landforms, a large reconstructed dinosaur scene and a Dinosaur Race Game Area, a display zone for paleontological fossils and mineral specimens, large scenes of mountains and wetlands, exhibitions of natural animal and plant specimens along with a multimedia bee pollination performance area, and a Knowledge Quiz Hall. These zones feature four large scenes, over 500 specimens, and nearly 300 models and pictures (or frames), as well as five sets of multimedia videos. The History Hall focuses on the display of humanistic history and is divided into nine sections: Tracing Jiangshan’s Origins, Establishing the County of Xujian, Huang Chao’s Campaign, Trade Routes of Zhejiang and Fujian, Silk Road Culture, Mighty Passes Amidst烽火 (War), A Millennium of Kiln Flames, Historical Figures, and Diverse Livelihoods.

The museum is located at the northern end of Jiangshan city proper, with the entire building facing south and situated to the north. It neighbors the Luxi River to the east and Luxi Middle Road to the west. The building has three floors: the first floor houses a temporary exhibition hall, the second floor contains the historical exhibition hall, and the third floor is dedicated to the natural museum exhibition.

The Jiangshan Museum’s featured collections include Shang and Zhou dynasty stamped pottery and proto-porcelain. Since 1990, the museum has held a total of 23 various exhibitions, including the “Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Exhibition,” “Natural Science Museum Exhibition,” “Urban Construction Planning Exhibition,” “Marine Animals Exhibition,” “Art Exhibition,” and “Revolutionary Cultural Relics and Party History Materials Exhibition.”

The completion and opening of the new Jiangshan Museum, like a radiant pearl, has shone brightly and been welcomed by the public. A comprehensive municipal (county)-level museum that has successfully introduced natural and historical exhibitions has proven to be a success. Time will show that the museum is thriving, serving as a treasure trove of knowledge and a lifelong classroom for education.

Further Reading:

· Third-grade National Museum of China