China's Number One Scholar Museum

China's Number One Scholar Museum

China's Number One Scholar Museum is a patriotic education base.

The Xiuning County Scholars’ Museum was established in 1986. In early 2004, as the resources of “China’s No.1 Scholars’ County” were continuously explored, the county Party committee and government initiated the first phase of the museum project — the construction of the Scholars’ Museum. It mainly centers around the Haiyang Bell and Drum Tower, consisting of four major parts: the Scholars’ Culture Plaza, the Scholars’ Culture Exhibition Hall (Bell and Drum Tower Exhibition Hall), the Scholars’ Pavilion, and affiliated courtyards. In 2008, it was listed among the first batch of nationally free-to-enter museums.

As the museum’s influence expanded and visitor numbers increased, Xiuning County Museum launched the second phase of construction in 2008, primarily including the Pingzheng Hall and the Ming-Qing Imperial Examination Culture Exhibition Hall (Moral Hall). The entire project was completed and opened to the public in 2010. In 2018, the third phase of the Xiuning Museum — the Haiyang Comprehensive Hall — was initiated and completed in June 2019. It opened to the public and is divided into four sections: “Haiyang Chronicles • City of Scholars,” “Scholarly Lineage • Gathering of Elites,” “Xiuning Paintings and Calligraphy,” and “Divinely Carved Beauty • Enduring Legacy.” Currently, the total area of the museum complex spans 9,072 square meters, with an exhibition space of 3,900 square meters, and houses a collection of 2,137 cultural relics (sets).

The museum features five permanent exhibitions: the Scholars’ Culture Exhibition, the Ming-Qing Imperial Examination Culture Exhibition, the Royal Archives and Xiuning Scholars Exhibition, the Haiyang Treasure Exhibition, and the Haiyang Chronicles Exhibition. It also has four exhibition halls: Pingzheng Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, Moral Hall, and Comprehensive Hall. The maximum daily visitor capacity is 5,000 people. At present, the Xiuning County Scholars’ Museum is the only comprehensive museum in China solely dedicated to showcasing scholars’ culture, integrating traditional Chinese culture with local folklore. Its core cultural concept revolves around the research, dissemination, and exhibition of scholars’ culture.

Address: No.1, Scholars’ Culture Plaza, Xiuning County

Further reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China