Anhui Museum Old Building

Anhui Museum Old Building

The Anhui Provincial Museum was established on November 14, 1956, and was one of the four model museums in China at that time. On December 28, 2010, it was renamed Anhui Museum.

On September 17, 1958, Comrade Mao Zedong made an important speech during his inspection of the Anhui Provincial Museum: "The main cities of every province should have such museums. It is very important for people to understand their own history and the power of creation." Senior leaders of the Party and the country, including Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian, Ye Jianying, Peng Dehuai, and Chen Yi, successively inspected the museum. Comrade Chen Yi inscribed the museum’s name. Entering the new century, on May 17, 2010, Comrade Jiang Zemin inspected the Anhui Provincial Museum and personally wrote an inscription. The Anhui Provincial Museum also became the only museum inspected by Chairman Mao Zedong, who gave instructions regarding the museum cause, as well as the only museum visited by the core leadership of three generations of the Party.

Since its establishment, the Anhui Provincial Museum has built itself into a national first-class museum by relying on cultural relics resources as the foundation, exhibitions as the platform, cultural preservation and scientific research as the driving force, and educational services as the guarantee. It has been recognized as a National Key Protection Unit for Ancient Books, and its exhibition building has been included by the provincial government as a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit in Anhui.

The Anhui Provincial Museum currently houses nearly 220,000 sets of cultural relics. Its featured collections include Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzeware, Chu state currency, Han dynasty stone reliefs, the Four Treasures of the Study, Yuan dynasty gold and silverware, Xin’an paintings and calligraphy, Huizhou carvings, ancient rare books, Huizhou contracts and documents, and artworks by Pan Yuliang. In the field of cultural relics preservation, techniques such as the “localized electrolytic method” for removing powdery rust from bronzeware and the “laser holographic non-destructive testing method” using laser holography technology for non-destructive inspection of bronzeware, pottery, and porcelain have had a significant impact on the industry. The latter won the Ministry of Culture Science and Technology Achievement Commendation Award and the Third Prize of Scientific and Technological Achievements from the Anhui Provincial Government. The museum also boasts strong technical capabilities in restoring old paintings and calligraphy, repairing bronzeware, and protecting stone inscriptions and rubbings. In 1994, the Anhui Provincial Museum broke away from the old system of “general history” displays and launched a large-scale series of thematic exhibitions titled “Exhibition of Ancient Civilization in Anhui,” which was hailed by the national museum community as the “Anhui Model” with promotional significance. In 2007, the uniquely regional “Exhibition of Ancient Huizhou Architecture” won the Seventh National Top Ten Museum Exhibition Excellence Award. Starting in 2002, the Anhui Provincial Museum organized outreach teams to deliver museum knowledge lectures in government agencies, schools, and communities, generating widespread response. Since opening free of charge in March 2008, the museum has introduced, hosted, and organized over 100 various exhibitions, held nearly 100 special lectures and presentations, and received over 2 million visitors and audience members.

In 2001, the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government demonstrated foresight by deciding to retain the old building while planning the new one. In December 2005, the cultural and museum park project, with the new building of the Anhui Provincial Museum as the core, was officially approved. In 2006, the provincial finance allocated special funds to complete the renovation and maintenance of the old building. On January 16, 2007, the foundation of the new building of the Anhui Provincial Museum was laid. The new building covers a construction area of 41,000 square meters, with an exhibition area of 10,000 square meters. Its architectural design reflects the unique style of Huizhou architecture, featuring five interconnected sections and a layout where “four waters converge in one hall.” It was opened to the public on September 29, 2011. The new museum features one basic exhibition — “Exhibition of the History of Anhui Civilization” — and four distinctive thematic exhibitions — “Ancient Huizhou Architecture,” “Xin’an Painting School,” “Anhui’s Four Treasures of the Study,” and “Jianghuai Treasures.” The old building remains open to the public, showcasing mainly the “Exhibition of Ancient Life in Anhui,” “Exhibition of Pan Yuliang’s Artworks,” modern and contemporary history of Anhui, and achievements in economic and cultural development in Anhui since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00 (ticket collection and entry stop at 16:00); closed on Mondays (except national statutory holidays).

Old Building Address: No. 268, Anqing Road, Hefei City, Anhui Province.