Zhangzhou Museum

Zhangzhou Museum

Established in October 1988, Zhangzhou Museum is a state-owned public institution under the jurisdiction of the Zhangzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Press, and Publication. It is a comprehensive prefecture-level museum, recognized as a National Second-Class Museum and a collective member of the Chinese Museums Association. The museum is located at No. 230 Yingbin Road, Zhangzhou, covering an area of 10 mu with a construction area of over 4,600 square meters; it houses a collection of 10,976 cultural relics and specimens, including 73 first-class relics, 167 second-class, and 1,195 third-class. The museum features five permanent exhibition halls that incorporate modern technologies such as sound, light, and electricity alongside traditional craftsmanship. With projection technology, audiovisual equipment, computer touch screens, and multiple interactive displays for visitors, the exhibitions organically combine academic value, educational content, entertainment, and visual appeal—educating through beauty and fun.

Historical Development

In response to the needs of building socialist spiritual civilization and advancing the cultural heritage sector, the People's Government of Zhangzhou established Zhangzhou Museum in October 1988. The original site was located in Yangwen Building within Zhongshan Park at No. 182 Xinhua West Road, Xiangcheng District, Zhangzhou—a two-story reinforced concrete structure with a construction area of 960 m², featuring two exhibition halls: the first floor hosted temporary exhibitions year-round, while the second floor displayed a permanent exhibition on the history and culture of Zhangzhou.

Due to the small size of the original exhibition and storage spaces, along with poor conditions for artifact preservation, the facilities could not meet the growing demands of the cultural heritage sector. With support from national and provincial cultural authorities as well as the local government, construction of the new museum began in September 1998 and was completed in April 2001. Located at No. 230 Yingbin Road, Longwen District, Zhangzhou, the new museum has a construction area of 4,600 m² and features five exhibition halls. It opened to the public in January 2007 and gained significant popularity especially after implementing free admission, attracting over one million visitors. Its performance has been widely recognized: awarded the “2007–2010 Advanced Collective in the Provincial Cultural System” by the Fujian Provincial Department of Culture, the Fujian Provincial Civil Servants Bureau, and the Fujian Human Resources Development Office; designated as a “Zhangzhou Patriotic Education Base” by the CPC Zhangzhou Municipal Committee and Zhangzhou Municipal People’s Government in October 2009; honored as a “Three-Star Industry Demonstration Window” by the Zhangzhou Spiritual Civilization Construction Guidance Committee; named a “Civilized Unit of Municipal Agencies (2012–2014)” by the CPC Zhangzhou Municipal Agencies Work Committee and the Zhangzhou Municipal Agencies Spiritual Civilization Construction Guidance Committee; awarded the “Fujian Volunteer Service Record Unit” by the Fujian Provincial Civilization Office and the Fujian Provincial Department of Civil Affairs in June 2014; and recognized as a “Demonstration Site of the Eighth (2015–2017) Fujian Civilization Industry Creation Competition” by the Fujian Provincial Spiritual Civilization Construction Guidance Committee.

To improve the city’s public cultural service system and better meet citizens’ material and cultural needs, construction of the new museum began in December 2014. With a total construction area of 36,700 m², it is scheduled to open in 2018. The new museum plans to feature six thematic exhibition halls and two temporary ones, including “The Long Song of the Long River – Exhibition on Zhangzhou’s History and Culture,” “Sails Over Sea and Sky – Special Exhibition on Zhangzhou’s Maritime Silk Road,” “One Family: Zhangzhou and Taiwan,” “Exquisite Beauty – Exhibition on Zhangzhou Kiln Ceramics,” “Masterful Craftsmanship – Exhibition on Zhangzhou Carving Art,” “Fragrance of Ink – Exhibition on the Museum’s Fine Calligraphy and Paintings,” plus two temporary exhibition spaces.

Museum Collection (Sources, Characteristics, Classification, etc.)

The museum’s collections represent a valuable scientific and cultural asset of the nation and form the material foundation for museum operations. According to data from the First National Survey of Movable Cultural Relics, Zhangzhou Museum houses a total of 5,115 items/sets, with an actual count of 10,976 artifacts. These mainly come from the museum’s previous holdings, archaeological excavations, transfers from public security and industrial-commercial anti-smuggling units, allocations from the Fujian Provincial Department of Culture and the Fujian Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, as well as social donations and acquisitions. The collection reflects the developmental trajectory, cultural characteristics, and regional features of Zhangzhou across various historical periods. For example, there are 317 artifacts unearthed from the Tiger Forest Mountain site of the Bronze Age, 905 pieces of export porcelain from Zhangzhou kilns during the Ming and Qing dynasties, 225 trade coins known as “foreign silver,” and 1,019 artworks by renowned painters such as Huang Binhong, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Wu Changshuo, Wu Zuoren, and Li Keran. Classified by appraisal level, the collection includes 1,435 precious relics/sets, 3,113 general relics/sets, and 567 unclassified relics/sets.

Further Reading:

· China National Second-Class Museum