Shaowu City Museum

Shaowu City Museum

In 1983, to promote the long and rich history and culture of Shaowu, the People's Government of Shaowu City established the Shaowu City Museum, covering an area of approximately 1,200 square meters.

The Shaowu City Museum is housed in Baoyan Temple. Originally built in the first year of the Dashaun era of the Tang Dynasty (890 AD), Baoyan Temple has undergone many changes and was renovated in 1980. It has largely preserved the architectural styles of the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties and has been listed as a provincial-level cultural heritage site. Baoyan Temple is both an ancient structure and a former revolutionary site. In October 1932, Luo Binghui, commander of the 22nd Army of the First Corps of the Central Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and political commissar Tan Zhenlin led their troops to liberate Shaowu, and the Shaowu County Soviet Government was set up in Baoyan Temple. In June 2006, it was designated as a sixth batch national cultural heritage site.

The Shaowu City Museum houses nearly 3,000 historical relics, among which the number of first- and second-class precious cultural relics in its collection ranks first among county- and city-level museums in the province.

To showcase Li Gang (a native of Shuibei Yidu, Shaowu)—hailed as the “great figure of his generation” in Shaowu’s history—the Li Gang Memorial Hall was established in 1984. At that time, General Zhang Aiping, who was then the Minister of National Defense, inscribed the name of the memorial hall. In 1987, Fujian Province’s first folklore museum was established. In October 1997, at the municipal-level cultural heritage site “Canglang Pavilion,” an exhibition hall commemorating the life and achievements of Yan Yu (a native of Yanjiafang, Nankou, Shaowu)—a great poetic theorist and patriot in Shaowu’s history—was also set up.

With the care of authorities at all levels, the development of Shaowu’s cultural heritage and museum sector ranks among the top in the province. The Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government place great importance on the construction of the museum. They have successively designated six batches of cultural heritage sites totaling 32 locations, including one national-level, two provincial-level, and 53 municipal-level sites. Funding is allocated separately and has increased year by year. In urban and rural development planning, these sites have been integrated into the overall city planning. In terms of spiritual civilization development, emphasis is placed on leveraging the advantages of cultural heritage and humanistic resources. The Li Gang Memorial Hall, Baoyan Temple, Folklore Museum, and Yan Yu Exhibition Room serve as bases for patriotic education and tourist attractions, providing people with patriotic education.

Further reading:

· China National Third-Class Museum