Jishui County Museum

Jishui County Museum

Jishui County Museum is located in Jishui County, Jiangxi Province. It is a heritage museum integrated with the protection of a large-scale Eastern Wu ancient tomb (known as the "Number One Tomb of the South of the Yangtze River"), and was opened to the public in 2001. The museum covers an area of 5,000 square meters, with a building area of 2,500 m² and an exhibition area of 1,500 m². It features architecture modeled after the Han Dynasty, and its name was inscribed by the renowned Chinese writer Mr. Zhu Jiajin. The museum currently houses four permanent exhibitions and two temporary ones, and remains open year-round as a provincial-level patriotic education base. Its collection includes 16,816 cultural relics (sets), among which 975 are classified as precious (sets), mainly categorized into seven types: porcelain, bronze, jade, paper, wood, and others. Jishui County Museum is a multifunctional comprehensive museum integrating collection, exhibition, education, and academic research, and is hailed as one of the top county-level museums in Jiangxi Province.

In 2003, Jishui County was named one of the first National Advanced Counties for Cultural Relics Work. In 2006, Jishui County Museum was listed as a National Key Museum. In 2009, it was rated as a National Third-Class Museum. In 2011, the museum was recognized as a Provincial Advanced Collective in the Third National Cultural Relics Census and a Provincial Advanced Collective in Digital Management of Precious Museum Collections. The exhibition "Cultural Exhibition of Ancient Historical Figures in Jishui" won the Provincial Top Ten Innovative Museum Exhibition Award.

The museum consists of three main sections: the Preface Hall, introducing the lives of notable figures from Jishui during the Song and Ming dynasties; the Gallery of Generals from Jishui, showcasing the heroic deeds of 20 generals; and the "Number One Tomb of the South of the Yangtze River," which holds historical, artistic, and scientific value. To further tap into the advantages of local cultural resources, in 2017, the Jishui County Government invested hundreds of millions of yuan to establish the China Scholars’ Culture Park at the confluence of the Ganjiang and Enjiang Rivers in the southern part of the county.

Exhibition of Historical Figures of Jishui Through the Dynasties

This exhibition introduces Jishui’s golden eras in history, such as "three top imperial examination scholars in one exam," "three Jinshi scholars from one family," "two cabinet ministers within a hundred steps," "two prime ministers across the river," "three zhuangyuan (top imperial examination laureates) within five li," "ninety prefects within nine hundred li," and "nine provincial governors within ten li."

Exhibition of the Number One Tomb of the South of the Yangtze River

This section introduces the shape of the tomb, the excavation site, and the unearthed artifacts.

Exhibition of Treasured Calligraphy by Famous Figures

This exhibit displays calligraphy works by historical figures from Jishui, featuring styles including seal, regular, running, and cursive scripts—each with its own distinctive flair.

Exhibition of Republic-Era Generals from Jishui

As the spark of the Jinggang Mountains spread like wildfire, over 6,000 brave soldiers from Jishui shed blood on the battlefield, giving rise to 20 generals of the Republic.

Museum Collection Artifacts

Celadon Carved Floral Porcelain Plate

This plate has a flared mouth, slightly everted lip, shallow curved body. The body is made of grayish-yellow clay, covered with glossy bluish-green glaze. The inner wall is carved with a design of three babies climbing branches, surrounded by intertwined flowers and fruits.

Calligraphy Scroll by Xie Jin

Measuring 600 cm in length and 33 cm in width, the scroll consists of 20 sheets. It is a calligraphy work by Xie Jin from the 31st year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, primarily containing the “Xie Family Genealogy Song,” “Xie Family Ji Zhou Genealogy,” “Eulogy on the Biography of Master Zhuang Shan,” “A Brief Biography of Master Xie,” and Xie Jin’s insights on calligraphy.

Wooden Printing Blocks of the Collected Works of Nian’an

Authored by Luo Hongxian and carved during the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, the set includes 502 blocks. Each block measures 33 cm in length and 26 cm in width. The complete and well-preserved collection holds significant value for the study of the history of Chinese printing.

Bronze Vermilion Bird

This artifact comes as a pair, one male and one female. The male has three crests on its head, small round eyes, a slender neck, an upright chest, a tucked-in abdomen, an upturned and hooked tail, and stands on straight legs with pointed claws. Feathers of varying sizes curl downward from its neck. The female has a round head, small round eyes, a short neck, a rounded chest and belly, a plump hindquarters, and a slightly upturned tail tip. It also stands on straight legs with pointed claws.

Further Reading:

· China National Third-Class Museum