Jining Museum

Jining Museum

Jining Museum is a comprehensive, multifunctional, and modern local museum integrating history, art, and humanities. Since October 1, 2008, it has been open to the public free of charge year-round.

The museum is located at No. 38 Guhuai Road, Central District, Jining City, and was first built in May 1985. The site covers an area of 31 mu and consists of two parts. The eastern section is the ancient architectural complex of Iron Pagoda Temple, which was initially constructed in the first year of Huangjian during the Northern Qi Dynasty (560 AD) and was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in 1988. The western section features imitation ancient architecture, covering an area of 20,460 square meters, with a total building area of 11,000 square meters, including 8,831 square meters for the main exhibition building. It is an impressive architectural ensemble that organically combines ancient and imitation ancient structures.

Currently, the museum houses nearly 10,000 cultural relics, spanning more than ten categories including bronzeware, pottery, porcelain, jade artifacts, calligraphy, and paintings. Among these, there are 53 sets of national first-class relics, 50 sets of second-class relics, and 407 sets of third-class relics. The collection includes highly valuable items such as Han Dynasty steles, Han Dynasty stone reliefs, Spring and Autumn Period bronzeware, calligraphy and carving tools, Yuan Dynasty costumes, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasty porcelain, and iron cannons, all of which are of high cultural significance. Three permanent exhibitions — "A Millennium of Jining," "The Museum Collection," and "China’s Canal Capital – Jining" — are open to the public free of charge year-round. Additionally, there are the Han Stele Room, Han Relief Stone Room, and Zhu Fukan Art Gallery for art enthusiasts to study and appreciate. Visitors can not only view exhibitions but also explore the ancient buildings, ring the tower bell, and take photos under the pagoda.

The museum currently has 28 staff members, all of whom have at least an associate degree or higher. Among them, nine hold senior professional titles and 16 hold mid-level titles. The museum has been recognized as a Provincial and Municipal Patriotic Education Base, a Jining Youth Education Base, and was named a National Key Museum in 2007. It has also received honors such as Shandong Provincial Civilized Unit, Jining Municipal Civilized Unit, Advanced Collective in Creating China’s Top Tourism City in Jining, Advanced Cultural Collective of the City, and Advanced Party Organization in the Municipal Cultural System.

Introduction to the New Jining Museum

To promote the development of Jining as a historical and cultural city and to further advance the prosperity of its cultural and museum endeavors, the Jining Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government decided to build a new museum in the Taibai Lake New District. At the end of 2015, the foundation of the new museum was officially laid, and construction began. On September 29, 2019, the new museum was opened to the public, bringing Jining residents a more modern museum with improved infrastructure.

The new museum is located in the Cultural Center of the Taibai Lake New District, situated by the picturesque Taibai Lake. It was designed by world-renowned architect Mario Botta. The overall structure is composed of geometric forms layered together, with a total building area of 27,237.73 square meters. The structure is a frame system, consisting of four floors above ground and reaching a height of 29.3 meters. The architectural design follows the principles of simplicity, clarity, practicality, economy, and functionality. It not only embodies the characteristics of museum architecture and highlights the regional historical and cultural heritage but also embraces a contemporary style, pursuing dynamic and diverse interior spatial effects. Through the design of indoor and outdoor spaces, the museum makes full use of sunlight to create a harmonious atmosphere that blends nature and humanity, making the entire museum a timeless classic work of art. The museum’s 160,000 precious collections now have a safer and more reliable home here, and the New Jining Museum has thus become a comprehensive venue and new platform for fully protecting and utilizing the city’s outstanding historical and cultural resources, as well as realizing the social educational functions of the museum.

The most eye-catching feature of the new museum is its exhibition area, which includes five large permanent exhibitions and two temporary exhibition halls specifically designed for domestic and international cultural relic exchanges. The five core exhibitions include: the Historical Civilization Exhibition, which reflects the culture of origin, Zoulu culture, Confucian culture, and the culture of Water Margin; the Stone Carving Art Exhibition, showcasing the themes of “Half of the World’s Han Steles are in Jining” and “Jining’s Han Reliefs are the Finest in the World”; the Canal Culture Exhibition, based on the historical fact of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through Jining, aiming to promote canal culture and revitalize Jining’s economy; the Cultural Heritage Exhibition, displaying representative sites of traditional culture that still exist on Jining’s ancient land; and the Digital Jining Exhibition, which uses digital means to present the beauty of contemporary Jining with immersive, interactive, and participatory features. The two temporary exhibitions are the “Ritual Vessels of the Confucius Worship Ceremony Exhibition,” allowing visitors to experience the enduring charm of ritual and music culture firsthand, and the “Rongbaozhai Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition,” where national treasure-level calligraphy and painting works will make a dazzling debut during the National Day holiday for the enjoyment of visitors.

In addition to the permanent exhibition area, the new museum also includes six other essential service areas: the cultural relic storage area, education and exchange area, technical research area, administrative office area, visitor service area, and equipment room. While maintaining the basic functions of a museum — such as collecting, preserving, exhibiting, researching, and studying cultural relics and historical and cultural resources — the new museum will also serve as a comprehensive venue for education, leisure, and cultural services to meet the higher-level spiritual and cultural needs of citizens.

Further Reading:

· China’s National First-Class Museums