Jining Museum · Chongjue Temple Scenic Area

Jining Museum · Chongjue Temple Scenic Area

The Jining Museum · Chongjue Temple Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, and a patriotic education base.

The Jining Museum Chongjue Temple Scenic Area is situated within the Iron Pagoda Temple in the city center. The west gate of the museum faces Guhuai Road, and just 500 meters south lies the former course of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The museum was established on May 16, 1985, and covers an area of 31 mu. The complex consists of two parts: the eastern section is the Iron Pagoda Temple, originally built in the first year of the Huangjian era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (560 AD), which was designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level by the State Council in 1988; the western section features antique-style architecture. The total floor area of the museum complex is 11,000 square meters, including 8,831 square meters for the main exhibition building. It is an impressive architectural ensemble that organically combines ancient structures with imitation antique buildings.

The Jining Museum preserves several ancient buildings that are Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, including the Song Dynasty Iron Pagoda, the Ming Dynasty Mahavira Hall, the Bell Tower, the Monk King Shrine, and the Han Dynasty Steles Museum. The Mahavira Hall in the Iron Pagoda Temple was originally built in the first year of the Huangjian era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (560 AD) as a single-eave hip-and-gable roof structure, with five bays, spanning 19 meters in width, 12.5 meters in depth, and about 12 meters in height. It features upturned eaves supported by bracket sets and houses ten sky-reaching wooden pillars. The front porch has four octagonal stone pillars, replaced during the Ming Dynasty, each engraved with a couplet. The architectural style of the structure is characteristic of the Song Dynasty. The museum currently hosts four major permanent exhibitions: the historical exhibition "A Millennium of History," which highlights ancestral culture, Zoulu culture, Confucian culture, and the culture of Water Margin; the "Museum Collection" exhibition, showcasing the museum’s finest cultural relics; the "Capital of the Grand Canal – Jining" exhibition, which reflects the history of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through Jining and promotes canal culture and the economic revitalization of Jining; and the "Calligraphy Art Exhibition" by the renowned modern calligrapher Zhu Fukan.

The museum houses nearly 10,000 cultural relics across more than ten categories, including bronzeware, pottery, porcelain, jade artifacts, calligraphy, and paintings. Among its collections, Han Dynasty steles, Han Dynasty pictorial stones, Yueshi culture pottery, Spring and Autumn period calligraphy tools, Yuan Dynasty clothing, and Yuan-Ming-Qing Dynasty iron cannons are particularly precious, reflecting a high level of cultural value. Four permanent exhibitions — including the "Exhibition of Ancient Jining Civilization" — are open to visitors year-round. Here, guests can not only view exhibitions but also explore ancient architecture, ring the temple bell from upstairs, and take photos under the pagoda.

Customer Service Hotline: 0537-2215811

Address: No. 38, Guhuai Road, Jining City, Shandong Province

Business Hours: 8:30–11:00, 14:00–16:00 (Closed on Mondays)

Information Source: Shandong Provincial Tourism Development Commission