Jinan Museum

Jinan Museum

Jinan Museum is a patriotic education base.

Jinan Museum is a comprehensive local museum under the jurisdiction of the Jinan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, News and Publication (Jinan Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics). It was established in December 1958. The museum is located at No. 30 Jingshiyi Road, Lixia District, on the west side of the scenic tourist attraction Thousand Buddha Mountain Park, and officially opened to the public in 1997. The museum covers a land area of 8,500 square meters, with a building area of 6,300 square meters, including 2,400 square meters of exhibition space. In 1998, it was officially announced and designated by Jinan City as one of the first batch of patriotic education bases in the city. In 2005, it was officially announced and designated by Shandong Province as a patriotic education base of the province, and was awarded the title of municipal-level civilized unit by the Jinan Municipal Office of Spiritual Civilization. In 2009, it was rated as a National Second-Class Museum, and in 2015, it was recognized as a provincial science education base.

Jinan Museum currently houses a collection of over 50,000 cultural relics (sets) and more than 2,000 rare books. Among them, there are over 2,000 precious relics rated at Grade III or above, including many rare treasures in China. The collections mainly come from archaeological excavations, state allocations, donations from social organizations and individuals, as well as purchases funded by the municipal government. The museum has a large number of calligraphy and painting works in its collection, many of which are high-quality pieces, especially those from the Ming and Qing dynasties. After the Jinan Cultural Relics Store was fully integrated into the museum in 2011, the systematic work of inventorying, transferring, surveying, selecting, and shelving the former store’s collections has been officially launched in the past two years.

In May 2008, Jinan Museum took the lead in offering free admission to the public across the province, effectively establishing the museum's social image and earning widespread praise. For this, CCTV also conducted special promotional coverage. As one of the first patriotic education bases announced in Jinan, the museum has fully leveraged its functions, actively promoting mainstream values and focusing on exhibitions. With strong support from the municipal Party committee, municipal government, and the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, News and Publication, the museum has successfully hosted hundreds of thematic exhibitions and displays, such as "The Soul of Hongyan," "The First Phase of Excavated Treasures from the Luozhuang Han Tombs in Jinan," "Treasures in the Museum – A Series of Special Exhibitions," and "Collecting Antiquities – A Report Exhibition of Collected Cultural Relics for the 50th Anniversary of Jinan Museum." It receives an average of 230,000 visitors annually, with a cumulative total of several million visitors.

Jinan Museum currently has 8 exhibition rooms and one activity center. The four exhibition rooms on the second floor serve as permanent displays, showcasing the long and rich history and culture of Jinan through the exhibition "Glory of the Ancient City" – Jinan History and Museum Collections. The four exhibition rooms on the first floor are mainly used for thematic and temporary exhibitions. The activity center, with an area of about 200 square meters, is equipped with conference tables, chairs, and large-screen video playback equipment. Since its establishment, it has hosted numerous public activities such as cultural relic lectures, Young Ambassadors of Cultural Heritage programs, and science exhibitions.

In addition to carrying out daily responsibilities, Jinan Museum also manages the former Jinan Cultural Relics Store, the Cai Gongshi Memorial Hall, the Lao She Memorial Hall, and is involved in the preparation of the Qushan Yihai Museum.

The Jinan Cultural Relics Store is located at No. 188 Jingsi Road. Established in 1961, it was fully integrated into the museum in September 2011. The Cai Gongshi Memorial Hall is located at No. 370 Jingsi Road and has been open to the public for free since May 3, 2012, receiving nearly 40,000 visitors annually. The building is of German architectural style, built around 1920, with a construction area of over 900 square meters. It was the site where Mr. Cai Gongshi, the Foreign Affairs Commissioner of the Nationalist Government’s War Zone Committee and Special Envoy to Shandong, heroically lost his life. It is a very important modern representative building in downtown Jinan that reflects the city’s century-long history of opening as a commercial port. In 2006, it was listed by the Shandong Provincial Government as part of the third batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units, and in 2015, it was named a “Shandong Provincial Patriotic Education Base.” The memorial hall mainly exhibits the "May Third Massacre" and the deeds of Cai Gongshi, showcasing his glorious life dedicated to revolution and his determination to defend the nation and its people through physical exhibits, photographs, written materials, sculptures, and restored displays. There is also a Party member education reading room of about 100 square meters, equipped with anti-Japanese war films, Party member education materials, and museum-related books, which is regularly open to pre-booked groups for free.

The Lao She Memorial Hall is located at No. 58 Nanxin Street, Lixia District. It was opened to the public for free on June 14, 2014, and receives over 40,000 visitors annually. The building was the residence of Mr. Lao She during his teaching years at Qilu University from 1931 to 1934, and was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit by the Shandong Provincial People's Government in 2006. The exhibition in the memorial hall focuses on Lao She’s life and creative work in Jinan, divided into three main parts: “People’s Artist,” “Lao She’s Footprints in Jinan,” and “Jinan in Lao She’s Writings,” along with a restored landscape section that recreates Mr. Lao She’s teaching, living, and creative conditions in Jinan.

Address: No. 30 Jingshiyi Road, Lixia District, Jinan

Business Hours: 8:30–16:30 (Last entry at 16:00)

Visiting Time: Approximately 1 hour

Price Description: Free Admission

Featured Facilities: Parking lot capacity: approximately 20 vehicles

Guide Service Fees: Free guided tours available.

Public Transport:

Take bus routes 64, K54, 66, 42, or 85 within the city, and get off at the Thousand Buddha Mountain West Gate, then walk west.

Self-Driving Directions:

G20 Expressway – Exit at Jinan East – Jinan East Ring Expressway – Jingshi East Road – Lishan Road – Jingshiyi Road

Parking Information:

Parking available within the courtyard.

Further Reading:

· China National First-Class Museum