Rizhao Museum

Rizhao Museum

Rizhao Museum is a comprehensive local museum that integrates functions such as cultural relic collection and exhibition, calligraphy and painting displays, and conferences. It is tasked with scientific research on cultural relics, relic exhibitions, and patriotic education. The museum was established in 1986 and relocated to its new building in September 1999. The new building is like a dazzling pearl, embedded on the eastern side of the beautiful People’s Square of the municipal government. Covering an area of 22 hectares with a construction area of 9,260 square meters, the building features an isosceles triangular shape, with entrances on the east and west sides. The main structure has four floors, with partial five-floor sections, and stands 28.8 meters tall. Its novel design and strong modern vibe make it a landmark building and cultural tourism attraction in Rizhao.

Development History

Rizhao Museum was established in 1986 and relocated to its new building in September 1999.

Architectural Layout

The new building is like a dazzling pearl, embedded on the eastern side of the beautiful People’s Square of the municipal government. Covering an area of 22 hectares with a construction area of 9,260 square meters, the building features an isosceles triangular shape, with entrances on the east and west sides. The main structure has four floors, with partial five-floor sections, and stands 28.8 meters tall. Its novel design and strong modern vibe make it a landmark building and cultural tourism attraction in Rizhao.

Cultural Relic Collection

Rizhao Museum boasts an extremely rich collection of cultural relics, including artifacts from various historical periods such as the Dawenkou Culture, Longshan Culture, Yueshi Culture, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, as well as relics from the Paleolithic Age dating back tens of thousands of years. These include stone tools, pottery, bronzeware, coins, and more. Among them, relics from the Dawenkou and Longshan Cultures are particularly abundant, with many fine pieces. The eggshell-black pottery tall-stemmed cup unearthed from the Donghaiyu site was once exhibited in the 1992 "National Exhibition of Precious Cultural Relics" as one of the country’s treasured artifacts.

The museum has hosted over 50 large-scale exhibitions, including "Past and Present of Rizhao," "Longshan Culture & Rizhao Black Pottery Exhibition," as well as events such as "Ancient Instruments of Punishment Exhibition," "National Peasant Painting Exhibition," and "Advocating Science and Opposing -".

Basic Exhibitions

Longshan Culture Exhibition

The Rizhao Longshan Culture Exhibition is a display with distinctive local characteristics. Rizhao is the most concentrated area of the Longshan Culture in Shandong, with over 100 discovered sites. As early as 1936, Chinese pioneers in archaeology such as Yin Da and Liang Siyong from the Institute of History and Philology of the former Academia Sinica began excavations at the Liangcheng site. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, institutions such as the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Shandong Provincial Institute of Archaeology conducted multiple excavations at the four major sites: Liangcheng, Dantu, Donghaiyu, and Yaowangcheng. Since 1995, a Sino-American joint archaeological team has conducted nine consecutive years of in-depth surveys, explorations, and excavations in the area centered around Liangcheng, obtaining abundant physical materials. Based on this, in-depth studies have been carried out on the features, characteristics, and the role and significance of the Longshan Culture in Rizhao within the development of ancient Chinese culture, yielding fruitful research results that have played an important role in exploring the cultural landscape of the Longshan Era and studying the origins of ancient civilizations. The Rizhao Longshan Culture Exhibition showcases unearthed artifacts such as stone tools, jade artifacts, and pottery, as well as animal specimens and architectural remains—especially highlighting pottery-making techniques and building technologies—to recreate the development of productive forces in primitive society, the emergence of social classes, and the laws of societal progress.

Haiqu Han Tomb Exhibition

The Rizhao Haiqu Han Tomb Exhibition is a key display in the city. The Haiqu Han Tomb site in Rizhao was selected as one of the "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2002" due to its well-preserved tomb structures, unique burial customs, and the large number of exquisite relics unearthed, making it highly influential in the archaeological field. The tomb artifacts are abundant, with over 1,200 items including pottery, bronzeware, lacquerware, woodware, bamboo ware, jade, ironware, and hornware. Among these, 500 lacquer and wooden items represent the largest and best-preserved collection in Shandong, and are considered among the finest lacquer and wood artifacts in northern China. Notably, a wooden coffin containing human remains was excavated, with the fabric covering the interior still clearly visible. The high number of exquisite burial objects found in the Haiqu Han Tombs indicates that their owners were as wealthy as royalty, reflecting that Haiqu County in the Han Dynasty was a region with relatively advanced economy and culture. The preservation of the coffin and outer coffin structures at the Haiqu Tomb site is also the best in Shandong, offering high research value. The Rizhao Haiqu Han Tomb Exhibition systematically displays the high historical, scientific, and artistic value of the relics unearthed from the site.

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum in China