Macheng City Museum

Macheng City Museum

Macheng City Museum is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Macheng City Museum is situated on the south side of Macheng General’s Square. It is a municipal (county-level) museum that collects, protects, and displays local revolutionary and historical relics, and is affiliated with the Macheng City Bureau of Culture. The museum was planned in 1974, opened to the public in November 1982, and had its name inscribed by the then President of China in 1984. In 1998, it was designated as a Provincial Patriotic Education Demonstration Base by the Provincial People’s Government, serving as an important window for patriotic education in northeastern Hubei. The original museum building was located within the city’s Martyrs’ Cemetery. Due to the aging structure, limited space for expansion, and an inability to fully display and utilize the museum’s rich collection, its functions were greatly restricted. In May 2003, in order to advance the development of Macheng’s cultural and museum endeavors and establish a national-level patriotic education base, the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government decided to relocate and rebuild the museum. The relocation project broke ground in October 2004 and was completed by the end of December 2005. The new museum building is a grand, elegant steel-concrete structure designed in traditional Chinese architectural style. It covers a land area of 5,000 square meters, has a main building with four floors, a construction area of 4,200 square meters, and involved an investment of over 10 million yuan.

Macheng City boasts a long history and abundant cultural resources. According to the Third National Survey of Cultural Relics, 1,726 immovable cultural heritage sites have been identified, propelling the city to become a major cultural relic hub in Hubei Province. The city has one site listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, 14 sites protected at the provincial (municipal) level, and 62 sites protected at the municipal (county) level. The museum houses a collection of more than 12,000 cultural relics, including nine national first-grade relics, and over 300 second and third-grade relics. Notably famous and considered rare treasures nationwide are the tree-carved slogan of the 7th Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, a Northern Song Dynasty qilin-patterned porcelain pillow, and a Neolithic-era pottery xun unearthed from the Lishan Hill site. The museum employs 35 staff members, four of whom are retired. Its internal organizational structure is comprehensive, including departments such as the Public Engagement Department, Archaeology (Cultural Relics Protection) Department, Conservation Department, Security Division, Finance Office, and General Office. It also oversees four cultural relics management offices: the Baizi Pagoda, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit; the Chengmaxiang Guild Hall, the former site of the Student Army Command of the Central Peasant Movement Training Institute; the Confucius Temple in Macheng, the former site of the Macheng County Committee of the CPC; and the Ganlu Nunnery, the former site of the Farmers’ Association of the Six Urban Districts. The system for cultural relics protection and management is well-established, ensuring smooth operations and increasingly prominent functions of the museum.

The main building of Macheng City Museum has its first floor designated for offices and storage, the second floor houses the exhibition hall. The main exhibition is titled "In Search of History, Exploring Culture" — an exhibition of Macheng’s history and relics, divided into six sections: Underground Relics and Sealed Treasures; Establishment of Macheng and Its Remarkable People; Timeless Relics and Museum Highlights; A Thousand Miles of Migration, Homesick Roots; Calligraphy and Painting, Rich in Emotion; and others. The third floor features an exhibition on Macheng’s revolutionary history and relics, with two themes: "Eventful Years, Loyal Souls of the Dabie Mountains" and "Renewed Homeland, Marching Towards Revival." There is also an exhibition dedicated to the relics of the Ding brothers, who were part of the Red Army trio. The fourth floor will host an exhibition on the history and materials of Macheng’s migration, scheduled to open in July 2011, comprehensively showcasing Macheng’s humanistic environment, historical value, and red culture. A total of over 1,200 cultural relic specimens are displayed.

As one of the first group of museums in the province to offer free admission, Macheng City Museum officially opened to the public free of charge on April 23, 2008, during the first Azalea Cultural Tourism Festival held in Macheng. As a flagship institution of Macheng City, we consistently maintain excellent work ethics and public image. We have established guidelines for docents, which include: First, Appearance Standards: uniform dress, neat grooming, proper demeanor, and a friendly and approachable attitude; Second, Tour Guiding Standards: clear articulation, rich content, warm courtesy, and thoughtful service; Third, Inquiry Response Standards: attentive listening, answering all questions, using amiable language, and demonstrating sincerity and patience. These measures ensure visitors leave satisfied and happy. Docents wear uniforms, are assigned ID badges, and work under visible identification to allow for public supervision. Comprehensive systems have been put in place, including registration-based visits. The museum is open free of charge every Tuesday to Sunday, and closed on Mondays for meetings and training (excluding national holidays). Security personnel operate on a 24-hour shift system, and an electronic surveillance system has been installed. By combining human and technical security measures, the safety of exhibited relics is ensured. The museum receives nearly 400,000 visitors annually. To maintain service quality, we regularly train and educate our docents and security staff, actively participate in provincial tour guide competitions, and have achieved commendable results. These efforts lay a solid foundation for striving to become a national-level patriotic education demonstration base, and play a significant role in strengthening patriotic education, promoting red culture, and showcasing Macheng’s history.

Address: No. 48, Lingyuan Road, Lingyuan Road, Macheng City, Huanggang, Hubei Province