Yunyang Museum

Yunyang Museum

Yunyang Museum is a national third-grade museum. It is the earliest-established, most comprehensively endowed, and first to have collection and exhibition facilities among comprehensive county-level museums in northwestern Hubei. It serves as a key window showcasing the ancient human history and culture of Yunyang.

Yunyang Museum is located at No. 6, Dongxiang, Wenhua Lane, Yunyang Road, Chengguan Town, Yun County. It was established in April 1961. In 1967, it moved from the old town of Yunyang to the new town’s Dongling area, sharing an office and dual signage with the Yun County Cultural Center. In July 1981, it became an independent entity and relocated to its current site. In April 2000, after renovation and expansion, it officially opened to the public, and in August 2008, it began offering free admission. The museum covers a construction area of 5,186 square meters, including 1,600 square meters of exhibition space. It houses a collection of over 50,000 cultural relics (including those unearthed during the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and archaeological specimens), among which there are 6 first-grade relics, 24 second-grade relics, and 149 third-grade relics (the count of graded relics excludes those from the South-to-North Water Diversion project). Over 300 relics are on display. There are four main permanent exhibition areas: the Yunyang Historical Relics Exhibition Area, the “Yunxian Man” Exhibition Area, the Replica Li Tai Family Tomb Area, and the Yang Xianzhen Memorial Area. Additionally, the museum hosts or co-hosts 2–5 temporary exhibitions each year, mainly featuring calligraphy and paintings by notable figures from Yunyang and unusual stones. Yunyang Museum is a moral education and patriotic education base in Shiyan City, and one of Hubei Province’s “Top Ten Cultural and Museum Units.”

Since July 2003, Yunyang Museum has operated under a unified management structure with the Yun County Cultural Relics Bureau, sharing one team and dual signage. It is responsible for the protection and management of 885 immovable cultural heritage sites across the county, including ancient ruins, tombs, architecture, stone carvings, and modern revolutionary structures. The immovable cultural relics of Yun County have far-reaching significance. The Xuetangliangzi (Yunxian Man) Site has been included in the Chinese Encyclopedia and university textbooks. The “Meipu Ape Man Site” and “Qinglongquan Site” are listed in the Chinese Scenic Spots Dictionary and the Chinese Cultural Relics Dictionary, respectively. The family tomb of Prince Pu Li Tai, the third son of Emperor Taizong of Tang, is the only known imperial family tomb cluster outside the capital Chang’an. The Qinglongshan Dinosaur Egg Fossil Cluster in Liuba attracts worldwide scientific attention and has caused a great sensation both domestically and abroad. The coexistence of dinosaur egg and bone fossils in Lijiagou, Meipu, is rare in China and uncommon globally.

During the world-renowned South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project, over 100 underground cultural relic rescue and protection sites in Yun County were involved. Through scientific excavations carried out by more than 40 archaeological research institutions from across the country—including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Renmin University of China, and the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology—a large number of relics and archaeological specimens were unearthed. Among them are the Liaowadianzi Site, named the “Liaowadianzi Culture,” and the Qinglongquan Site, named the “Qinglongquan Phase III Culture.” Other significant finds include the Spring and Autumn Period Qiaojiayuan Tomb Cluster, large settlement sites from the Han Dynasty, cliff tombs from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the family tomb of Li Tai (the third son of Emperor Taizong of Tang), architectural foundations and complexes from the Ming and Qing Dynasties—all of which hold important historical and scientific research value.

Yunyang Museum warmly welcomes visitors from all walks of life, both domestically and internationally, to explore the traces of ancient human habitation, reflect on the vicissitudes of human history, uncover the mysteries of the Han River culture, and experience the rich heritage of Yunyang’s ancient history.

Further Reading:

· China National Third-Grade Museum