Xiangyang Museum

Xiangyang Museum

Xiangyang Museum is a patriotic education base.

The current site of Xiangyang City Museum is Zhāomíng Tower, located at No. 1 Beijie, Xiangcheng District, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province. Originally built during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was constructed to commemorate Xiao Tong, the Crown Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty, who compiled China’s earliest anthology of poetry and prose, the "Zhaoming Wenxuan." It has long been a landmark building in Xiangyang, hailed as the “foremost scenic attraction in the city.” It was destroyed in 1973. The existing structure was rebuilt on the original site in 1992, and in 2006, the municipal government took back Zhāomíng Tower to serve as a temporary museum facility.

The museum building covers a land area of 4,202 square meters, with a total floor space of 9,739 square meters, including 3,200 square meters of exhibition halls and 1,200 square meters of storage space. It has seven floors: the basement houses meeting rooms and an academic lecture hall; the first floor contains the lobby and visitor reception center; the second and third floors feature permanent exhibition halls, cultural relics storage, and offices; the fourth and fifth floors are used for temporary exhibitions; and the sixth floor is a library.

The museum officially opened to the public free of charge on December 28, 2008. Based on its permanent and temporary exhibitions, it undertakes the mission of promoting Xiangyang’s long and rich history and culture. Services provided include: free admission for visitors, along with consultation, guided tours, luggage storage, and volunteer-led explanations; annual free appraisals of citizens’ collections on International Museum Day and Cultural Heritage Day, with daily consultations available for antique enthusiasts, collectors, and those wishing to donate cultural relics or specimens; development of cultural tourism souvenirs based on relics resources, and the sale of related travel merchandise; provision of research materials for relevant institutions; storage services for collections owned by individuals or organizations upon request; and undertaking the restoration and replication of various metal cultural relics for external clients.

Opening hours are from 9:00 to 17:00 every Tuesday to Sunday (last entry at 16:00, visitors must exit by 16:30 when the exhibition halls are cleared). The museum is closed every Monday (except on national public holidays when it remains open, but closes on the first working day after the holiday), as well as all day on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Special closure dates will be announced separately.

Bus routes: Take bus No. 1, 6, 8, 13, 14, 21, 24, 28, 29, 307, 512, 517, 536, or 537 and get off at Shizijie Station.

Further reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China