Fengning Manchu Museum

Fengning Manchu Museum

Fengning Manchu Museum serves as a patriotic education base.

Fengning Manchu Museum is located at No. 333 Ningfeng Road, Daguo Town, Fengning Manchu Autonomous County. The construction of the Fengning Manchu Autonomous County Manchu Museum began in October 2000 and was completed on September 30, 2002. It has a total floor area of 4,695 square meters, with the main building stretching 73.3 meters in length, 12.3 meters in width, and 23 meters in height. It features a brick-concrete structure, with the main body consisting of five floors (partially designed as six floors). The overall architectural style highlights prominent ethnic characteristics, combining elegance with simplicity. The exhibition area covers 3,295 square meters, the storage area 300 square meters, the office space 900 square meters, and the multi-functional lecture hall 200 square meters. The construction investment amounted to 5.268 million yuan, with over 1.6 million yuan allocated for exhibition setup. The museum houses a collection of over 10,000 cultural relics, including 1,213 classified as precious (among which 111 are first- to third-grade relics).

In December 2005, Fengning Manchu Museum was designated as part of the “Second Batch of Patriotic Education Bases in Chengde City” by the Propaganda Department of the Chengde Municipal Committee. In October 2009, it was honored as one of the “Third Batch of Patriotic Education Bases in Hebei Province” by the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee and the People’s Government of Hebei Province. While promoting the history and culture of Fengning, the museum seizes opportunities such as the annual “International Museum Day (May 18)” and “Cultural Heritage Day” to organize various activities. Through diverse formats, it educates the public about heritage preservation and encourages community involvement. Free booklets such as “Cultural Relics Regulations Handbook” and “Cultural Relics Protection Knowledge” leaflets are distributed to citizens. Since opening free to the public, the museum has welcomed over 60,000 visitors annually.

After its establishment, Fengning Manchu Museum merged with the County Cultural Relics Protection Management Office. Firmly focused on showcasing the characteristics of Fengning and the Manchu ethnicity, the museum launched a series of exhibitions and tapped deeply into its educational and promotional potential. After 2005, four main exhibition sections were developed. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall is the largest and richest thematic exhibition of intangible cultural heritage in the county's history. Covering an exhibition area of 110 square meters with a display line of 70 meters, it showcases selected projects from five intangible cultural heritage items recognized at the provincial level or above in the county, displaying over 100 images and physical exhibits. These are divided into six parts: folk art, folk music, folk dance, traditional crafts, dietary customs, and folk customs. The Chengde Educated Youth Exhibition (with an exhibition area of 200 square meters) is divided into six major sections. The Fengning Historical Relics Exhibition (exhibition area of 420 square meters), with a display area of 300 square meters, exhibits 442 cultural relics. Centered on relics unearthed in Fengning, it presents artifacts and remains left behind by ancient humans who once inhabited the area. The entire exhibition follows the timeline of historical development as its longitudinal thread and the evolution and integration of different ethnic groups through various periods as its latitudinal thread, highlighting the development of several key ethnic groups in Fengning. The Manchu Folk Custom Exhibition (exhibition area of 300 square meters) uses detailed historical data and a large number of folk objects to illustrate Manchu customs, lifestyle, and developmental progress, emphasizing the Manchu people’s historical contributions to the Chinese nation and their role in ethnic unity. It inspires future generations to uphold the pioneering spirit of the nation and strive to create a new era of Manchu civilization.

In addition to protecting cultural relics and unearthed artifacts across the county, Fengning Manchu Museum has also conducted extensive research. Over the years, professionals have continuously strengthened historical studies and academic exchanges.

Staff members of the Manchu Museum have joined organizations such as the China Great Wall Society, the Chinese Museums Association, the Hebei Provincial Museums Association, the Archaeological Society, and the Khitan and Jurchen History Society. They have participated multiple times in academic seminars in Henan Province, Liaoning Province, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and within the province. Former director Zhang Hanying and museum director Bai Ruijie were also invited to give lectures on cultural relics theory elsewhere and contributed to the outline writing for the redesign of major provincial museums in the province. In recent years, they have authored numerous academic articles published in national and provincial professional journals, including over thirty papers such as “An Investigation of 'Tan Shan' in the Liao Dynasty,” “Ancient Worship of Horned Beasts,” “An Investigation of Commercial Advertising,” and “The Ancient Great Wall and Jin Dynasty Border Walls in Fengning, Hebei.” These works have drawn social attention, with some even receiving awards. Other works such as “The Liao Tombs at Wudaogoumen in Fengning, Hebei,” “An Overview of Agricultural Archaeology in Fengning,” and “The Excavation Report of the Shangguanying Liao Tombs in Fengning” reflect the cultural relics of specific eras. Articles like “Insights from Hosting Manchu Cultural and Historical Exhibitions,” “Breaking the Stiff Mold of Traditional Exhibitions — A Discussion on Museum Exhibition Design,” and “A Discussion on the Causes of Disorder in the Cultural Relics Market and Related Countermeasures” explore how county-level museums can develop and adapt to today’s economic trends. The team also compiled a nearly 600,000-word manuscript titled A Concise Dictionary of Chinese Cultural Relics Knowledge. After more than three years of effort, all museum staff co-authored and published Fengning Cultural Relics Annals, Fengning History and Culture, and Fengning Archaeology, Cultural Relics, and Folklore Collection, providing comprehensive and detailed records of all aspects of Fengning’s cultural relics protection work.

Fengning Manchu Museum is a National Third-Class Museum that has received multiple commendations and awards. It stands as a model for grassroots cultural heritage work in Hebei Province and is also a provincial-level patriotic education base. The museum’s mission includes patriotic education, revolutionary tradition education, and education in dialectical and historical materialism. By showcasing thousands of years of brilliant history, promoting the Party’s policies, advocating the themes of the times, and celebrating heroism, the museum enhances the public’s sense of national self-respect, confidence, and pride. Patriotic education is the eternal theme of the Manchu Museum.

Further Reading:

· China’s National Third-Class Museums