Yuncheng Museum

Yuncheng Museum

Yuncheng Museum is located on Weifeng Street in Yanhu District, with a construction area of 23,570 square meters and an exhibition area of 15,000 square meters. It ranks among the top in scale across the province and is a modern comprehensive museum. As one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation, Yuncheng Museum’s exhibitions interpret the ancient Hedong culture from various angles such as history, art, resources, figures, and architecture, highlighting Yuncheng’s significant place in the long river of Chinese history and culture. The exhibition design is elegant and grand, with a smooth and rational layout of display routes, and concise text in the guide system, reflecting both the educational and entertaining aspects of the displays. Artworks employ techniques such as sculpture, modeling, painting, and scene restoration to vividly recreate the living scenes of ancient humans and emphasize regional cultural elements.

The museum’s permanent exhibition is themed “East of the Great River” — “Ancient China • New Yuncheng,” divided into three parts and ten topics covering history and culture, revolutionary events, and modern construction achievements, displaying over 2,000 pieces (sets) of precious cultural relics. The history and culture section includes five topics: the “Roots of Chinese Civilization” topic showcases important archaeological sites and physical historical materials from the origin of humanity to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties in the Yuncheng area, highlighting key items such as “A Glimmer of Dawn” (the Century Dawn Ape), “A Pile of Sacred Fire” (fire use at Xihoudu), “Half a Silkworm Cocoon” (silkworm cocoon from the Xiyin site), “A Square Ding” (the Qianzhuang Square Ding), and “A Piece of Funeral Drapery” (funeral drapery from the ?? State tomb). The “Treasures of the Collection” topic is divided into four categories: bronzes, stone carvings, ceramics, and calligraphy and paintings, displaying precious cultural relics from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to modern times, with highlights including the Tang Dynasty Xue Jing Stone Sarcophagus, epitaphs of the Pei family, Longmen stone carvings, Han Dynasty ink pottery bottles, and national treasure-level Ming Dynasty Taoist Water–Land Ritual paintings. The “Salt Through the Ages” topic introduces the historical connection between the salt lake and Yuncheng in chronological order, as well as its important status since ancient times, along with achievements in education, public welfare, water conservancy, roads, and commerce driven by the salt industry. Restored scenes include the “Paddy-field Salt-making” process, the salt lake forbidden wall, and the old monk’s salt lake management system. The “Land of Outstanding People” topic tells the stories of 24 sages from the Hedong region, highlighting figures such as the Martial Saint Guan Yu, the eminent historian Sima Guang, the leader of Yuan opera Guan Hanqing, one of the Eight Immortals Lü Dongbin, the teacher of the Sage of Calligraphy Wei Fu, and the three prominent families — the Pei, Xue, and Liu families. The “Architectural Splendor” topic uses architectural models and mural scenes to present 16 representative ancient buildings and scenic spots in the Yuncheng area, emphasizing structures such as China’s only surviving brick pagoda — the Fanzhou Zen Master Pagoda, the foremost bridge of the flourishing Tang Dynasty — the Pujindu Yellow River Pontoon Bridge, one of the four existing Tang Dynasty buildings in China — the Wulong Temple, the Yongle Palace murals, and the “World’s Number One Wooden Tower” — the Feiyun Tower. The revolutionary events section covers revolutionary incidents, battles, and the heroic deeds of martyrs that took place in Yuncheng during the 1911 Revolution, the May Fourth Movement, the Agrarian Revolutionary period, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the Liberation War. The modern construction achievements section reflects the transformations in Yuncheng’s agriculture, industry, urban development, and culture.

Yuncheng Museum Opening Hours:

Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00 (last entry at 16:00), closed on Mondays (except statutory holidays).

Address: Weifeng Street, Eastern New District, Yuncheng City

Postal Code: 044000

Phone: 0359-6365909

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China