Linfen Museum

Linfen Museum

Linfen Museum is located at Haizibian Dayun Chan Temple (commonly known as Iron Buddha Temple), Huguxi Street, Yaodu District, Linfen City. It was established in October 1964 and is under the administration of the Linfen Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics. The Iron Buddha Temple was first built in the sixth year of the Zhenguan era during the Tang Dynasty and has been renovated in subsequent dynasties. The existing structures include the mountain gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall, the Golden Top Pagoda, and the Scripture Repository, as well as north and south side halls and wing rooms, most of which were rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty. Covering an area of 11,800 square meters with a building area of 3,800 square meters, the main structure — the Golden Top Pagoda — stands approximately 30 meters tall with six stories. The iron-cast Buddha head is believed to be a work from the Tang Dynasty and is one of the earliest and largest surviving iron Buddha statues in China, serving as a valuable artifact for the study of ancient Chinese casting techniques. In 1996, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit.

The museum currently houses a collection of over 1,000 artifacts, primarily from the Han Dynasty. Categories include pottery, porcelain, and bronze ware, with bronze mirrors from the Han, Tang, Jin, and Song periods being particularly notable. The exhibition space covers about 2,000 square meters across seven galleries, featuring displays such as the "Cultural Relics, Painting, and Calligraphy Collection Exhibition," "A Pictorial Exhibition of Fine Cultural Relics Through the Ages in Linfen," and "Exhibition of Celebrity Calligraphy and Paintings in the Museum’s Collection." Internal departments include the office, security section, conservation department, exhibition department, and public engagement department.

Further Reading:

· National First-Class Museum of China