Museum of Weights and Measures

Museum of Weights and Measures

Weights and measures are a crystallization of the ancient civilization and wisdom of the Chinese nation. For thousands of years, they have been deeply rooted in the concepts and customs of Chinese civilization and the people, widely applied across various fields of production and daily life. With a long history and profound richness.

The Museum of Weights and Measures, housed in the residence of the Qu family — a prominent merchant clan from the Ming and Qing dynasties located on the Ancient Shanxi Merchants’ Street — displays nearly a thousand various types of ancient measuring tools made from clay, bone, bronze, iron, jade, porcelain, stone, wood, and bamboo. These tools date from ancient times through the Republic of China era, including rulers, measures, cauldrons, liters, pecks, weights, scales, balances, and small steelyards. Through methods such as classifying items by type, narrating changes through history, and connecting objects to their uses, the museum systematically and artistically showcases the emergence, development, unification, and perfection of ancient Chinese weights and measures, as well as their role in driving economic growth and social progress throughout human history. The museum also features interactive measuring instruments that visitors can try out, making it an ideal place to learn about China’s ancient civilization, study the knowledge of weights and measures, and enjoy an engaging and enlightening experience.