Riverside Folk Museum

Riverside Folk Museum

The Riverside Folk Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Riverside Folk Museum is located within the former residence of Yan Xishan in Hebian Town, Dingxiang County, and officially opened to the public on June 6, 1989. The former residence of Yan Xishan is one of the best-preserved and largest bureaucratic private mansions in old China, construction of which began in 1913 and was halted before the outbreak of the War of Resistance in 1937. Covering a total area of approximately 33,000 square meters, with a building area of 10,000 square meters, it now consists of 27 courtyards including the Governor's Mansion, Deyilou, the General’s Mansion, the Pierced Courtyard, East Garden, West Garden, and the Children’s Welfare Institute, totaling more than 700 rooms. The overall architectural complex is grand and majestic, with a well-arranged layout that includes traditional quadrangle dwellings, elegant pavilions and towers, rustic brick-and-stone cave dwellings, as well as novel European-style buildings. It blends folk and official, Chinese and Western architectural styles, demonstrating a unique cultural and aesthetic value. In 1986, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit.

The museum's storage area covers 400 square meters and houses a collection of over 4,000 cultural relics, including historical artifacts, modern and contemporary items, as well as folk relics. Inside the Folk Museum, there are over 90 exhibition halls showcasing North Shanxi folk customs such as paper-cutting, carving, embroidery, food, clothing, and etiquette, along with more than 10 exhibit courtyards that recreate major events that once took place in the Yan Mansion. The total exhibition area exceeds 4,000 square meters.

The museum currently has various departments including the Office, Exhibition Production Department, Tourism Reception Department, Tourism Product Development Department, Cultural Relics Security Department, Research and Documentation Department, and Logistics Management Department. It has published a series of books and periodicals such as the "North Shanxi Folk Culture" series (10 volumes), "Illustrated Guide to Folk Trades," and "Dingxiang Literary Collection." Nearly 50 research papers have been published or presented at provincial-level publications and academic conferences.

A national AAAA-level scenic spot and a national second-grade museum.

Further reading:

· China National Second-Grade Museum