Shuidonggou Site Museum

Shuidonggou Site Museum

The Shuidonggou Site Museum is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Shuidonggou Site Museum is located at the foot of the Ming Great Wall in Linghe Town, Lingwu, Yinchuan City, Ningxia, 24 kilometers from Yinchuan, the provincial capital, and 11 kilometers from Hedong Airport, covering a construction area of 4,308 square meters. Its architectural design draws inspiration from the most iconic element of the Paleolithic cultural materials in Shuidonggou — the Mousterian flint blades of the West — and adopts earthy yellow, the predominant color of stone tools and the site environment, as its basic tone. The exterior mimics the shape of stone tools. It is the only thematic museum in western China dedicated to showcasing the Paleolithic Age.

Shuidonggou is the earliest excavated Paleolithic cultural site in China and a world-renowned heritage site. The discovery of the Shuidonggou site shattered the erroneous assertion by Western scholars that China had no Paleolithic cultural remains. It pioneered the study of China’s Paleolithic era, attracting the attention of numerous scholars from China and abroad. Its significance was so profound that it was hailed by Liu Dongsheng, the father of Quaternary archaeology, as the “Renaissance of Chinese Paleolithic Archaeology!”

With the unique cultural aura of its ancient valley site and the breathtaking natural beauty crafted by nature’s artistry, Shuidonggou has now become a widely celebrated tourist destination. Streams of visitors come to admire precious relics and images in the museum, hike outdoors in search of ancestral traces, take boat rides to enjoy the scenic beauty of lakes and valleys, or ride horses to experience the vastness of the land and the ruggedness of cliffs.

The Shuidonggou Site Museum was established against this cultural backdrop. Its main feature lies in integrating artistic, literary, and high-tech innovative elements into a traditional museum format. Through large-scale bas-reliefs, a 270-degree semi-panoramic painting, animation, Pepper’s ghost imaging, live scenes, real artifacts, and the use of cutting-edge technologies such as sound, light, electricity, and an adjustable earthquake simulation platform, the museum vividly reconstructs the harmonious production and daily life scenes of ancient humans from 30,000 years ago — such as making stone tools, conducting rituals, fishing, and hunting — as well as the dramatic moments of disaster. This approach has pioneered exhibition formats in Chinese museums, establishing it as one of the most advanced exhibition venues in China and earning unanimous recognition from experts worldwide.

The museum consists of two parts: the above-ground corridor exhibition area and the sunken exhibition area. Along the 120-meter exhibition line of the above-ground corridor, it is designed in sequence into five units: Introduction, Human Evolution History, Paleolithic Sites in China, The Shuidonggou Cultural Site in Ningxia, and Conclusion. The highlight is the Shuidonggou Cultural Site in Ningxia unit, which is divided into nine major sections: geographical overview of Shuidonggou, geological structure of the site, paleo-environmental characteristics of Shuidonggou, discovery of the Shuidonggou site, distribution map of the site, five excavations at Shuidonggou, excavation findings, research on the Shuidonggou site, and the production and living scenes of the Shuidonggou people. In terms of exhibition format, it breaks away from the conventional method of merely displaying artifacts in cases. Instead, it incorporates a blend of artifacts, charts, sculptures, oil paintings, scene reconstructions, earthquake platforms, flash floods, sand tables, multimedia displays, and interactive audience participation. It extensively adopts the latest international scientific achievements, especially digital and multimedia technologies, to significantly enhance the overall exhibition effect.

The most stunning and impressive part of the museum is the sunken exhibition area. With a construction area of 1,080 square meters, the sunken floor is 16 meters below the museum roof. The entire exhibition hall fully utilizes semi-panoramic paintings and live scene displays to recreate the living environment of 30,000 years ago. Using Pepper’s ghost imaging, sound, light, and electricity technologies, it authentically reproduces the life scenes of that time. As you enter the exhibition hall, you step through a time tunnel into the ancient age, where you see prehistoric people clad in animal hides walking against biting winds and snow. Upon arriving at Shuidonggou — a land rich in water and grass — smiles appear on their faces. From then on, Shuidonggou became their beautiful home, where they lived happily. Look over there: men are hunting with spears made of stone tools and sticks tied together; here, women are picking plant fruits on the shore, fishing in the lake, or using animal stomachs as containers to fetch water. Further back, several people are helping a woman give birth. At night, everyone gathers around a bonfire, roasting game, dancing joyfully, and couples are expressing affection — see that man tenderly placing a beautifully crafted ostrich eggshell necklace, made by himself, around his beloved’s neck. When night falls, all sleep. Suddenly, thunder roars, lightning flashes, fierce winds rise, and torrential rain pours down like a waterfall. Before people can react, a bluish flash is followed by the deafening sound of the earth splitting open. A deep trench over ten feet wide opens up beneath their feet, and people flee in panic. Eventually, a flood erupts, raging like a herd of stampeding horses, mercilessly chasing fleeing deer, bison, donkeys, and people... The skies clear, the rain stops, and people, looking at their ruined home, leave their once-beautiful land with heavy hearts, supporting the elderly and carrying the young as they glance back one last time. This is the breathtaking experience the sunken exhibition hall offers.

To guide and attract more visitors to step into the world of 30,000 years, understand Shuidonggou, and popularize Shuidonggou culture, the museum’s construction emphasizes the philosophy of “people-oriented” and “appealing to all.” It integrates academic, professional, educational, aesthetic, and experiential elements, with a particular focus on the experiential aspect.

Linghe Town: Linghe Town

Located at the northern end of Lingwu City, Linghe Town borders Tao’le to the north along the Great Wall, faces Yinchuan, the provincial capital, across the river to the west, connects to Ciyao Pu Town to the east, and has the Yellow River flowing through it for 21 kilometers. It has 13,500 mu of arable land and 720,000 mu of grassland. The town governs seven administrative villages and 28 villager groups, with a total population of 8,000.

Industrial strength has gradually increased. The town currently has 168 enterprises of various types, including 27 brick kilns and 36 other factories. In 2003, the total industrial output value reached 106 million yuan.

In 2003, the town achieved a total agricultural output value of... Detailed information about Linghe Town++

Further reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units