Shuozhou Han Tombs Museum

Shuozhou Han Tombs Museum

The Shuozhou Han Tombs Museum was established in August 1999. In 2008, the Shuozhou Municipal Committee and Municipal Government strengthened cultural infrastructure construction by investing approximately 100 million yuan to build the new Shuozhou Museum on the west side of Renmin Park along Zhenhua West Street in Shuozhou. The museum covers an area of 50 mu, with a total construction area of 19,800 square meters. The main structure is cylindrical, with three floors above ground and one underground. The first floor serves as public shared space, while the second and third floors house exhibition halls. Its façade is grand and imposing, symbolizing the mighty wheel of history. It is aesthetically pleasing, simple, and modern in style.

The museum has a total of four large exhibition halls, covering a combined area of 3,456 square meters. Among them, the basic permanent exhibitions are located on the first floor in two halls, while the major exhibition “Ancient Civilization of Shuozhou” is on the third floor. The exhibition area spans 1,696 square meters, with an exhibit line of about 820 meters, and a total investment of 12.6 million yuan. The content is divided into six sections: the first section is “Prehistoric Civilization”; the second, “Warring Turmoil”; the third, “A Generation of Notables”; the fourth, “Architectural Marvels”; the fifth, “Collection of Treasures”; and the sixth, “Frontier Fortress.” The exhibition features representative cultural and historical relics such as the famous “Zhìyù People” culture; the Warring States period “Sòngzǐ” three-hole spade coins; the Han Dynasty “Goose and Fish Lamp”; the Liao Dynasty “Fo Gong Temple Yingxian Wooden Pagoda”; and the Jin Dynasty “Chóngfú Temple Amitabha Hall” and “Jìngtǔ Temple Mahavira Hall.” A total of 572 pieces (sets) of exquisite cultural relics are displayed, along with 731 pieces of text, images, and charts, 57 portraits, sculptures, and silicone figures, 13 large paintings and scene recreations, and 2 ancient building models. The exhibition utilizes high-tech audiovisual methods such as large-scale phantom imaging, 360-degree holographic displays, touch screens, digital projectors, slides, and projections. Through key artifacts representing broader historical narratives, it vividly showcases the glorious history and splendid culture created by the people of Shuozhou, as well as the city’s unique position in Chinese history. Among the precious relics—such as the Goose and Fish Lamp, Sòngzǐ three-hole spade coins, and stone arrowheads—some have been exhibited in Japan and Italy, with the originals now housed in the National Museum. The second floor is the Shuozhou Modern Industrial Development Exhibition Center, also featuring two halls on one floor, with an exhibition area of 1,696 square meters and an exhibit line of about 820 meters. It primarily displays the city's economic development in recent years, divided into ten sections: “Coal Industry,” “Power Generation,” “Circular Economy,” “Gold-Related Industries,” “Chemical Raw Materials and Manufacturing,” “Pharmaceutical Industry,” “Equipment Manufacturing,” “Dairy Industry,” “Ceramics Manufacturing,” and “Specialty Food Industry.” The first-floor lobby is mainly used for comprehensive temporary exhibitions and various public services. The museum officially opened to the public on November 27, 2014, offering completely free admission.

The museum’s collections are primarily acquired through citywide allocations and archaeological excavations. The total number of cultural relics in the collection is about 21,300 pieces (sets), mainly including bronzes, ceramics, pottery, jade artifacts, calligraphy and paintings, and ancient coins. Among them, there are approximately 15 first-grade relics, 157 second-grade relics, and 300 third-grade relics. The museum has built an artifact storage facility of about 1,280 square meters, equipped with security technology systems such as surveillance, anti-theft, access control, and electronic patrol. The storage rooms are outfitted with various types of artifact preservation equipment tailored to different collections, maintaining constant temperature and humidity as required.

Further Reading:

· China National Third-Class Museum