Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum

Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum

The Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum is a local comprehensive museum, established in March 1990 and affiliated with the Culture Bureau of the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture.

The construction project of the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum officially broke ground on Shihua Avenue in Korla. This project was identified as a key initiative in the 2007 Cultural and Health Development Year of the prefecture. The project covers a total area of 39.41 mu, with a building area of 26,500 square meters and a total investment of 64 million yuan. It has a frame structure and a building height of 51.35 meters. The building consists of ten floors: the basement level serves as a cultural relics storage room, while the nine above-ground levels include, from the first to the eighth floor respectively, exhibition halls for cultural and art works, historical culture of petroleum drilling and railway construction, exhibits on land reclamation and border defense as well as nuclear testing, exhibits on the Eastward Migration culture, the ancient Loulan culture, and regional folk culture.

In terms of architectural design, the museum takes the Loulan Buddhist stupa as its main design element, complemented by a Mongolian Vajra Sarira stupa as the foundation, symbolizing the exploration and reflection of the ancient Loulan culture. Here, millennia of historical civilization will be brought back to life. The project is scheduled to complete its main structure in November, ensuring completion and handover before the end of October 2008.

As a landmark project of the prefecture’s Cultural and Health Development Year, the groundbreaking of the Bayingolin Museum officially kicked off the activities of the year. Meanwhile, the prefecture will also begin constructing a series of cultural infrastructure projects including the Bayingol Cultural Center, library, and youth science and technology activity center. These efforts aim to preserve historical civilization, reflect contemporary characteristics, highlight urban charm, and promote the unique multi-ethnic historical culture of the prefecture to the entire nation and beyond.

The exhibitions are divided into four halls. The first hall features the Chabuhugoukou Culture, showcasing artifacts unearthed from ancient tombs in Chabuhugoukou, Hejing County, and Qunbak, Luntai County, primarily including painted pottery and bronze ware. The second and third halls display historical relics from the pre-Qin period to the Qing Dynasty, arranged chronologically, featuring mainly stone tools, bronze ware, ironware, pottery, gold and silverware, bone and horn artifacts, jade ware, coins, stone carvings, documents, clay figurines, wool textiles, weapons, and ethnic cultural items. The fourth hall exhibits the ancient corpses from Zhahongluk, Qiemo County, displaying three mummies over 3,000 years old along with wool textiles unearthed from the tombs. In total, nearly 600 cultural relics are on display, reflecting the daily life and production conditions of the ancient inhabitants within the prefecture, especially notable for their painted pottery and wool textiles that best represent local cultural characteristics. The museum offers free admission from 10:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday to Sunday, and is closed on Monday (except for national public holidays). Free entry follows a “free but ticketed” policy — visitors can collect one free ticket per person upon presenting a valid ID or other official document, and must queue for entry.

The Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum is located at People’s Square, Korla City, Xinjiang. Postal code: 841000

In September 2018, the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum was designated as a National Second-Class Museum by the Chinese Museums Association.

On November 27, 2020, the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture Museum in Korla City was officially recognized as a National AAAA-level Tourist Attraction.

Further Reading:

· China National Second-Class Museums