Datong Museum

Datong Museum

Datong Museum is located within the Lower Huayan Temple on Xiasi Po Street, Pingcheng District, Datong City. Established in 1959, it is a comprehensive regional museum. The Lower Huayan Temple covers an area of 13,043 square meters, with a building area of 3,420 square meters. The Huayan Temple derives its name from the Buddhist scripture "Avatamsaka Sutra." Originally built during the Liao Dynasty, it was divided into upper and lower temples during the Ming Dynasty. The main structure of the Lower Huayan Temple is the Baojia Scripture Repository Hall, which was used to store Buddhist scriptures. Constructed in the seventh year of the Chongxi reign during the Liao Dynasty (1038), it features a simple and solemn architectural style and is a typical example of Liao Dynasty hall design. The hall houses Liao Dynasty clay sculptures of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, disciples, and celestial kings, all masterfully crafted and considered among the finest examples of Liao sculpture. The interior walls of the hall feature multi-tiered scripture cabinets from the Liao period, which blend seamlessly with the heavenly palace pavilion above the rear window. In 1961, it was designated as one of the first batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites by the State Council.

The cultural relics in the collection of Datong Museum mainly come from archaeological excavations, surveys, donations, and transfers from various institutions. The museum currently houses over 26,000 pieces (sets) of relics, including bronzeware, ceramics, wooden artifacts, gold and silverware, stone carvings, as well as nearly 30,000 volumes of ancient books and Buddhist scriptures, along with some paleontological fossils. There are 7,000 precious relics in the collection; among them, relics from the Northern Wei Dynasty are the most representative.

The exhibition area of Datong Museum spans 819 square meters and currently features a permanent exhibition titled “A Brief History of Ancient Datong,” divided into five sections: “Ancient Datong,” “Yanmen Commandery of the Western Han Dynasty,” “Capital Pingcheng of the Wei Dynasty,” “Western Capital of the Liao and Jin Dynasties,” and “Datong Town of the Ming Dynasty.” In recent years, the museum has also hosted temporary exhibitions such as “Exhibition of Steles from the Museum Collection,” “Exhibition of Precious Relics from the Museum Collection,” and “Exhibition of Ming and Qing Porcelain.” Artifacts from the museum’s collection have also been displayed in international exhibitions in countries such as Italy, the United States, and Japan, organized by provincial and national cultural heritage departments.

The museum currently has departments including the Office, Conservation Department, Archaeology Department, Public Engagement Department, Technical Room, Library and Archives, Security Division, and Finance Division. In 1995, it was designated as a Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the Shanxi Provincial Committee and Government.

Address: No. 14, Xiasi Po Street, Huayan Street, Datong City

Type: Museum

Recommended visiting time: Approximately 2 hours

Phone: 0352-2303518

Official website: http://www.datongmuseum.com

Opening hours:

9:00–17:00 (last admission at 16:00), closed on Mondays; only closed for two days during the Spring Festival (New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year)

Ticket information:

Free entry. Advance reservation required.

Further reading:

· National First-Class Museum of China

· National Second-Class Museum of China