Inner Mongolia Prehistoric Culture Museum

Inner Mongolia Prehistoric Culture Museum

The Inner Mongolia Prehistoric Culture Museum is located on the north side of Huiwen Square in Xinhui Town, Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is one of the county-level museums with the largest floor space in the entire region and is recognized as a National Excellent Patriotic Education Base. The museum displays over 30,000 sets of relics and precious artifacts unearthed from archaeological sites, including 112 first-class national cultural relics, more than 500 second- and third-class relics, and over 100 items considered nationally precious. These exhibits showcase the emergence, development, and prosperity of ancient civilizations in the region over the past 8,000 years.

The museum has an exhibition area of 2,000 square meters, divided into five exhibition halls: The first and second halls feature the "Dawn of Civilization at the Liao River Source – Prehistoric Cultural Relics Exhibition." The third hall presents the "Scenes of the Liao Dynasty through the Artist’s Brush – Exhibition of Fine Tomb Murals from the Liao Dynasty." The fourth hall, titled "The Empire on Horseback – Exhibition of Fine Cultural Relics from the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties," displays over 100 exquisite artifacts from these dynasties, recreating the grandeur of the Khitan regime and the glory of the Mongol-Yuan Empire. The fifth hall is a special exhibition on Hongshan Culture, systematically showcasing the remarkable wisdom of the Hongshan people. With about 500 displayed relics, the exhibition has received acclaim from experts, scholars, and officials alike for its academic, artistic, and visual excellence. The museum receives over 50,000 visitors annually and hosts more than 600 visiting scholars from Japan, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries, making it an important window for promoting Aohan Banner internationally.

Through years of archaeological surveys, the museum has discovered over 4,200 ancient cultural sites and tombs from various periods across the banner, "ranking first in the nation." Notable cultures such as the Xinglongwa, Zhaobaogou, Xiaohexi, and Xiaoheyan cultures were first identified by the museum during its cultural relic surveys. These discoveries have filled gaps in the archaeological chronology of northern China and pushed back the history of China's Neolithic Age by 2,000 to 3,000 years. It is rare for a single banner to have given its name to four prehistoric cultures. As a result, Aohan Banner has become an internationally recognized center for historical and cultural research in northern China and even Northeast Asia.

In the 1980s, the Inner Mongolia Prehistoric Culture Museum was awarded the title of National Advanced Collective in the Cultural Relics and Museums System by the Ministry of Culture for its outstanding performance in cultural relic surveys. In the 1990s, through the use of local rich human resources and various promotional methods such as mobile exhibitions and slide shows, the museum educated various social groups—including especially middle school students—in rural and pastoral areas, government agencies, and schools about the splendid ancient culture of Aohan Banner. For this, it was honored as a National Excellent Patriotic Education Base by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Later, the museum undertook the rescue and cleaning of a number of looted Liao Dynasty tombs, removing over 50 murals from tomb chambers, thus creating a treasure trove of Liao Dynasty painting art. These murals have been exhibited in Beijing, Baotou, and Hohhot, with some replicas also displayed overseas. The museum boasts a team of highly skilled professionals who excel in mural removal, artifact restoration, data organization, and research. Over 50 reports and papers have been published in provincial-level and higher journals, with some works winning awards from national and provincial social science institutions and academic organizations. In January 2002, the book "Essence of Aohan Cultural Relics" was published by the Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Press. It includes 16 key provincial-level and above cultural heritage sites and archaeological sites or cemeteries in the banner that have had significant academic impact both domestically and internationally. Museum collections are introduced by material type, including pottery, porcelain, jade, stone, gold, silver, bronze, and wood, with over 200 selected items featured. Additionally, over 80 murals have been documented, most of which are published for the first time, holding significant academic value for the study of ancient cultures and history in northern China. The museum has also received multiple commendations from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Department of Culture and the Chifeng Municipal Government, serving as a flagship institution in the region's cultural heritage sector.

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China