Liaozhongjing Museum

Liaozhongjing Museum

The Liaozhongjing Museum in Ningcheng County was established in 1988 on the foundation of the county administration’s cultural relics exhibition room. The museum is located within the Liaozhongjing Site, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, covering an area of 45,000 square meters with a building area of 2,200 square meters. Since its establishment, the museum has hosted over 30 exhibitions, including displays of cultural relics unearthed in Ningcheng, Liao Dynasty artifacts, paleontological fossils, and lifelike wax figures of historical figures from the Liao and Song dynasties. It has also organized exhibitions on Ningcheng’s socio-economic achievements, national defense education, calligraphy and painting works, as well as showcases of fine collections from museums in neighboring banners and counties. In 2006, the National Cultural Heritage Administration listed the Liaozhongjing Museum under the “County-Level Museum Display and Service Enhancement Project.” Following the enhancement, the museum highlights local characteristics through four thematic exhibitions: “Grassland Bronzes,” “Ancient Capital Liaozhongjing,” “Chronicles of the Khitan,” and “Traces of the Cretaceous Period.” The “Grassland Bronzes” exhibition comprehensively showcases the Bronze Age culture of northern China—the Upper Xiajiadian Culture—through weapons, ritual objects, horse and chariot fittings, daily and production tools, and ornaments. The “Ancient Capital Liaozhongjing” exhibition systematically presents the former glory of Liaozhongjing through themes such as tracing Liao tombs, the grandeur of the ancient capital, exploring the Liao pagodas, and daily urban life. “Chronicles of the Khitan” features 23 meticulously crafted wax figures of historical figures from the Liao and Song dynasties, along with six historical scenes such as “Heavenly Deity Bestows a Child” and “Friendly Exchanges,” offering visitors a basic understanding of the Liao Dynasty and Liaozhongjing. The museum has an exhibition area of 1,300 square meters, displaying over 500 sets of cultural relics.

The Investment Promotion Bureau of Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has learned that a Liao Culture Folk Park is planned to be built at the site of the Liaozhongjing Ruins, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Liao Culture Folk Park is located in Damingshi Town, 12 kilometers from Tianyi Town, the county seat of Ningcheng County. It is a cultural tourism area centered around the Liaozhongjing Ruins, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The project includes restoring parts of the ancient city wall, establishing an archaeology park, a Khitan Folk Museum, a Famous Pagodas Garden, a Central Capital Amusement Park, a Liao-style Street, and a performance center. The first phase of the project requires an investment of 1.8 million yuan and plans to attract investment through sole proprietorship, joint ventures, or cooperation.

Liaozhongjing was one of the Five Capitals of the Liao Dynasty, with profound cultural heritage. It was initially built during the reign of Emperor Shengzong, the sixth emperor of the Liao Dynasty (1007 AD). The Dading Prefecture of Liaozhongjing served as one of the political, economic, and cultural centers in the mid-to-late Liao Dynasty. The city was laid out in a square shape, measuring eight li in length from east to west and seven and a half li from north to south, making it the largest city on the northern grasslands at that time.

There are three existing brick pagodas inside and outside the Liaozhongjing Ruins: the Great Pagoda, the Small Pagoda, and the Half-Pagoda. Among them, the Great Pagoda was built during the Liao Dynasty and is the most typical representative of Liao pagodas. This octagonal, 13-story solid brick pagoda with dense eaves stands 82 meters tall, with a diameter of 35.6 meters and a circumference of 112 meters. It is the third tallest pagoda in China and the best-preserved and largest brick pagoda in the country. Each of the eight sides of the pagoda body features exquisitely carved bodhisattva reliefs, which are intricately detailed and remarkably lifelike.

Further Reading:

· China's National Third-Class Museum