The Ethnic Museum Conceals Mysteries
Treasure on the Mountain Peak: Tracing the Millennia-Old Soul of Guangxi at Baise Youjiang Ethnic Museum
Stepping through the vermilion gate, time seems to freeze within the corridors and courtyards. An 800,000-year-old chopping tool lies quietly in a display case, gazing across at the 21st-century city of Baise outside the window.
Just a kilometer east from Baise city center, the lush greenery of Houlong Mountain comes into view. Following the winding mountain path upward, the Youjiang Ethnic Museum sits like a hermit atop the hill in Baise Uprising Memorial Park. Established in 1985, the museum’s main building is itself a grand work of art. It adopts the classic Zhuang-style corridor courtyard with layered eaves, where the overlapping roofs blend rich ethnic style with local characteristics, appearing both rustic and solemn against the backdrop of green mountains.
As one of Guangxi’s first prefecture-level museums to open free of charge, it has welcomed every seeker of knowledge since 2004. Crossing the plaza, the fresh scent of grass and old wood fills the air, calming the heart even before entering.
01 Architectural Ambience: A Frozen Zhuang Poem
The museum covers 22.7 acres with a building area of 4,457 square meters—moderate in size but grand in presence. Standing before it, the most captivating feature is its unique architectural language. The wisdom of the Zhuang stilted house style is distilled and elevated into the texture of a modern museum.
Vermilion pillars, carved window lattices, and upturned eaves all tell the story of this rice-cultivating people’s deep bond with nature and pursuit of beauty. The building complex is clearly hierarchical, with connected corridors and courtyards. Walking through, light and shadow flow with each step along the cloisters, as if entering not a building but a three-dimensional Zhuang epic written in brick, stone, wood, and tile.
This building not only preserves history but has become part of Baise’s urban memory, witnessing the growth of generations.
02 Dawn of Civilization: Touching Baise’s 800,000-Year-Old “Hand Axe”
The museum features eight main exhibition halls with a clear route guiding visitors from ancient times to the present. The basic exhibition “Baise Treasures” is the starting point of exploration.
Here, the curtain of history is abruptly drawn back 800,000 years. Rough yet resolute chopping tools, stone cores, flakes, and pointed implements lie quietly under spotlights. They lack the brilliance of bronze or the smoothness of porcelain but possess the most primal power.
Every grind mark is a testament to Baise’s ancient ancestors’ struggle with nature for survival. They confirm the long history of human activity on this land and form the tangible foundation for Baise’s reputation as a “treasure trove of ancient human sites.”
03 The Soul of the Museum: The King of Bronze Drums and a Millennia-Old Dialogue with Zhuang Brocade
Passing through the prehistoric corridor, one enters the splendid hall of ethnic culture. The “Diverse Splendors” themed exhibition is the museum’s essence.
At the center stands the Western Han Dynasty’s cloud-and-thunder patterned bronze drum, hailed as the “King of Bronze Drums in the World.” Its unparalleled size and majestic patterns awe every visitor. It has stood silently for over two thousand years, the cloud-and-thunder motifs on its body like a vortex of time.
It is not only a musical instrument and ritual vessel but also a symbol of power. Gazing at it, one can almost hear the ancient call, “When the bronze drum sounds, aid comes from all directions,” a voice crossing time to become the Zhuang people’s emblem of strength and courage.
Complementing the drum’s grandeur is another national intangible cultural heritage—the Zhuang brocade. In a dedicated exhibition area, vibrant and intricate brocade pieces flow like rainbows.
Woven with cotton or silk threads into diamond, spiral, and swastika patterns, they symbolize good fortune and blessings. Zhuang brocade is not only one of China’s four famous brocades but also the ultimate expression of Zhuang women’s craftsmanship and aesthetic taste.
In modern times, this ancient beauty has been given new meaning, such as adorning health codes with “gold-edged Zhuang brocade” or gifting it to pandemic heroes, allowing traditional skills to carry the spirit of the era.
Museum Core Collections and Experiences at a Glance
· Architectural Features
· Classic Zhuang corridor courtyard with layered eaves
· Located atop Houlong Mountain in Baise Uprising Memorial Park
· Covers 22.7 acres with 4,457 square meters of building area
· Core Exhibitions
· Basic Exhibits: “Baise Treasures” (historical artifacts), “Diverse Splendors” (ethnic culture)
· Featured Halls: 8 main exhibition halls
· Collection Size: Nearly 8,000 artifacts (sets)
· Key Artifacts
· Paleolithic stone tools (chopping tools, stone cores, etc.)
· Western Han “Cloud-and-Thunder Pattern Bronze Drum” (King of Bronze Drums)
· National Intangible Heritage: Zhuang weaving techniques and works
· Featured Intangible Heritage: Zhuang “mó miē” craft items
· Visitor Information
· Admission: Free
· Recommended Duration: 1-2 hours
· Services: Free guided tours, QR code audio guides
04 Cultural Fusion: A Peculiar Han-Style Jade Sword
Among many artifacts reflecting ethnic exchanges, a Han Dynasty bronze sword stands out as particularly unique. Its guard and pommel are made of smooth jade, typical of Central Plains Han-style jade swords. However, its handle is cast into a headless human figure with crossed arms over the chest, the jade pommel connected directly above the neck.
This strange and mysterious form likely incorporates local ethnic beliefs or artistic styles. It acts like a key, revealing the profound and fascinating collision and fusion of Central Plains culture with Lingnan indigenous culture in Baise over two thousand years ago.
05 Endless Vitality: Contemporary Expressions of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Beyond deep history, the museum also pays full attention to living intangible cultural heritage. In the folk exhibition hall, a Zhuang specialty craft called “mó miē” draws many eyes.
Originally a Zhuang sacrificial item shaped like a small figure used for blessings and warding off evil, it has been transformed by artisans into colorful, cute sachets or ornaments, moving from altars into daily life. The museum not only collects mó miē from different eras but also showcases activities of related practice groups, demonstrating the craft’s contemporary inheritance and vitality.
06 Resonance of the Soul: A Dance Between a Museum and a City
After the tour, resting by the window at the exit, the entire city of Baise unfolds below. At this moment, the stone tools, bronze drum, Zhuang brocade, and bronze sword seen earlier are no longer isolated exhibits. They connect into a clear thread—from ancient wilderness fires to solemn Bronze Age rituals, to today’s vibrant modern city.
This is the power of the museum. It allows every Baise resident who enters to clearly find the cultural roots of their ethnic group; it also enables every visitor from afar to deeply understand the unique soul of this land.
As one visitor said, “There aren’t many treasures here, but what there is, is wonderfully fascinating.” It may lack dazzling national treasures, but with sincerity, depth, and distinct local character, it offers the most thorough interpretation of Baise and Guangxi’s ethnic culture.
When leaving, the sunset drapes golden silk over the museum’s layered eaves. It still stands quietly on the mountain peak like an eternal guardian, preserving past glory and reflecting future hope. This brief museum journey is a dialogue spanning 800,000 years and a profound cultural root-seeking. It assures you that some memories are never weathered by time but are carefully preserved and forever shine atop a mountain. Youjiang Ethnic Museum