Shanxi Museum | Complete Guide

🔔Introduction: The Shanxi Museum is located on the west bank of the Fen River in Taiyuan and is a national first-class museum. It currently holds over 500,000 items in its collection. The exhibits are themed around the 'Spirit of Jin' and consist of seven historical and cultural themes and five art specialties. ---- 📷Visitor Guide: ✅Free admission, reservation required, can be booked three days in advance. ✅Opening hours: 9:00-17:00, closed on Mondays. ✅A valid ID card must be presented for entry, and the entrance is the East Gate. ✅The museum has four floors: 🌟First floor: General service desk, temporary exhibition hall, and cultural and creative store. 🌟Second floor: Cradle of Civilization, Traces of the Xia and Shang Dynasties, and the Hegemony of the State of Jin. 🌟Third floor: Melting Pot of Ethnicities, Buddhist Charm, Jin Merchants, and Hometown of Opera. 🌟Fourth floor: Calligraphy and Painting, Porcelain Garden, World of Shapes, Jade Grace of China, and Architectural Splendor. ✅Top ten treasures of the museum: 1⃣️Colored pottery jar from Miaodigou 📍Location: Second floor 'Cradle of Civilization' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Neolithic Red pottery with a polished surface, large in size, decorated with black painted floral patterns composed of arcs and dots. 2⃣️Dragon-shaped vessel 📍Location: Second floor 'Traces of the Xia and Shang Dynasties' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Shang Dynasty 43 cm long, the entire body is dragon-shaped, and the vessel is decorated with rare crocodile patterns. 3⃣️Owl-shaped wine vessel 📍Location: Second floor 'Traces of the Xia and Shang Dynasties' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Shang Dynasty An owl-shaped wine vessel, 19.7 cm tall, has become an internet sensation for its resemblance to the 'Angry Birds' game character. 4⃣️Jin Marquis Bird Zun 📍Location: Second floor 'Hegemony of the State of Jin' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Western Zhou A standing phoenix bird with its head turned back, its tail bent into an elephant head, with inscriptions on the lid and the bottom of the vessel, 'Jin Marquis made this precious zun vessel for the Tai Shi chamber,' which is a symbol of the Shanxi Museum. 5⃣️Jin Marquis Su Bell 📍Location: Second floor 'Hegemony of the State of Jin' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Western Zhou The bell is engraved with a 355-character inscription, the first time such detailed engraving is seen on Western Zhou bronze ware, recording the war against the Dongyi tribes led by Jin Marquis Su under the command of King Li of Zhou. 6⃣️Jade ornaments of the Jin Marquis's wife 📍Location: Second floor 'Hegemony of the State of Jin' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Western Zhou Consisting of jade pendants, beads, tubes, and agate tubes, totaling 204 pieces, the entire set of jade ornaments stretches out to 2 meters in length. 7⃣️Houma Covenant 📍Location: Third floor 'Melting Pot of Ethnicities' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Spring and Autumn period Over 5,000 pieces of jade and stone covenants, significant for the study of the history of the State of Jin, ancient covenant systems, and ancient scripts. 8⃣️Bronze figure of a man holding a plate 📍Location: Third floor 'Melting Pot of Ethnicities' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Warring States The animal is plump and docile, with a man standing on its back holding a column with a round plate that can rotate flexibly. 9⃣️Swan and fish bronze lamp 📍Location: Third floor 'Melting Pot of Ethnicities' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Han Dynasty The lamp is shaped like a swan standing and turning its head to hold a fish, with an adjustable lampshade and smoke that can be directed through the swan's neck into the water-filled belly to purify the air. 🔟Tomb of Yu Hong stone coffin 📍Location: Third floor 'Melting Pot of Ethnicities' exhibition hall ⌚️Era: Sui Dynasty The stone coffin is carved and painted both inside and out, with over 50 patterns rich in Central Asian and Persian styles, an important historical material for studying cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. ---- 📍Address: No. 13, North Section of Binhe West Road, Wanbailin District, Taiyuan City. ---- 🚗Transportation: Take bus numbers 69, 863, 865, and get off at Shanxi Museum Station.