Shaanxi Provincial History Museum

» Xi'an, Shaan Xi

Shaanxi Provincial History Museum Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information

Shaanxi Provincial History Museum is the first huge state museum with modern facilities in China. The architecture of the museum is simple, unsophisticated, elegant and unique in style. It combines the construction of the ancient Chinese palaces and courtyard buildings, harmonious and graceful in hue, and demonstrates the Chinese traditional architectural style.

Shaanxi Provincial History Museum, which located on Yan Ta Road to the northwest of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda of ancient city Xi'an, is the first huge state museum with modern facilities in China. Its 70,000 sq m Tang Dynasty style structure, give it quite the reputation among museums.

The museum collects the highlights of the Shaanxi culture and shows a development of the Chinese civilization. Considering the position of Shaanxi Province in the Chinese history, the state invested 1.44 billion yuan in the establishment of the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum.

The architecture of the museum is simple, unsophisticated, elegant and unique in style. It combines the construction of the ancient Chinese palaces and courtyard buildings, harmonious and graceful in hue, and demonstrates the Chinese traditional architectural style.

The modern museum was built between 1983 and 2001. The two-storied primary pavilion is divided into an introductory hall, permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions, and temporary exhibitions, as well as one that has been named the National Painting Hall.

The Museum's permanent exhibition primarily displays Shaanxi's ancient history. Representative pieces from all periods have been selected to show the development of civilization in this region. Since several historical periods all based their capitals on Shaanxi territory, such as Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui and Tang, the exhibits emphasize these periods and these places. The exhibition space of this display includes three exhibition rooms, divided into seven parts (Pre-history, Zhou, Qin, Han, Wei-Jin-North and South dynasties, Sui-Tang, and Song-Yuan-Ming-Qing). The temporary exhibits hall has had a variety of exhibitions including Tang-tomb wall paintings which rank first in the entire country. The special exhibition hall has a Shaanxi bronzes exhibit (260 pieces were on display) and a Shaanxi-through-the-dynasties terracotta masterpieces exhibit (341 objects were exhibited).

The more representative of these desplays include bronzes, Tang-dynasty tomb wall paintings, terracotta statuary, ceramics (pottery and porcelain), construction materials through the dynasties, Han and Tang bronze mirrors, and coins and currency, calligraphy, rubbings, scrolls, woven articles, bone articles, wooden and lacquer and iron and stone objects, seals, as well as some contemporary cultural relics and ethnic objects. All of this is accompanied by models of archaeological sites, and drawings, and photographs.

Attractions around » Xi'an, Shaan Xi

Natural Scene

• Huaqing Pool
• Mt. Huashan

Historical Site

• Xi'an City Wall
• Big Wild Goose Pagoda
• Great Mosque
• Drum Tower
• Bell Tower
• Tomb of Qin Shihuang
• Small Wild Goose Pagoda
• Ba Xian An Temple

Cultural Site

• Terracotta Warriors and Horses
• Shaanxi Provincial History Museum
• Xi'an Banpo Museum
• Forest of Stone Steles Museum

Nightlife

• Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show

Day Entertainment & Sports

• Tang Paradise
• Golf in Xi'an

Shopping & Leisure

• Moslem Street
• Shuyuanmen Street
• Xi'an Antique Market
• Wenbaozhai Tourist Shopping Center
• Century Ginwa Shopping Mall

Shaanxi Provincial History Museum Highlights

Museum in Great China

• Forbidden City
• Terracotta Warriors and Horses
• Shaanxi Provincial History Museum
• Sanxingdui Ruins
• Dunhuang Museum
• National Museum of China
• Shanghai Museum
• Weijin Art Gallery
• Gansu Provincial Museum
• Xi'an Banpo Museum
• Dinosaur Museum
• Han Yang Ling Museum
• Forest of Stone Steles Museum
• Tibet Museum
• Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum
• Dongba Museum
• Chongqing Three Gorges Museum
• Hubei Provincial Museum
• Shanghai History Museum
• Great Wall Museum
• Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre
• Han Dynasty Tomb Museum
• Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
• Xianyang Museum
• Shandong Provincial Museum
• Nanjing Museum
• Meteorite Museum
• Salt History Museum
• Inner Mongolia Museum
• Hunan Provincial Museum
• National Tea Museum
• China National Silk Museum
• Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Luoyang Museum
• Chen Family Temple

Shaanxi Provincial History Museum FAQ & Travelers's Tips

  Weather

1. Is the weather fine all year round in Xi'an?
2. What is the best season to visit Xi'an?

  Food

1. What can we have for dinner in Xi'an?
2. What is Xi'an local delicacy?

  Shopping

1. Can I use my credit card when visiting the attractions in Xi'an?
2. Where can I buy chinese medicine?
3. Where can I find the department stores and supermarkets?
4. What souvenirs can we buy in Xi'an?

  Travel

1. What taboos do we need to pay attention to in Xi'an?
2. What should we prepare for our visit to Mt.Huashan?
3. Where can I meet muslim friends in Xi'an?
4. What about the toilet facilities in Xi'an?

  Customs

1. Where can I see Shadow Puppets in Xi'an?
2. Why does Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show become so popular here?
3. How about the dress for Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show?

  Other Hints

1. What is Xi'an time?
2. What to pack for Xi'an tours?
3. Where is the post office in Xi'an?
4. Is the internet bar available in Xi'an?
5. What about other useful numbers in Xi'an?
6. What is emergency number in Xi'an?

• Is the weather fine all year round in Xi'an?

  Xi'an is in a warm temperate zone, and has a continental monsoon climate with four distinct seasons; Xi'an is hot and wet in summer, dry and seldom snowy in winter and is prone to extended spells of rain in spring and autumn.

  The temperature during spring (March to May) increases rapidly, but is prone to fluctuation. The average temperature in March is 7.9 centigrade, rising to 14.1 centigrade in April and 19.4 centigrade in May.

  Summer in Xi'an (June to August) becomes both hot and humid, with the highest average temperature being 32 centigrade and the maximum temperature of ten above 40 centigrade.

  Xi'an also experiences a fair amount of precipitation during autumn, (September to November). The early autumn period is cool and can be overcast, late autumn is usually fine.

  Winter (December to February) is dry and cold with a little snow. The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of 0 Centigrade.

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• What is the best season to visit Xi'an?

  Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the best seasons during the year for Xi'an tour. With the pleasant temperature, gentle breezes and warm sunshine, spring is a good time of year for outdoor activities and traveling. Late autume is also worth to visit here.

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• What can we have for dinner in Xi'an?

  As the capital of table delicacies, Xi'an is famous for the delicious Shaanxi snacks, the delicate Guangdong cuisine, in a sweet and mild flavor. Various kinds of fashionable foreign delicacies, and the popular Sichuan cuisine, such as hot pot, in a spicy flavor.

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• What is Xi'an local delicacy?

  When you are travelling in Xi'an, one delicacy you will surely to find on the menu is the dumpling.

  Xi'an, an ancient city that has been the nation's capital during no less than eleven dynasties spanning more than a thousand years is regarded as the home if not the birthplace of the great dumpling tradition.

  It was here that the art of creating the most tasty and delicate of dumplings was refined and no visit to the city is complete unless you partake of a dumpling dinner.

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• Can I use my credit card when visiting the attractions in Xi'an?

  No, most attractions are not allowed to pay credit card, for your convinence, it is much better to bring some cash money along the trip. most 4 star hotels or 5 star hotels provide a good service to exchange into RMB at front desk.

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• Where can I buy chinese medicine?

  You can also find the traditional chineses medicine market in Xi'an, which embody the local culture of chinese medical treatment.

  In Chinese medicine, the links between body, mind and spirit have always been recognized and indeed lie at the heart of the system. There is a saying like western medicine cure the external causes but Chinese Medicine cures the internal causes.

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• Where can I find the department stores and supermarkets?

  Department stores
  

  Minsheng Department Store, at No. 103, Jiefang Lu
  Parkson Shopping Center is popular in Xian and now there are three Parkson:
  

  1. Xi'an Luck Parkson: 119, Dong Dajie (Opposite the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
  2. Xi'an Shidai Parkson: Shidai Shengdian Plaza, Xi Dajie
  3. Xi'an Chang'an Parkson: 38, Chang'an Zhong Lu

  Supermarkets

  1. South Gate Branch (Downtown) is situated in Fen Xiang, Nan Dajie.
     Bus: No. 600, 603
  2. Chang'an Lu Branch (South Suburb) is located at the northeast corner of the crossing of Shida Lu and Chang'an Lu.
     Bus: No.19, 44, 101, 215, 239, 408, 600, 603
  3. Jin Hua Lu Branch (East Suburb) is situated near the crossing of Changle Lu and Jinhua Lu.
     Bus: No. 4, 10, 11, 13, 27, 43, 105, 209, 303, 402, 604, 605
  4. Lian Hu Branch (West Suburb) is located at the southwest of the crossing of Daqing Lu and Taoyuan Lu.
     Bus: No.2, 12, 45, 103, 104, 207, 210, 222, 223, 224, 301, 303, 605, 803
  5. North Suburb Branch is located along the Bei Erhuan Lu (Northern 2nd Ring Road).
     Bus: No. 18, 17, 238, 228, 236, 609, 600
  6. Nan Erhuan Branch is situated along the Nan Erhuan Lu (Southern 2nd Ring Road).
     Bus: No.24, 46, 308, 311, 608

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• What souvenirs can we buy in Xi'an?

  Xi'an is a great place to do some fantastic Chinese souvenir shopping, especially for cultural items.

  Some excellent offerings specific to Xi'an include: Chinese calligraphy rubbings, Tang pottery replicas, Terracotta Warrior replicas, Folk paintings, Folk paper cuttings and Green porcelain.

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• what taboos do we need to pay attention to in Xi'an?

  Xi'an is a multiethnic regin, of which the population of Islam is approximately one half, it is a taboo to eat pork and the flesh of animals which died of natrual course, in order not to trouble yourselves, you'd better not to eat anything made of pork and talk about pig in any muslim restaurant.

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• What should we prepare for our visit to Mt.Huashan?

  Famed as the most precipitous of the five moutains in China, Mt.Huashan is a hardship jouney for xi'an tour. You might prepare a long gown and a pair of jogging shoes in case of raining and dropping of.

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• Where can I meet muslim friends in Xi'an?

  Muslim quarter is a shopping center where many muslime friends gathered there. This area is paved with dark colored stone with green trees providing heavy shade during summer. There are many restaurants and stores on the street. The owners are all Moslems.

  Moslem Street has a long history. It is said that in olden days, foreign diplomatic envoys and merchants lived here then they married and had children, so gradually the population increased.

  Today, most of the inhabitants of Moslem Street are the descendants of those immigrants.

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• What about the toilet facilities in Xi'an?

  Most toilet facilities in emporiums, shopping centers, supermarkets, stations and scenic spots are free. The other will charge no more than 0.5 Yuan.

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• Where can I see Shadow Puppets in Xi'an?

  Shadow Puppets was shaped in an art form of famouse traditional folk custome.The Chinese shadow puppets have existed in China for over a thousand years.

  The Shadow Play is hold in an old house of the Qing Dynasty. The show is about 15 minutes long and performed in a very small room. you can go Gao'a family where near to Drum Tower to see the show, the performance costs about 40 yuan for each one.

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• Why does the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show become so popular here?

  The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show, a wonderful performance of the ancient music and dance, is a must when you visit Xian.

  The city, which was formerly known as Chang'an has a very long history, and was the imperial capital during 13 dynastic periods. Of these, the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) was the most prosperous and glorious of all.

  The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show is an outstanding exponent of this ancient stable and prosperous society, keeping alive its splendid culture and providing an insight into the peaceful life style of the period.

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• How about the dress for Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show?

  There is no special dress requirement for this show, but some travelers like to dress up.

  If you have time to change your clothes after the day's tour, we suggest that you dress as you would for any formal occasion, like the Opera in Beijing, and the welcome and farewell dinners during the Yangtze Cruise.

  Jackets and ties for gentlemen and a formal dress or gown for ladies are recommended.

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• What is Xi'an time?

  Equal to Beijing, Xi'an is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (London) and 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (New York), is the standard time used in China.

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• What to pack for Xi'an tours?

  Besides the medicines you usually take at home, you need to bring pain killers, anti-inflammatory prescriptions and medicines for colds, fever and diarrhea. These medicines are especially helpful if you are going to visit Xi'an.

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• Where is the post office in Xi'an?

  1. City Center: Bell Tower Post Office, Northeast corner of Bell Tower Square
  2. South Suburb: Xiao Zhai Branch, No.3 Xiao Zhai Xi Lu
  3. North Suburb: Bei Guan Branch, No.18 Bei Guan Zheng Jie
     

  Opening Hours 8:30-18:00

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• Is the internet bar available in Xi'an?

  Yes, it is. tourists can easily find internet bars near colleges or universities, usually it costs you 1 - 2 Yuan per hour, but those with better facilities and faster connection speeds may cost more.

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• What about other useful numbers in Xi'an?

  Zip code Inquiry: 184
  Taxi Complain: 88624509
  Consumption Complain: 12315
  Telephone Number Inquiry: 114
  Public Buses Complain: 16801315
  China Mobile Customer Hotline: 10086
  China Unicom Customer Hotline: 10010
  China Telecom Customer Hotline: 10000
  

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• What is emergency number in Xi'an?

  Fire: 119
  Traffic: 122
  Ambulance: 120
  Police: 110

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