Henan Museum
Henan Museum was officially opened to the public in 1998, covering over 100,000 square meters (24.7 acres). It consists of five floors, one of which is underground. The exterior walls are yellow-brown, taking the meaning of “the loess and Yellow River in Central China bred Chinese civilization”. There are also garden greens outside the buildings, forming a beautiful architectural pattern of “museum in the garden”. The design of the main building of Henan Museum is inspired by an astronomical observatory in the Yuan Dynasty (1276 AD), and now its shape has been transformed into the “crowned pyramid”.
In 2009, Henan Museum upgraded the original exhibitions: Ancient Civilization of Central Plains becomes a permanent exhibition hall, and the four major theme halls have also adjusted their exhibits.
Ancient Civilization of Central Plains
This pavilion includes eight exhibition halls. These exhibition halls show the cultural changes of Central China from the Paleolithic Age (3 million to 10,000 years ago) to the Song, Yuan and Jin Dynasties (960-1368) through various exhibits including bronze wares, pottery and stone carvings. The first to the fourth exhibition halls are located on the first floor. The fifth to eighth exhibition halls are located on the second floor.
Four Theme Exhibitions
Bronze of Chu (1115-223 BC) in Central Plains
The exhibition hall features fine bronze wares unearthed from the graveyards of Chu nobles in Xichuan County, Henan Province. They were classified according to different usages, which shows the fineness of bronzes in Chu. “Prince Wu” Ding, Bronze Jin with Cloud Design and Wang Sun Gao Bronze Bells are the best ones to see.
Henan Ancient Jade Articles Hall
Treasure of Ming and Qing Dynasties
The arts and crafts of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were quite exquisite. The porcelain, embroidery, ivory carving, lacquerware, enamelware, gold and silver handicraft on display in this exhibition hall are very innovative and creative, which shows the extraordinary wisdom and amazing skills of ancient Chinese craftsmen.
Ancient Astronomy Hall
Henan is the first place where Chinese ancient astronomy originated. In this exhibition hall, visitors can learn about the knowledge system of the concept of sky and earth in ancient China. There are many talented people in this field who had written a brilliant chapter in Chinese astronomy. The most representatives are the seismograph invented by Zhang Heng in Han Dynasty (132 AD) and the star observatory by Guo Shoujing in Yuan Dynasty (1276 AD). Now you can see the replicas in the hall.
Classic Collections
Unearthed at the Wu Yang Neolithic site, Henan province, it is 23.6cm long and made from the bones of crane birds. Through it, people can play music of seven sound stages.
The mural depicts a bizarre, illusory picture of dragons, tigers, linnets and monsters, mountain god and clouds, which formed the Han people’s imagination of the world after death. This painting is rich in cultural meaning and superb in painting art. It’s quite rare among the murals of the Han Dynasty (202-220 AD), and is also earliest, highest grade and most complete tomb mural in existence in China.
It is not only the largest Bronze Jin with the most complicated and exquisite decoration, but also the earliest Jin objects (table holder for wine container) unearthed through scientific excavation. It is considered to be the lost wax casting process. According to this, the time of casting bronze wares in China by the lost wax method was advanced to the spring and autumn period (770-476 BC).
How to get to Henan Museum
Metro:
Take line 2 and get off at Guanhutun Station.
Bus:
Take bus No. B1, 83, 32, 39, 42, 61, 69, 96 and get off at Henan Museum Station.
Entrance Fee | The museum issues 5,000 free tickets a day. (3,000 tickets in the morning and 2,000 tickets in the afternoon). An individual tourist can get only one ticket for himself/herself by passport. Group tours should be booked 2 days in advance between 09:00 and 17:00. |
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Opening Hours | Tuesday-Sunday: November to January: 09:00 to 17:00 (tickets available before 16:00); February to October: 09:00 to 17:30 (tickets available before 16:30); Closed on Mondays except for national holidays. |
See also:
Top 10 Things to Do in Zhengzhou