Guo State Museum in Sanmenxia

Guo State Museum (虢国博物馆) is located in Hubin District, Sanmenxia City. It is a National AAAA Tourist Attraction and a National Second-Class Museum, built around the Western Zhou Guo State Cemetery (西周虢国墓地), a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level and one of China’s Top 100 Archaeological Discoveries of the 20th Century. The Guo State was an important vassal state of the Ji clan during the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the famous historical stories “Borrowing a Route to Conquer Guo” and “When the Lips Are Gone, the Teeth Grow Cold” originated here. The area is also regarded as the ancestral homeland of the Guo/郭 surname. Integrating excavated artifacts, original royal tomb sites, and ancient chariot-and-horse pits, the museum houses an extraordinary collection of bronzes and jade objects and is one of China’s most important archaeological museums for understanding the ritual, music, political, and aristocratic culture of Western Zhou feudal states.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit is from April to October. The exhibition halls are temperature-controlled throughout the year, while the pleasant spring and autumn weather is ideal for walking around the outdoor areas of the museum complex. Opening hours are 09:00–17:30 from Tuesday to Sunday, with last admission at 16:30. The museum is closed on Mondays except on statutory public holidays. A complete visit usually takes around 2 hours.

How to Get to Guo State Museum

By high-speed rail: Arrive at Sanmenxia South Railway Station (三门峡南站) and take a taxi to the museum, which takes approximately 20 minutes.

By car: Navigate to “Guo State Museum.” Free parking is available, and the museum can be reached from downtown Sanmenxia in just over ten minutes.

By public transport: Take Bus No. 1, No. 101, or No. 103 to Guo State Museum Station, which is directly beside the attraction. There are no sightseeing vehicles inside the museum complex, and the entire visit is completed on foot.

Main Exhibition Halls and Key Artifacts

The museum’s permanent exhibition, “Zhou Dynasty Style and the Charm of Guo – Guo State History and Culture Exhibition”, is divided into six themed sections. Visitors can simply follow the exhibition route in sequence.

Banners of the Guo State

This section introduces the establishment, enfeoffment, rise, and decline of the Guo State, explaining its close relationship with the Zhou royal house and providing the historical background to the famous story of “Borrowing a Route to Conquer Guo.”

Brilliant Ritual Bronzes

The bronze exhibition hall displays complete sets of Western Zhou ritual vessels, including the Guoji ceremonial ding vessels and bronze chime bells. These artifacts illustrate the strict ritual and musical hierarchy of the Zhou Dynasty. Sets of ding and gui vessels, many bearing inscriptions, represent the high level of bronze craftsmanship achieved during the late Western Zhou period.

Radiant Jade Treasures

This jade exhibition hall is one of the highlights of the entire museum.

Jade-Hilted Iron Sword with a Bronze Core – the “First Sword of China”: The museum’s signature treasure is regarded as the earliest surviving example of artificially smelted iron in China, pushing the known history of artificial iron smelting in the country back by more than two centuries.

Six-Huang Beaded Jade Pendant Set: Excavated from the tomb of Lady Liang Ji, wife of a Guo ruler, this elaborate ornament is composed of 368 agate and jade beads and represents one of the finest examples of Western Zhou assembled jade pendants.

Jade-Decorated Face Covering: This funerary face covering, composed of jade pieces placed over the face of the deceased, is regarded as an early precursor to later jade burial suits and reflects the complex jade burial system of the Western Zhou period.

The gallery also displays numerous animal-shaped jade ornaments and ceremonial objects, including a jade zhang with combined human-and-dragon motifs, as well as exquisitely carved jade geese and jade phoenixes.

Rare Treasures

This section displays pottery, bone objects, hemp textiles, and chariot-and-horse fittings, helping visitors understand the everyday life, craftsmanship, and material culture of the Guo State aristocracy.

Chariots and Horses

The Chariot and Horse Pit Site (车马坑遗址) preserves an original underground Western Zhou chariot burial formation in situ. Real chariots and sacrificed horses were buried here. Chariot Pit No. 1 covers approximately 192 square meters, with dozens of chariots and horse skeletons displayed in their original positions. The site provides a vivid introduction to the chariot system of the Zhou Dynasty and is one of the museum’s most visually impressive archaeological displays.

Ancient Royal Tombs

The Guoji Ruler’s Tomb Site (虢季国君墓原址) preserves the original archaeological excavation area of the tomb of Guoji, a ruler of the Guo State. Visitors can observe the structure of the burial chamber and traces of the inner and outer coffins, gaining a direct understanding of the layout and ceremonial scale of a high-ranking Western Zhou feudal lord’s tomb.

Outdoor Zhongding Mountain

Behind the museum is Zhongding Mountain (钟鼎山), a free public park. Visitors can climb to the top for views over Sanmenxia City and the distant Yellow River, making it a pleasant place for a walk and rest after exploring the museum.

Tickets, Accommodation and Local Food

Tickets: Adult admission is RMB 40. Full-time students and teachers receive half-price admission at RMB 20 with valid identification. Visitors aged 60 and above, children under 1.4 meters tall, active-duty military personnel, visitors with disabilities, and visitors with the surnames Guo written as 虢 or 郭 can enter free of charge with valid ID. Professional guided interpretation is available for an additional fee, and the museum also has a cultural and creative souvenir shop.

Accommodation: The museum is located in downtown Sanmenxia, so most visitors stay elsewhere in the city and visit as part of a day trip. There is no need to arrange accommodation immediately beside the museum.

Local food: Popular regional specialties include Lingbao Roujiamo (灵宝肉夹馍), Shanzhou fermented eggs (陕州糟蛋), Shizi Mo stone-baked flatbread (石子馍), and large Yellow River carp. Food and drink outlets inside the museum are limited, so bringing your own drinking water is recommended.

Travel Tips

The museum is regularly closed on Mondays, so avoid planning your visit for Monday unless it falls on a statutory public holiday. Flash photography is prohibited in the exhibition halls, and cultural relics must not be touched.

Hiring a professional guide is strongly recommended. The inscriptions on the bronze vessels and the ritual meaning of the jade artifacts are highly specialized, and guided interpretation can greatly improve the overall museum experience.

Lighting inside the chariot-and-horse pit and tomb-site exhibition areas can be relatively dim, so elderly visitors and families with children should watch their step.

Guo State Museum can be combined with the Sanmenxia Dam Scenic Area (三门峡大坝风景区) and Swan Lake National Urban Wetland Park (天鹅湖国家城市湿地公园) to create a one- or two-day cultural and Yellow River-themed itinerary in Sanmenxia.

Recommended Visiting Route

Main Entrance → Banners of the Guo State → Brilliant Ritual Bronzes → Radiant Jade Treasures (Jade-Hilted Iron Sword and Six-Huang Beaded Jade Pendant Set) → Rare Treasures → Chariots and Horses Archaeological Site → Ancient Royal Tombs and Guoji Tomb Site → Optional Zhongding Mountain Park → Exit