Xinjiang Museum in Urumqi

Why is Xinjiang Museum So Special?

In total there are over 50,000 items in the collection. These not only represent the ethnic lifestyle and humanity of the region but also illustrate its revolutionary spirit. With such an abundance of items on display, the exhibition is widely acknowledged for its comprehensive and informative nature both at home and abroad.

Where is Xinjiang Museum

Xinjiang Museum Located at No.132 Xibei Road, Urumqi, the museum was built in 1953.

History of Xinjiang Museum

In 1953, the former agricultural exhibition hall of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum was prepared and initially designed as a mountain-shaped bungalow building.

In 1959, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum was officially established.

In 1962, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum moved to No.132 Northwest Road in Urumqi to be a museum and opened to the public.

On October 1, 1963, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum officially opened.

On September 20, 2005, the new Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum was opened. The new building covers an area of 17,288 square meters. It has a first floor underground and a second floor above the ground. The main body is 18.5 meters high and the top elevation of the glass dome is 29.5 meters. The plane of the building is basically in a symmetrical "I" shape. It has the style of the Western Regions and the local characteristics of Xinjiang.

Main Attraction of Xinjiang Museum

With a total ground area of 41,000 square meters and exhibiting area of 7800 square meters, the museum is the main institution to collect and investigate the unearthed cultural relics and specimens in Xinjiang. There are more than 50 thousand pieces of various kinds of cultural relics stored in the museum, among them, the ancient mummies represented by ‘the Loulan Beauty’, manuscripts in Chinese, Kharosthi, Qiuci, Yanji, Tibetan, Uigurian and other characters prevailed in ancient Western Regions, the silk, wool, cotton and hemp fabrics and folk raiment, etc., are unusual tidbits in the world. The museum has made extensive contacts with museums domestic and abroad, and held several exhibitions abroad. The main exhibitions on display include “ The Exhibition of Historic Cultural Relics in Xinjiang”, “A Selection of the Unearthed Cultural Relics in Xinjiang”, “ The Exhibition of Ancient Mummies in Xinjiang”, “ The Exhibition of the Customs of the nationalities in Xinjiang”, etc,. and various special exhibitions are often held here.

Folk Customs Exhibitions

Exhibitions related to folk customs include clothing, tools and daily necessities. Together, they vividly show us the costumes, lifestyles, religions, marriage customs, festivals and other colorful lives of the 12 ethnic minorities living in Xinjiang.

Historical Relics

Historical relics include carpels, ironware, bronze ware, bright brocade, tomb figures, pottery, coins, stone rubbings, writing and weapons. These give people insight into the past and show how Xinjiang society has developed. There are even human head fossils dating back about 10,000 years. .

Ancient Corposes

The display of ancient corpses is wonderful because it is in this area that a large number of well-preserved ancient remains have been found. These mummies are very different from those made by Egypt through skilled antiseptic procedures. The bodies here have been dried up by the special natural environment. There are altogether 21 specimens, including men, women, lovers and generals. "Beauty of Loulan" is one of the best preserved and most famous. Loulan beauty has reddish brown skin, thick eyelashes, attractive big eyes and long hair. The "charming" body has survived for about 4,000 years.

Recommended Xinjiang Tour Packages

• 1 Day Urumqi City Tour with Xinjiang Museum and Nanshan Pasture
• 1 Day Urumqi City Tour with Heavenly Lake and Grand Bazaar
• 8 Days Silk Road Highlights Tour from Dunhuang to Urumqi
• 9 Days Silk Road Tour and Kanas Lake Adventure from Dunhuang to Urumqi
• 7 Days Northern Xinjiang Tour with Kanas Lake Adventure

Best Time to Travel Xinjiang Museum

Visits to museums need not be restricted by seasons. At any time, you can come here to see amazing human relics and all other precious relics, so that you can know more about the prosperous and splendid civilization in this region.

How to Get There

Take bus 7, 51, 68, 303, 305, 311, 518, 532, 906, 910, 912, 928, 5201, BRT4 to Bowuguan (Xinjiang Regional Museum).

Useful Travel Tips

Tips: 

• The museum accepts 2,000 visitors a day, five times with 400 visitors each. Ticket issuing time is 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 15:00, and 16:00 from Apr. 15 - Oct. 15, and 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 15:00, and 16:00 from Oct. 16 - Apr. 14.
• The site is closed on Monday (postponed when meeting a legal national holiday), on the New Year's Eve, the first and second days of the lunar new year.

Nearby Attractions

• Nanshan Pasture in Urumqi
• Tian Shan Mountains in Xinjiang
• Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar
• Heavenly Lake of Tianshan Mountain
• The Ancient City of Urabo in Urumqi
• Wenmiao Temple and Urumqi Museum

Edited by Doreen/张洋