Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum is located on Northwest Road in Shayibake District, Urumqi. It is a provincial-level comprehensive National First-Class Museum and one of the most important museums for understanding the history and civilization of the Western Regions along the Silk Road.

The museum houses more than 30,000 cultural relics, including precious artifacts unearthed from archaeological sites across Xinjiang. Its collections provide a comprehensive overview of the region's long history, from prehistoric civilizations and the ancient kingdoms of the Western Regions to the Han and Tang dynasties, the development of the Silk Road, and the later integration of multiple ethnic groups.

Many visitors make the museum one of their first stops after arriving in Urumqi. Learning the stories behind the artifacts first can make subsequent visits to ancient cities, archaeological sites, and Silk Road ruins across Xinjiang much more meaningful, allowing the history of the Western Regions to become more vivid and easier to understand.

Main Highlights

“Five Stars Rising in the East, Benefiting China” Brocade Armguard

The “Five Stars Rising in the East, Benefiting China” Brocade Armguard is the museum's most famous treasure and one of China's cultural relics prohibited from being taken out of the country.

This brilliantly colored Han Dynasty brocade was produced in the ancient Shu region and is woven with the eight seal-script characters “五星出东方利中国”, meaning “Five Stars Rise in the East, Benefiting China.” It is regarded as an exceptional physical testament to cultural exchange between the Central Plains and the Western Regions during the Han period. The armguard is displayed in the exhibition hall on the third floor.

Ancient Mummies Exhibition

The Ancient Mummies Exhibition on the second floor is one of the museum's most well-known displays. It features several naturally preserved mummies, including the famous Xiaohe Princess and the Loulan Beauty.

Thanks to Xinjiang's extremely dry climate, human remains, hair, clothing, and other organic materials have survived remarkably well for thousands of years. Alongside the mummies, the exhibition displays numerous burial textiles, ornaments, and food remains, providing an unusually direct look at the appearance, clothing, and everyday life of ancient inhabitants of the Western Regions.

Ethnic Folk Culture Exhibition

The Ethnic Folk Culture Exhibition introduces the traditional lifestyles and customs of several ethnic groups living in Xinjiang, including the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Tajik peoples. Traditional household objects, clothing, musical instruments, and models of local dwellings are displayed to illustrate the region's rich and diverse folk cultures.

Silk Road Treasures and Cultural Exchange

The museum also houses a large collection of painted pottery, bronze vessels, ancient Silk Road manuscripts, fragments of murals, wooden carvings, and clay sculptures. Among the highlights are the Fuxi and Nüwa Silk Painting and the Painted Wooden Guardian Deity Treading on Demons, both regarded as nationally significant treasures.

Together, these collections reveal the remarkable interaction and blending of different civilizations along the Silk Road, showing how people, religions, technologies, artistic traditions, and everyday customs traveled across the vast landscapes of the Western Regions.

A museum gift shop is also available, offering cultural and creative products inspired by the collections, as well as commemorative stamps and other souvenirs.

Practical Information

Tickets and Reservations

Admission to the museum is free, but visitors must make a real-name reservation through the museum's official WeChat account 1–7 days in advance.

Reservations can be particularly difficult to secure during the summer peak season and public holidays. New reservation slots are released at 20:00 each evening.

Visitors aged 65 and above, active-duty military personnel, and people with disabilities can enter directly with valid identification without making an advance reservation. Minors visiting with their legal guardians do not need to make a separate reservation.

Opening Hours

The museum is closed every Monday, except during statutory public holidays.

From April 15 to October 31, the summer schedule is 10:00–18:30, with last admission at 18:00. From November 1 to April 14 of the following year, winter opening hours are 10:30–18:00, with last admission at 17:30.

Allow approximately 2.5–3 hours for a thorough visit. Electronic audio guides can be rented, and the museum also provides scheduled free guided tours at designated times.

Transportation

The museum is located at No. 581 Northwest Road, Shayibake District, Urumqi, with several city bus routes stopping directly near the entrance. Parking inside or around the museum can be limited, so taking public transportation or a taxi is generally more convenient.

For a convenient Urumqi city itinerary, the museum can be combined with Hongshan Park and the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, creating a full-day route that combines history, culture, scenery, and local urban life.

Travel Tips

Photography Rules

Photography and video recording are prohibited in the Ancient Mummies Exhibition. Photography is permitted in most other exhibition halls, but flash photography is strictly forbidden. Strong light can cause irreversible damage to silk textiles, painted artifacts, and other sensitive cultural relics.

Large pieces of luggage must be left in the designated storage area, while small personal bags can generally be taken into the exhibition halls.

What to Wear and What to Expect

The exhibition halls can feel relatively cool, so bringing a light jacket is recommended, particularly if you plan to stay for several hours.

The mummies exhibition contains visually distinctive and sometimes unsettling displays. Visitors who may be uncomfortable with this type of material can simply choose not to enter this section.

Do not touch any artifacts or cross protective barriers. These rules are especially important for preserving delicate textiles, paintings, and other irreplaceable cultural heritage.

Reservation and Visiting Etiquette

After successfully making a reservation, try to arrive on time. Visitors who fail to show up three times consecutively may have their account restricted from making reservations for 90 days.

After visiting the museum, you can continue to the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar to experience Urumqi's lively local atmosphere, traditional architecture, markets, food, and multicultural urban culture.