Dunhuang Museum

Dunhuang Museum

Attractions Overview

Dunhuang Museum is responsible for the collection, publicity, management, investigation and maintenance of cultural relics in the whole city. It is a comprehensive museum integrating the protection, research, collection, collection and display of cultural relics. It has a standard cultural relics warehouse and a cultural relics exhibition hall, displaying more than 1,000 cultural relics. It was listed as the first free museum in Gansu Province in 2008.

English Name: Mao Zedong Bronze Statue Square in Shaoshan
Type: Shaoshan Scenic Area, Shaoshan famous spots & Shaoshan attractions
Best Time: All Year Around
Recommended Visiting Hours: 2-3 hours

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Why is Dunhuang Museum So Special?

The Dunhuang Museum reflects the flourishing social development and cultural exchange between China and the West during the time when Dunhuang was a major center along the Silk Road. A trip to the Dunhuang Museum will provide visitors with a greater understanding of the history and culture of the Chinese people and their ancient civilization.

Where is Dunhuang Museum

The Dunhuang Museum is located in the downtown area of Dunhuang City. It is situated in a three storey building which covers an area of 2,400 square meters (about 25,834 square feet). In front of the museum stand a group of carved figures depicting people leading their camels as they travel along the Silk Road.

Main Attraction of Dunhuang Museum

Dunhuang Museum is located in the center of Dunhuang. It is located in a three-storey building, covering 2400 square meters (about 25834 square feet). In front of the museum stands a group of carved figures depicting people traveling along the Silk Road with camels.

Generally speaking, all the exhibits in Dunhuang Museum are displayed in three parts. The first section shows Buddhist scriptures from Cave 17 of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Buddhist scriptures are real evidence of Buddhist activities in Chinese history. The second part next to the Buddhist scriptures shows cultural relics excavated from tombs in Han Dynasty (206-220 BC), Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD), Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) and Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). In this part, you will see stone towers, pottery boxes and statues of stone animals, which are placed in tombs and are believed to drive away monsters or evil. Kirin brick is a special kind of high relief brick (a kind of carving method with design protruding from the plane) and contains carved inscriptions. Kirin is a mythical unicorn in Chinese legends. It is vividly carved on bricks and looks like it is galloping and flying. As an important city on the Silk Road, Dunhuang was once a major trading center in western China. The third part of the exhibition shows the flourishing culture of Dunhuang, including some exquisite silk brocade and bamboo slips for writing. In addition, iron and bronze tools and weapons are also on display in Dunhuang Museum.

The Dunhuang Museum also displays cultural relics unearthed there, such as paper, coins, a model of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty and a torch on one of the beacon towers. There is a special room for the works of famous artists of all ages. There are also precious Tibetan hand-written ancient geography, military history and Buddhist scriptures in this room.

Best Time to Travel Dunhuang 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 Dunhuang Bus 3 to Bowuguan (Dunhuang Museum).
  • Take Dunhuang Bus 1 to Jinya Binguan, and then walk north for 5 minutes to the museum.

Useful Travel Tips

Entrance Fee Free
Opening Hours May – Sep.: 9:00 – 18:30;
Oct. – Apr.: 9:00 – 18:00;
Closed on Mondays;
Ticket hours stops an hour earlier.
  • Take good care of the exhibits, do not smoke, do not touch the exhibits casually, do not use flash to take pictures arbitrarily.
  • We should take good care of exhibition stands, lighting and other facilities in museums.\
  • When visiting museums, you should keep quiet and not make any noise.

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Edited by Doreen/张洋