Yunnan Provincial Museum

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Introduction

Yunnan Provincial Museum was established in 1951. It is a gathering place for Yunnan's history, culture, and art, a must visit destination for tourists visiting Yunnan, and a second classroom for young students@Since its establishment, Yunnan Provincial Museum has collected bronze ware, ancient coins, ceramics, ancient paintings and calligraphy, stone tablets, stamps, and various handicrafts through archaeological excavations, surveys and collections, social acquisitions, and donations

230118

pieces (sets)

All cultural relics

509

pieces (sets)

first-class cultural relics

1396

pieces (sets)

Grade II cultural relics

12420

@26 pieces (sets)

Grade III cultural relics

Yunnan Provincial Museum was established in 1951. It is the largest comprehensive museum in Yunnan Province, covering an area of 150 acres, a building area of 60000 square meters, and an exhibition hall area of 16500 square meters. It is one of the first batch of national first-class museums@Since its establishment, Yunnan Provincial Museum has taken it as its responsibility to protect and inherit excellent historical and cultural heritage. It integrates the collection, research, exhibition, education, and service of cultural relics, and is the largest cultural relic collection unit in Yunnan Province. Our museum is also the largest and most powerful research institution and cultural relic appraisal institution for movable cultural relics in Yunnan Province. As a cultural hub of Yunnan Province, it attracts thousands of tourists to visit. We showcase Yunnan's long and rich history and culture, as well as world-class cultural arts. It is an important window for people to understand Yunnan's history and appreciate world culture@After 70 years of construction and development, Yunnan Provincial Museum has achieved remarkable results in various aspects. Based on the protection of cultural heritage and committed to the dissemination of excellent culture, it strives to build a large-scale comprehensive museum that is first-class in China, leading in the southwest, and has important influence in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Here, history and reality meet, ideas and art blend, and in the persistence and expectations of generation after generation of Yunbo people, we open our arms and welcome visitors from all directions

Basic Information

Yunnan Provincial Museum is a comprehensive provincial-level museum in China, located at 6393 Guangfu Road, Kunming City, Yunnan Province. It was founded in August 1951 and has an exhibition area of 2400 square meters. There are currently 10 departments in the museum, namely: the Custody Department responsible for the collection and protection of collections; The Ministry of Social Education is responsible for introducing and promoting museum exhibitions to the public; The appraisal station in charge of cultural relic appraisal and collection; Edit and publish the museum magazine 'Yunnan Cultural Relics', and be responsible for the daily management, maintenance, and collection of various books, periodicals, and information materials on the Yunnan Provincial Museum website; The technical department responsible for cultural relic restoration and protection; The Infrastructure Office responsible for the construction of the new museum building; The Cooperation and Exchange Department responsible for foreign affairs and academic exchange activities throughout the museum; The security department responsible for the safety of museum cultural relics; The office responsible for the logistical support of the entire library; The Personnel Education Department is responsible for personnel management and assessment work throughout the museum. There are currently more than 100 employees, of which the proportion of middle and senior professional and technical personnel accounts for about half of the total number of employees

Chronicle of Major Events

Since the 1950s, the Yunnan Provincial Museum has conducted hundreds of scientific archaeological excavations, trial excavations, and surveys throughout the province. Among them, the most influential major archaeological excavations were:

From 1955 to 1960, large-scale archaeological excavations were carried out four times in the Shizhai Mountain ancient tombs in Jinning. This cemetery has become a typical representative of the Bronze Culture in the Dianchi Lake area and is known as the "Shizhai Mountain Culture" (also known as the "Dian Culture") by the world archaeological community. A total of 50 tombs from the Western Han Dynasty were excavated in this cemetery, and 4 artifacts were unearthed. In particular, a gold "Seal of the King of Dian" was found in Tomb No. 6, which confirms the record of "Dian" in the "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of the Southwest Barbarians"@The ancient tombs of Lijia Mountain in Jiangchuan, excavated in 1972, are another important site of the Shizhai Mountain culture. A total of 27 ancient tombs were excavated from this cemetery, and more than 1300 cultural relics from the Warring States period to the Han Dynasty were unearthed, further enriching the connotation of Yunnan culture. Among them, the most representative is a batch of bronze textile tools, including winding rods, brush shaped tools, shuttle knives, bow shaped tools, spinning wheels, needle and thread boxes, tubes, cones, needles, winding boards, etc., which are important materials for studying the history of Yunnan textile@From 1975 to 1976, 79 ancient tombs were excavated in Wanjiaba, Chuxiong, dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period to the Western Han Dynasty. 1245 cultural relics were unearthed, among which the most important were five bronze drums from the Spring and Autumn period, which are also the earliest discovered bronze drums in the world so far. From 1977 to 1982, seven consecutive excavations were carried out on the ancient tombs of the Eight Towers in Zhujie, Qujing. On a huge mound over 7 meters high, there are layers upon layers of ancient tombs from the Eastern Zhou and Ming dynasties. Among them, more than 200 cultural relics such as bronze ware, pottery, jade and stone were unearthed from tombs from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the Han Dynasty. The more important ones include bronze drums, bronze pots, clasps, spears, spears, swords, and pottery tripods. The tombs of Nanzhao and Ming dynasties were all cremation tombs with few accompanying items, but their cremation jars were complex and diverse, providing a scientific basis for the staging of Yunnan cremation tombs. The Eight Pagoda Ancient Tomb Area has lasted for nearly two thousand years and experienced several dynasties. This peculiar phenomenon is rare in the history of Chinese archaeology@On May 16, 2022, Yunnan Provincial Museum resumed normal opening

Institution Introduction

Yunnan Provincial Museum was established in 1951. It is a social welfare institution under the leadership of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture, covering an area of 15 acres, 11740 square meters, a building area of 16465 square meters, an exhibition area of 3000 square meters, and a warehouse area of 3007 square meters. There are 74 employed personnel, including 53 professional and technical personnel, 17 vocational college students, 1 doctoral student, 2 master's students, and 2 overseas returnees; Since its establishment, the museum has collected over 200000 pieces of bronze ware, ancient coins, ceramics, ancient calligraphy and painting, steles, stamps, and various handicrafts through archaeological excavations, surveys, social acquisitions, and donations. It is the museum with the largest collection of cultural relics in Yunnan Province. Among them, the famous bronze case of Niu Hu from the Warring States period, the four ox gilded knight bronze storage container from the Western Han period, Guo Xi's "Visiting Friends in Xishan" from the Northern Song Dynasty, the statue of Jin Ayiye Guanyin from the Dali period, the golden winged bird from the Dali period, and so on. The Yunnan Provincial Museum has utilized its rich collection to hold exhibitions with different contents, comprehensively and systematically showcasing the social, historical, and cultural landscape of Yunnan@Since its establishment, Yunnan Provincial Museum has exhibited dozens of exhibitions in countries such as the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Japan. Currently, there are 500000 viewers per year. On May 18, 2007, the Yunnan Provincial Museum's "Yunnan Bronze Civilization Exhibition" won the "7th National Museum Top Ten Exhibition Excellence Award"; In June 2007, the Yunnan Provincial Museum was awarded the title of "Advanced Collective of National Cultural Heritage Protection" by the National Cutural Heritage Administration; In 2007, the Yunnan Provincial Museum was also listed as one of the "National Fifteen Key Museums" by the National Cutural Heritage Administration; Since May 18, 2008, Yunnan Provincial Museum has been permanently open to the public for free and is now a national first-class museum

Yunnan Provincial Museum always adheres to the concept of "people-oriented, serving the people" in museum management work, constantly draws on and learns from the management experience and models of advanced museums at home and abroad, boldly innovates, pioneers and strives to become a modern comprehensive museum based in Southwest China and facing Southeast Asia

Niu Hu Copper Case

Unearthed in 1972 at Tomb No. 24, Lijiashan, Jiangchuan, Yunnan, with a height of 43 centimeters, length of 76 centimeters, and width of 36 centimeters, dating back to the Warring States period. The main body of the device is a large cow, which stands upright with its back naturally falling into a shape. The tail is decorated with a scaled down tiger, which bites the cow's tail with its mouth; A large bull has a hollow belly and is horizontally adorned with a small calf. This device is cast by mold casting, with the big cow and small tiger formed at once, while the small cow is cast separately and then welded. The Bull Tiger Bronze Table is an ancient sacrificial vessel of the Dian ethnic group, with a unique design that combines cattle and tigers. From the perspective of aesthetic value, the intention is unique, the imagination is quite rich, the size ratio is appropriate, and the shape is combined with movement and stillness. From the perspective of mechanics, the small tiger is decorated on the tail of the big cow, and the tiger's hind legs tightly press against the big cow's hind legs, causing the center of gravity of the object to shift significantly backwards. Then, a small cow is welded under the big cow's belly to increase the weight of the object itself. The problem of the object being slightly frivolous and unstable in the lower part due to its pursuit of beauty and strangeness has also been solved

Gold statue of Avalokitesvara, with a height of 28 centimeters and a weight of 1115 grams, was unearthed in 1978 from the Qianxun Pagoda, the main tower of the Chongsheng Three Pagodas in Dali, Yunnan, during the Dali Kingdom period. The statue should be standing, with high hair buns, wearing a transformed crown on the head, a feminine appearance, slightly open eyes, and calm like water; Exposed upper body, wearing a long skirt; Hand knot music with heavenly seals; Barefoot, with two square tenons on the feet. There is a backlight behind, made of silver and carved in a boat shape. Statues and backlighting, one in front and one in back, one in gold and one in silver, complement each other appropriately, with neat shapes and exquisite production. It is a masterpiece among ancient * * art pieces, renowned both at home and abroad. There are 13 known metal statues of Avalokitesvara in the world, of which 10 are located abroad and 3 are housed in the Yunnan Provincial Museum. In terms of texture, 12 out of 13 pieces are copper gilded, and this is the only one made of gold

"Visiting Friends in Xishan" Axis

, 96 cm in length and 46 cm in width, written in silk ink. The close-up of this picture depicts streams and rocks, while the distant view depicts branches, pavilions, and springs. The three characters "Chen Guo Xi" are inscribed on the bottom right corner. The author Guo Xi, also known as Chunfu, was from Wen County, Henan Province (now Meng County, Henan Province). His birth and death are unknown. He painted landscapes using the technique of Li Cheng. In his early years, his style was skillful, but in his later years, he was old and spicy. He had a deep understanding of painting theory and proposed the "Three Distances Method" of high, deep, and flat distance in his framing techniques

Yunbo Collection

As a major province of ethnic culture, archaeological excavations have proven that the diversity of Yunnan's historical and cultural presentation is consistent with that of a multi-ethnic province. Over the past 50 years, the Yunnan Provincial Museum has collected more than 190000 pieces of bronze ware, ancient coins, ceramics, ancient calligraphy and painting, steles, stamps, and various handicrafts through years of archaeological excavation, investigation and collection, social acquisition, and donation. It is the museum with the largest collection of cultural relics in Yunnan Province. Among thousands of precious cultural relics, about 1000 have been recognized as national first-class cultural relics. The vast majority of the museum's collection of historical artifacts comes from archaeological excavations

Archaeological Excavation

Museum Cultural Relics Work Team has cleared and excavated over a hundred ancient tombs and sites in the province, obtaining more than 20000 cultural relics collections. There are nearly a hundred exquisite items in the collection. Among them, there are Yun Lei patterned copper drums (the earliest surviving copper drums discovered to date) and sheep horn shaped three button braided bells unearthed from the Wanjiaba ancient tombs of the Spring and Autumn period; The copper coffin in the shape of a building unearthed from the ancient tomb of Dabona during the Warring States period (200 centimeters long, 62 centimeters wide, 64 centimeters high, weighing 257 kilograms, composed of 7 copper pieces, cast with exquisite animal images); The tiger eating cow bronze case (76 cm long and 43 cm high) unearthed from the Lijiashan ancient tomb group during the Warring States period consists of two cows and one tiger; Tiger ox decorated copper pillow, engraved copper arm armor; The bronze storage containers for knights (gilded) grazing cattle, drum shaped bronze storage containers for textile scenes, copper storage containers for war scenes, barrel shaped bronze storage containers for * * scenes, gilded copper buckle decorations for presenting captured images, gilded copper buckle decorations for two person dance plates, gilded copper buckle decorations for eight person music and dance, and bronze buckle decorations for three water birds unearthed from the ancient tombs of Shizhaishan during the Western Han Dynasty; The gold statue of Avalokitesvara (28 centimeters high, weighing 1135 grams), silver gilded winged bird, and five colored relic tower model unearthed from the Dali Three Pagodas during the Dali Kingdom period; In the calligraphy and painting, there are Guo Xi's "Visiting Friends at Xishan" scroll from the Northern Song Dynasty, Huang Gongwang's "Visiting Dai at Shanxi" scroll from the Yuan Dynasty, Xu Xiake's "Presenting a Poem Draft to a Monk at Jizushan" from the Ming Dynasty, Shi Dang's "Unfinished Mountain Scroll" from the Ming Dynasty, and Qian Feng's "Riding a Horse at Du Shaoling" from the Qing Dynasty

The most distinctive collections of Yunnan Provincial Museum are bronze artifacts from the Yunnan culture, cultural relics from the Nanzhao and Dali periods, and a variety of ethnic minority cultural relics from modern times

Exhibition and Collection

Customs Pictures

Qing Dynasty Cultural Relics. 156 centimeters vertically and 45.5 centimeters horizontally. A set of 6. Reflecting the social production, customs and traditions of ancient ethnic minorities in Yunnan. The theme involves various aspects of social life such as picking betel nuts, riding elephants, hunting, bathing, and writing scriptures. It has a strong sense of life and poetic charm. The detailed depiction of the screen is very realistic and vivid, which is an important image material for understanding the life of ancient ethnic minorities in Yunnan. Erhua Stone Marrow Beads

Dali State Scriptures

Dali State Cultural Relics. Width 23 centimeters** As one of the Three Treasures, the scriptures and classics serve as a carrier for recording Tao and his thoughts, as well as an important means of dissemination. This piece was written in the tenth year of Tiankai in Dali Kingdom (1214 AD), with Sanskrit interspersed in the scripture, which is a major feature of Yunnan's Esoteric Buddhism's scriptwriting and publication of scriptures. The Chongsheng Qianxun Pagoda in Dali has been unearthed

Yao silver roof plate

, with a diameter of 15 centimeters and a weight of 260 grams. Round, with a sun pattern carved in the middle, 10 bundles of awns, 10 milk nail patterns carved between the awns, and the rest of the parts with regular geometric patterns, decorated perfectly, with two rings of silver inlaid on the edges. This is a headpiece worn by top Yao women in one of the Yao ethnic branches

Golden Arm Armor

Western Han Dynasty cultural relics. Height 18.8 centimeters. Protective weapons, cylindrical in shape, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, compatible with human arms; The whole body has no decorative patterns; The cylinder has an opening on the side and rectangular perforations on the edge, with a neat shape and exquisite workmanship. Excavated from Tomb No. 12 in Shizhai Mountain, Jinning

The first "Yunnan Provincial People's Government Seal"

1950 cultural relic. Height of 12 centimeters. This seal is engraved with the words "Yunnan Provincial People's Government Seal", "December 1949", "No. 78" and other words in running script. Issued by the Central People's Government, it is square shaped and inherits the tradition of Chinese seals, but the seal script does not follow the customary use of seal script and clerical script, and adopts Song style characters. The dignified Song style seal is easy to recognize and clear at a glance. The printed text of 8 characters is arranged in two lines, with 4 characters per line, arranged neatly and solemnly. The thick and wide edges make the finely carved text appear powerful and strong. The shape and font of this seal are consistent with the first seal of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, except for the difference in the size of the seal's side length. According to relevant regulations in our country, a seal should be immediately destroyed after losing its effectiveness, but this seal should be well preserved and become a witness to history, with high cultural and archival value

Gilded Eight Person Music and Dance Copper Buckle Decoration

Size: Height 9.5, Width 13 (Unit: cm)

Permanent Exhibition

Dian State Bronze Ware

Bronze ware is one of the most important parts of Yunnan's cultural relics. It not only occupies an important position in Yunnan's history, but also in the world's bronze history. The Yunnan bronze culture, centered around Yunnan bronze ware, has a high artistic level and rich social and cultural connotations, and has attracted worldwide attention since the last century. These cultural relics are mainly collected in the Yunnan Provincial Museum. This exhibition will showcase its exquisite products for long-term display to the public

Yunnan is located at the junction of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Several major rivers in Asia flow in different directions in Yunnan, making it an international gateway and a place where various cultures converge. Even the Dian bronze ware from two thousand years ago exhibited an extraordinary diversity and cultural richness. The purpose of this exhibition is to reveal the profound historical significance of Yunnan bronze ware, based on existing scientific research achievements and combined with modern exhibition and display methods, to restore the living conditions of people at that time as much as possible and showcase the splendid Yunnan bronze culture to the world

* A Land of Light

Yunnan is a unique natural religious museum in the world. The Confucian temples scattered throughout the province are not necessarily the halls of Confucianism; Legend has it that the earliest temple in Yunnan was dedicated to the literary sage Wang Xizhi. According to research, he was a deity in the early Taoist school, the Five Dou Mi Sect; Subsequently, the introduction of * *, * * * *, and even modern Catholicism and Christianity from the West, along with the primitive religions previously practiced by various ethnic groups in the region, led to a multitude of major religions around the world finding their own pure lands on this magical land of Yunnan, leaving footprints to varying degrees

Among them, the most widely influential and representative is * *. From the time of transmission, it can be seen that since its introduction to Yunnan during the Tang Dynasty, it has rapidly developed and grown until today. From the scale of transmission, since the late period of the Nanzhao Kingdom adopted * * as the state religion and flourished for hundreds of years, the Qing Dynasty poet Wu Weiye called it "Cangshan and Erjing, the Qilu of the Shi family", and Yunnan was therefore known as the "wonderful fragrance * country". However, what is most astonishing about Yunnan is its vast and inclusive nature. From the earliest Tantrism from India, to the Huayan and Pure Land sects from the Central Plains, from the Tibetan * * from Xizang in the north to the Southern Xanadu * * prevalent in Southeast Asia in the south, all sects in the history of * * development can be found in Yunnan, leaving a breathtaking wealth of cultural relics

Intangible Cultural Heritage

Yunnan is a border area inhabited by ethnic minorities, with rich ethnic and border cultural connotations. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition located on the second floor of the museum showcases a variety of intangible cultural heritage from Yunnan's ethnic minorities, including handmade tie dyeing, wax printing, silverware, to traditional pressed Pu'er tea

Pu'er Tea

In order to provide visitors and guests to the Yunnan Provincial Museum with the opportunity to taste authentic Yunnan Pu'er tea, the museum opened the Yunnan Provincial Museum Pu'er Tea House on the first floor of the museum's annex building (i.e. the back door of the museum) in early 2011. Dedicated personnel were arranged to explain Pu'er tea brewing knowledge, tea art, tea utensils, and other cultural aspects to visitors, providing them with free access to authentic Pu'er tea

Jin Yu Man Tang

Metal Craftsmanship

Metal Craftsmanship includes gold, silver, and copper utensils. The ages are both the Han Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. Such as Han Dynasty gourd gold jewelry, Han Dynasty plum blossom gold piece jewelry, Han Dynasty beast shaped gold piece jewelry, Han Dynasty embossed gold sword scabbard, etc. Among them, the most distinctive ones are the Wangjiaying in Chenggong, Yunnan. The Ming Dynasty gold inlaid with red and blue sapphire crowns and Ming Dynasty gold inlaid with gemstones earrings unearthed from the Mu family tomb are of exquisite craftsmanship, which is truly admirable. The silverware mainly consists of ethnic minority ornaments, such as Dai stone inlaid silver gilded collars, Dai silver armbands, Dai silver shawls, Wa bracelets, etc. Each exhibit reflects the different aesthetic attitudes and cultural customs of different ethnic groups. There are various types of bronze exhibits, such as red copper, brass, and purple copper, and their craftsmanship is rich and colorful, such as spot copper craftsmanship, black copper and silver walking craftsmanship, etc

Jewelry and Jade Products

Jewelry and jade products include jade, amber, agate, and crystal. The selected exhibits are mostly collections of high-quality materials and exquisite carvings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. For example, Ming Dynasty white jade carved floral strips, early Ming Dynasty jade carved herons with auspicious heads, Ming Dynasty fish and dragon figure screens, etc. The most distinctive features of jade carving in the Qing Dynasty include the use of Qing Dynasty jade for longevity, wealth, and prosperity, as well as the use of Qing Dynasty jade tent hooks

Carving Craftsmanship

Carving Craftsmanship includes dozens of collections made of different materials and shapes such as bamboo, wood, teeth, stone, horns, and bones. The highlight of the exhibition is the "ivory carved cursive script embedded hanging screen", which is 198 centimeters high and 58 centimeters wide, with a total of 12 pieces, all written by local famous artists in Yunnan. Exquisite calligraphy and exquisite carving are rare treasures

Architectural Features

Yunnan Provincial Museum was built and put into use in 1964. It is a pagoda style building with a main building of seven floors and two wings of three floors, with a total height of over 40 meters. The first to third floors of the building are exhibition halls, with a total area of 4200 square meters. In front of them are 12 circular columns that are thick and interlocking. The golden brake lever on the roof is shining brightly, and the red star is flashing, creating a magnificent atmosphere and unique design

Basic Chen