An exhibit item from Guyuan Museum

Address: 133 Xicheng Road, Yuzhou district, Guyuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region
Website: www.nxgybwg.com (Cn)
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (No entry after 16:30)
ClosedMondays (except for holidays)
E-mail: gybwgbgs@163.com
General admission: Free (Passport required for entry)

Guyuan city occupied a vital pass on the ancient Silk Road. The Guyuan Museum was established to collect ethnic treasures and artifacts that trace back through the history of the Silk Road. Opened in 1983 by the Ningxia provincial government, the museum contains over 20,000 relics, including piecesof ancient currency and records of the first Islamic presence in northwestern China, as well as valuable artifacts recovered from other ancient ethnic minorities.

Basic exhibitions include “Guyuan Historical Relics” and a themed exhibition called “Silk Road in Guyuan”. “Guyuan Historical Relics” includes the bronzewares of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), as well as stone ware and porcelain from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It highlights the folk and historical relics of Guyuan, showcasing the changes in cultural and commercial communication and social development.

An exhibit item from Guyuan Museum

The other exhibition includes many historical relics and tomb murals from the Silk Road, including stone and bronze statues of Buddha and jade statues of Avalokitesvara. The exhibition reveals the political, economic, and cultural exchanges between China and the West on the Silk Road, the role and contribution of the Silk Road in spreading world civilization, and the important role Guyuan has played on the Silk Road. It does this by displaying the historical relics and sites unearthed in the tombs of Guyuan. In addition to goods and commodities, ideas were also transported to China via the Silk Road. Buddhism was introduced to Guyuan and thrived from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-557)to the Tang Dynasty (618-907).