Thousands of years ago in the city of Chang'an (now Xi'an), the West Market of the Great Tang Empire (618-907) was the largest trade center on the planet, dolling out spices, wares, and silks. It also laid the foundations for the formation of the Silk Road. The splendor of the ancient market has been lost with time, but the Tang West Market Museum brings the Tang Dynasty back to life.  

         

Located on the original site of the West Market, the museum occupies an area of 35,000 sq m, of which 11,000 sq m is exhibition area and the remaining 2,500 sq m is dedicated to preservation.

The Tang West Market Museum is China's first and the only private "national first-class museum". It has unique and distinctive architectural style, with both the traditional design concept and the modern glass-steel structure, highlighting the glory and brightness of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Features of Exhibits

                           

         

The museum’s collection has now expanded to include around 20,000 objects, made up of the archaeological finds of the West Market site and the private collections of the museum’s founder. The exhibits on display reflect the long history from the Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Among numerous exhibits are exquisite bronzes, colorful ceramics, pottery figurines in various forms, dazzling gold and silverware, delicate silk, and ingenious jade. Besides, there are a large number of coins of different historical periods and countries, as well as epitaphs, religions and architectural relics.

         

The museum is divided into five sections: the Permanent Exhibition, the Thematic Exhibition, the Temporary Exhibition, the Special Exhibition, and the Art Gallery. The exhibition system is all-encompassing, integrating historical sites, archaeological relics, and folk collections into one.

         

Opening hours:

Summer season: 9:00—17:30 (Stop checking tickets at 16:30)

Winter: 9:00—17:00 (Stop checking tickets at 16:00)

(Keep open on legal holidays; closed on every Monday and New Year's Eve)

Address: No. 118, Laodong South Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

Tel: 029-84351808

From Shaanxi Xuexi.cn