Shaanxi History Museum

Xian is the capital of the province of Shaanxi, so it is only right that the provincial museum is here. The Shaanxi History Museum was opened in 1991 and houses artefacts and relics dating back to the Qin Dynasty, recognised as China’s first dynasty. Housed in a building designed to resemble a traditional palace from the Tang Dynasty, perhaps the most famous imperial rulers of the area, the museum collections feature over 370,000 items from the province.

The museum’s extensive collection gives an important insight into the history, culture and way of life of the Shaanxi people. Featuring gold, silver and bronze ware, ancient pottery and fascinating murals there is plenty to admire. The most famous displays include ancient fossils, a kneeling archer from amongst the ranks of the Terracotta Army, and a particular Tang Dynasty mural of a game of polo, a popular game of the time.

Popular Tours Visiting Shaanxi History Museum

China Splendour

14 Days from
holiday price

2,990pp

Uncover the Nine Villages Valley, a part of China with turquoise lakes and cascading waterfalls. Rarely seen by western visitors, this delightful scenery is one of China’s real treasures. Combined with the most popular sights of Beijing, Xian and Shanghai this tour really provides the best of both worlds.

Ancient China

18 Days from
holiday price

2,845pp

With thousands of years of fascinatingly diverse history, China is one of the world’s oldest and most monumental civilisations. Encounter millennia-old culture and religion with visits to some of China’s greatest and most intriguing ancient sights.

China & Tibet Discovery

16 Days from
holiday price

3,645pp

Journey to the roof of the world to uncover the mysteries of Tibet in the incredible city of Lhasa whilst enjoying the very best cultural, historical and natural treasures that China has to offer – from the Great Wall and Terracotta Army to the Yangtze River.

View all Shaanxi History Museum tours

Five Facts About The Shaanxi Museum

The Shaanxi Museum is considered China’s first modern national museum, built in 1983.

The collection covers over a million years of history, from prehistoric times to the mid-19^th century.

Shaanxi province was the seat of more than 13 dynasties, whose palaces were in Xian, including the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang.

One of the highlights of the collection are the fossils of the Lantian Man, who lived between 530,000 to a million years ago – older than the Peking Man.

There are four original Terracotta Warriors within the museum’s collection.