[2025 Jiuquan Attraction] Travel Guide for Jiuquan Museum (Updated May)

Jiayuguan is one of the four commanderies of Hexi. It was anciently called Suzhou. Arriving in Jiayuguan at dusk, riding the iron dragon and harnessing the long wind. The Drum and Bell Tower stands tall in the city, its flying eaves reflecting the sunset glow, and the sound of the copper clepsydra urges the twilight. Turning to Tang Street, the aroma of roasted lamb permeates the heavy curtains, Hu Ji dances, and the faint sound of camel bells on the Silk Road can be heard. Visiting the County Museum in the morning, I saw the Juyan Han bamboo slips and Dunhuang silk paintings, and the divine turtle carrying the stele still retains its ancient charm. Then I visited the relics of the Western Han Dynasty, where the ruined walls lie in the snow, withered poplars perch magpies, and General Huo's Jiayuguan is still in my heart. Ascending the Bell Tower again, I overlooked the four crossroads where the traffic flowed like a river, the eaves hanging in the sun, and I seemed to see soldiers lighting beacon fires and merchants leading camels. Bidding farewell to the Xiaguang City at noon, looking back at the Qilian Snow Mountains, the vastness meets the sky.

🌟Highlights: I was planning on just casually browsing the Jiuquan Municipal Museum, but it turned out to be incredibly impressive! All sorts of interesting ancient artifacts, and Cave 25 of the Yulin Caves, which exudes the same aura as the Mogao Caves! You can see it all in one go, I'm not exaggerating, and it's free!🆓 ✅Must-try: You absolutely have to see Cave 25 of the Yulin Caves, which is a full-scale replica of the original!! It's definitely worth a look!! I especially recommend going when there are fewer people. If you have the whole place to yourself, you can experience the exquisite murals up close, it's absolutely stunning. Besides that, be sure to check out everything else too.👀 Trust me, the ancient artifacts are incredibly beautiful and interesting, very therapeutic. ⏰Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (Closed on Mondays) Suggested duration: 1-2 hrs 🎫Reservations: Just register at the front desk with your ID card, no appointment necessary

🍊Visited Jiuquan Museum during the 2025 Spring Festival. There were not many people, so I could take my time to look around. It is a hidden gem. 🍊Jiuquan Museum is located at No. 10, Panxuan West Road, Suzhou District, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province. It is very convenient to get there. 🍊The museum was built in 2012 and is a comprehensive national second-class museum with the theme of Jiuquan's history and culture. 🍊The first floor exhibits the essence of Dunhuang colored sculptures and murals, especially the replica of Yulin Cave 25, which can be photographed, allowing people to see the details of the murals up close, which are very exquisite. At the same time, replicas of murals and scriptures lost in the UK, France, the United States, and other places are also exhibited. Although they are replicas, they give people the opportunity to see these wonderful works without going abroad. Each piece is a masterpiece and worth savoring. The exhibits on the first floor alone are already a feast for the eyes and stunning. 🍊The second floor displays cultural relics from the Jiuquan area since ancient times, showcasing themes such as the source of civilization, territorial expansion, and world integration, introducing the history and culture of Jiuquan from ancient times to modern times. The main cultural relics are Han dynasty pottery and Wei and Jin dynasty painted bricks. The third floor is a temporary exhibition hall, displaying Jiuquan cultural relics retrieved from Gansu Province. 🍊The exterior design of the museum: It uses modern means to showcase the historical charm of Han and Tang dynasty architecture, retaining the colonnades and light and deep eaves of Chinese Han and Tang dynasty architecture, presenting the atmosphere of "round sky and square earth, grand and open". 🍊Importantly, admission is free and no reservation is required. There is an explanation at 3 pm. The guide is professional and serious, highly recommended. Jiuquan Museum

First time in Jiuquan | Start from the museum and discover the beauty of Western Region culture The museum is a treasure left by the ancestors for future generations. Those cultural relics are the stability of spring ploughing and autumn harvest and the ups and downs of the dynasty. They are the years of everything and the roots of the wind and frost. Jiuquan Museum is the first comprehensive museum in Jiuquan City with the theme of urban history and culture, and it is also one of the larger comprehensive museums in Gansu Province. After watching the Jiuquan Museum, you will have a preliminary understanding of Jiuquan. Jiuquan, as a satellite launch base, has another side. - Walking into the museum, you can see the relief of the beautiful Jiuquan. The flag is carved with the Silk Road, the wind cave, the culture, the wind power generation and other features. Here you can learn a lot about Dunhuang culture and replicas of Dunhuang grottoes. "Dunhuang Culture" Visiting Jiuquan Museum, as if traveling through time and space, talking with history. Each exhibit carries a profound cultural heritage, which makes people feel very emotional. Today, I am deeply moved by the wisdom and ingenuity of the ancients. - "Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience" The more interesting world, you can experience the characteristic intangible cultural heritage. The copying of scriptures, the production of mud prints, and the exploration of rubbings are particularly interesting. The production of mud prints is based on the steps drawn by the painter in the Dunhuang murals at that time. Grind the natural mineral pigment, and then color it and paint it on the stone brick.

🎯No reservation required, free admission! Closed on Mondays 📍This is a new museum, so the facilities are not fully ready, but it does not prevent you from visiting the exhibition~ The first and second floor exhibition halls are temporarily open, and there are free explanations at 9:30 in the morning and 3:30 in the afternoon! ✅ There is a free 3D movie on the first floor at 3 o'clock, which is about 20 minutes. After that, gather in the hall to listen to the explanation, about an hour and a half! 🎈First floor exhibition area: Beautiful Jiuquan, part of Dunhuang Grottoes (replica), mural display ✅Yulin Cave No. 25 replica cave, you can watch murals up close ✅There are many replicas of famous paintings in the Sutra Depository Cave. It feels like watching the real thing. If you don't want to go to the crowded Dunhuang, I really recommend it!!! 🎈Second floor exhibition area: The origin of Jiuquan civilization, development process, Silk Road, part of Dunhuang Grottoes... ✅Museum collection of painted bricks, pottery stoves, sun-patterned painted pottery pots, grotto murals ✅The on-site restoration of "Li Gong" painting murals in the cave, the charm of Feitian is very amazing! 🎈Third floor temporary exhibition area: There will be different themed exhibitions at any time, you can check the guide in advance before departure

Jiuquan City Museum [located at No. 10 Panxuan West Road, Suzhou District, Jiuquan City, is the first comprehensive museum in Jiuquan City with the theme of urban history and culture, and is also one of the larger comprehensive museums in Gansu Province. The museum was built in 2012, with a total area of 6,600 square meters and a building area of 17,400 square meters, of which the exhibition area is about 12,000 square meters. It has three floors above ground and one underground floor, and was officially opened to the public for free on December 22, 2015. The design style of the museum echoes the Wutong Garden landscape garden, blending harmoniously and uniquely. Its design concept uses a modern approach to express the historical charm of Han and Tang architecture, retaining the colonnades and light, deep eaves of Chinese Han and Tang architecture. The layout is grand and magnificent, the structure is bold and simple, the overall momentum is majestic, and it presents a grand atmosphere of 'round sky and square earth, openness and grandeur.' Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30-12:00 in the morning, 14:30-18:00 in the afternoon, closed on Monday. Take bus routes 5, 12, or 28 within the city and get off at Suzhou Middle School Station.

Having traveled across China, I've visited many museums, but the Jiuquan Museum still offered me a very special surprise. 1. The 'Stone Chamber Treasures' exhibition on the first floor is quite unique, presenting the splendid achievements of Jiuquan's cave art in a full-scale, multi-dimensional manner through a combination of replicated colored sculptures, murals, illustrations, and physical exhibits. It showcases classic replicas from 19 cave art sites including the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang and the Yulin Caves in Guazhou, including exquisite murals that were stolen and are now in the UK, France, the USA, Japan, and India; 2. The main exhibition hall on the second floor is very thoughtfully designed, with a clear timeline and visitor signage. Right out of the elevator, you encounter the dinosaur fossils of ancient Jiuquan, followed by the Han Dynasty's territorial expansion, the Silk Road's cultural blend during the Tang and Yuan dynasties, the Ming Dynasty's fortified border defense, the Suiyuan reforms of the Qing Dynasty, and the century-long journey towards the republic, especially the development of the oil and aerospace industries. Finally, there's the local intangible cultural heritage and cultural and creative products, with the elevator to go downstairs right outside the door. 📍Detailed address: 18 Panxuan West Road, Suzhou District, Jiuquan City; 🚉Transportation tips: Direct city bus service; 👍Most recommended: The cave art museum on the first floor; ⏳Visiting time: 2-3 hours; 📝Note tips: Free guided tours are available for individual visitors in groups of 10 or more at the start of each hour in the morning and afternoon.

Buddhism, as a carrier of East-West cultural exchange, guided numerous Buddhist monks to undertake arduous journeys along the Silk Road to seek and spread the teachings of Buddhism. The eminent monk Zhu Shixing from the Three Kingdoms period brought scriptures from India to Luoyang and established China's first Buddhist temple, the White Horse Temple. Subsequently, figures such as Zhu Fahu of the Western Jin dynasty, Kumarajiva of the Later Qin, Faxian of the Later Qin, Le Seng of the Former Qin, Liu Sahe of the Eastern Jin, Shi Bao Yun of the Eastern Jin, Tan Wu Chen of the Northern Liang, and Xuanzang of the Tang dynasty all used Jiuquan as a station, sprinkling Buddhist thought and doctrine on this land, leaving a deep imprint including the art of the caves. The 'Treasure of the Stone Chamber' cave art exhibition at the Jiuquan Museum is divided into three parts: 'Cultural Integration', 'Carving Cliffs and Opening Caves', and 'Dunhuang Jewels'. It mainly displays the wisdom and skills of ancient artists through a combination of replicas of colored sculptures, murals, illustrations, and physical exhibits. Many classic replicas are on display, such as the Bodhisattva attendant in Cave 45 of the Mogao Grottoes, the Sakyamuni meditation Buddha statue in Cave 259, as well as the Sakyamuni Preaching Under the Tree painting (now in the British Museum), the Water Moon Guanyin statue (now in the Musée Guimet, France), and the Fuxi and Nüwa (now in the National Museum of India), among others. To date, 19 cave sites have been discovered in Jiuquan, including 7 national-level cultural heritage protection sites such as the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, the Yulin Grottoes in Guazhou, the Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves in Guazhou, the Western Thousand Buddha Caves in Dunhuang, the Five Temples Caves in Subei, the Changma Caves in Yumen, and the Xiadongzi Caves in Guazhou, etc. Together, they form a historical record of the development and spread of Buddhism, as well as a history that connects Eastern and Western cultures. Cave art, as a dazzling jewel in the treasure house of ancient Chinese art, possesses unparalleled artistic value.