[2025 Hangzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Wu-Yue Culture Museum (Updated Feb)

Wuyue Culture Museum will open to the public in October 2024, with its collection of cultural relics arranged in chronological order. From the Wuyue family mountain to the Yijin City model, and then to the persuasion to attack Dong Chang, the establishment process of the Wuyue Kingdom is vividly displayed. Among them, the golden book and iron certificate of King Qian, the original of which is exhibited in the National Museum of China, represents the recognition of the Central Plains Dynasty for Qian Liu's achievements, and also proves that Wuyue culture is an inseparable part of Chinese culture. The expansion and change map of Hangzhou City, the short sword of King Qian, the structure of the sea defense stone embankment... The contribution of the Wuyue Kingdom to the urban construction of Hangzhou is fully displayed, which is the evidence of the "protection of the territory and the people" in Wuyue culture. The Wuyue Kingdom always maintained close contact with the Central Plains, paying tribute to the Central Plains court and receiving rewards from the Central Plains Dynasty. Among the exhibited cultural relics, the white porcelain "official" silver buckle pot is the best evidence of the Wuyue Kingdom's "good service to China" and the commendation from the Central Plains Dynasty. The opening exhibition "Wuyue Millennium - The Southeast Paradise during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period" features 350 pieces (sets) of cultural relics, including 150 first-class cultural relics, most of which are on display for the first time. The visit takes about three hours.

The Wuyue Culture Museum is like an encyclopedia of Wuyue culture. In addition to the three national treasure-level secret color porcelains, the 201g gold bowl, the crystal lion from Arabia, and the carved glass plate are also highlights. Wuyue gold and silver wares are complete in variety, and the decorative techniques mostly adopt hammering, openwork, engraving, and gilding. Among them, the gold and silver wares with gold flowers and the engraved and gilded silver lid jar with dance patterns fully reflect the superb gold and silver ware making level of the Wuyue Kingdom. The gold and silver Kaiyuan Tongbao coins were not used as circulating currency, but were mostly used for celebrations, rewards, games, newlyweds' bed scattering, and babies' full moon celebrations, so they are extremely rare. The top surface of the copper petal door nail is in the shape of a three-dimensional six-petal plum blossom, and the center of the back is a sharp nail. The door nail originated from the "Zhuoyi" mentioned by Mozi, which is the sharp round wooden cabinet embedded in the ancient city gate. The jade wares unearthed during the Wuyue Kingdom period are the most numerous and exquisite in Kangling. The style is realistic, and the themes are mostly dragons, phoenixes, mandarin ducks, butterflies, ganoderma, peonies, etc.

In the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, Qian Liu pacified the two Zhejiang provinces and established the Wuyue Kingdom. The Qian family, through three generations and five kings, always adhered to the policy of serving China well and prioritizing people's livelihood. Later, they surrendered to the Song Dynasty, leaving behind the prosperous and stable "paradise of Suzhou and Hangzhou"! Qian Liu was born at the foot of Gongchen Mountain in Lin'an, to a mother named Shui Qiushi. Out of pity from his grandmother, he was given the nickname "Poliu." In his early years, while selling salt, he practiced crossbow and halberd, studied military strategy, and gained a broad understanding of people's lives. At the age of 24, Qian Liu formed the Badu Army, joined the military under Dong Chang's recruitment, and gradually gained prestige by outsmarting Huang Chao, defeating the rebellious Liu Hanhong in eastern Zhejiang, and pacifying Dong Chang, who declared himself emperor in Yuezhou. Due to his efforts in quelling Dong Chang's rebellion, the region enjoyed peace, and the ancient town of Anchang was named after this event. Today's Yangshan in Keqiao is where Qian Liu stationed his troops back then. The Wuyue Kingdom, with Hangzhou as its capital, fortified its defenses across thirteen prefectures and gathered people for livelihood. Qian Liu built embankments to protect against the sea, pioneering the "bamboo cage stone embankment" technology. The Five Dynasties Wuyue Sea Embankment Site is the earliest sea embankment artifact discovered in China. In 1542, Huang Guangsheng created the "five vertical and five horizontal" pile foundation fish scale stone embankment, representing the pinnacle of ancient Chinese sea embankment technology. At its peak, the Wuyue Kingdom controlled one army and thirteen prefectures. The Qian family emphasized city defense construction, with brick and stone walls built inside and outside the city walls of each prefecture. The Wuyue Kingdom believed in serving China well and formed alliances with the Chu and Min kingdoms through marriage and military assistance. They also engaged in diplomatic exchanges with the Liao Kingdom and maintained trade relations with Japan and countries on the Korean Peninsula, playing a significant role in East Asian cultural exchanges. Unfortunately, there are many replicas, especially the Dragon Silver Slips, Gold Book Iron Vouchers, and the Gilded Silver Bamboo Joint Seven-Star Dragon and Phoenix Iron Sword. This sword symbolizes the power granted by Emperor Zhaozong of Tang to Qian Liu as the military governor of Zhenhai (Wu) and Zhendong (Yue). The sword's hilt is made of wood with an iron core, inlaid with gold and decorated with patterns of phoenixes, dragons, sword-wielding warriors, and constellations. The middle of the sword's blade is engraved with the star maps of the Dipper and Ox constellations, representing the Wuyue region.

The secret color porcelain in the Qian Miao tomb is like a ceramic market with hundreds of pieces, which is worth seeing👀 On October 11, 2024, the Wuyue Culture Museum in Lin'an District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province was opened to the public. The 350 pieces (sets) of cultural relics exhibited in the opening exhibition "Wuyue Qianqiu-Southeast Paradise in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" include 150 first-class cultural relics, most of which are debut, they systematically show the political, economic, and cultural aspects of the Wuyue Kingdom. And development achievements Different from its sister museum Lin'an Museum, Wuyue Culture Museum is the first national history museum in Wuyue Kingdom in China. The concentration of heavy exhibits and the richness of professional collections have gathered the essence of Wuyue culture. Not only does the museum have national treasures, such as the secret color porcelain brown cloud pattern incense burner and secret color porcelain brown cloud pattern oil lamp unearthed from the tomb of Qian Lusheng's mother, but nearly half of the exhibits are first exhibited. It is said that the Wuyue Kingdom is "three generations and five kings". The Wuyue Culture Museum is divided into three floors and two parts. The three-story space in the museum, with the two narrative themes of "A Hundred Years of Waiting-Wuyue National History Lansheng" and "One Vein Style-Wuyue National Cultural Relics View", interprets the prosperous urban construction, developed handicrafts, and brilliant ocean trade civilization of the Wuyue Kingdom period from multiple angles such as Wuyue Kingdom history, Qian's family training, precious cultural relics, etc., and the cultural heritage that has been passed down to future generations.