The Great Wall Museum (Changcheng bowuguan), originally lying to the west of Xinhua nanlu, is at the moment moving location. Updated information will be provided when the new location is established (ED. 17/10/00). The following information, below, concerns the original museum, whose contents will be moved.
It was the first of its kind to offer comprehensive and systematic understanding of the history of the Great Wall. Covering a total area of 3 acres, the “beacon tower” styled complex is made up of seven different sections, with the central theme of the “Great Wall”.
With the help of scale models, diagrams, words and photos spanning from the Warring States Period to the Ming Dynasty (a total of more than 3,000 years), the museum gives visitors a fairly good representation of the life of this vast, snaking wall.
To make the process more smooth, the museum provides two different ways of visiting–either in chronological order:
Spring and Autumn/Warring States Period [770-221 BC]
Qin [221-206 BC] and Han [206 BC-220 AD]
Northern Wei [386-534 AD] to the Jin [1115-1234 AD]
Ming [1368-1644 AD] Dynasty
or according to different themes (ancient weaponry, cultural relics as well as paintings and calligraphy works by famous artists).
Unfortunately, the lack of English descriptions will probably mean a dull visit for the Chinese-illiterate. If this seems to be the case, you can go to the rooftop and view Jiayuguan and the snow-capped mountains to the southwest.
Address: The new location is to be found in the western part of town, near the old city wall.
How to get there: It is in the southern part of town, about thirty minutes’ walk from the Jiayuguan Hotel. As an alternative, take bus No.1, or any mini bus heading to the railway station, and get off at the Gongren Wenhua Gong (Worker’s Culture Palace)- the museum is a few minutes’ walk south from here.
Opening hours: 8am-noon and 3:30pm-6pm Monday to Friday. 10am to 4pm on weekends.
Cost: RMB10.
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