Henan Museum

Henan was the heart of the earliest Chinese states, and the provincial museum holds the material to show it: Shang and Zhou ritual bronzes from Anyang and Zhengzhou, including the Lotus and Crane square pot from a Spring and Autumn tomb, jade from Neolithic cultures, a bone flute from Jiahu dated to around seven thousand BC and playable, and Tang and Song ceramics. The building, completed in 1998, is a stepped pyramid form drawn from ancient observatory design. An ensemble performs on replicas of ancient instruments in the museum, including sets of chime stones and bells. Entry is free but requires online booking, as with most major Chinese museums.

History

Henan Museum, one of the oldest museums in China, was founded in July 1927 in Kaifeng, in the former law school on what is now Sansheng Temple Street; it was briefly renamed the National Museum in 1928 and became Henan Museum again on 1 December 1930. Between 1930 and 1937 researchers led by Guan Baiyi built up its collections of local history, and in 1961 the museum moved with the provincial capital from Kaifeng to Zhengzhou, where its present building opened in the 1990s (Wikipedia, Henan Museum).

What's there

• The Shang and Zhou bronzes - ritual vessels from the earliest dynastic capitals.
• The Jiahu bone flute - a playable instrument around nine thousand years old.
• The Lotus and Crane pot - the celebrated Spring and Autumn bronze.
• The ancient music performances - replicas of chime bells and stones played daily.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes on Mondays. Booking opens several days ahead and slots for weekends go quickly. Music performances run to a daily schedule.

Good to know

Booking is required and awkward without a Chinese phone number. The collection assumes some familiarity with dynastic chronology. English labelling is partial. Zhengzhou has poor air quality on many days.

Nearby

Kaifeng lies east; Luoyang and the Longmen Grottoes are west.

Key facts