Shaanxi History Museum

Shaanxi held the capital under the Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang and others, so the provincial collection covers the core of early Chinese history: Zhou bronzes, Qin material including terracotta figures, Han seals and jade, and above all the Tang, whose capital Chang'an stood here. The Hejiacun hoard, over a thousand pieces of Tang gold and silver buried in two jars, is the highlight, along with a separate gallery of wall paintings lifted from Tang princely tombs, showing polo, hunting, court women and foreign envoys in a state of preservation and liveliness that is hard to find elsewhere.

What you actually see

• The Hejiacun hoard - Tang gold and silver buried in two sealed jars.
• The tomb murals - Tang wall paintings lifted from princely burials.
• The Zhou and Qin bronzes - early ritual vessels from the Guanzhong plain.
• The Han material - seals, jade and figurines from the capital period.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes on Mondays. Free tickets require advance booking and are released in limited daily numbers, going quickly in summer. The mural gallery charges separately.

Honest expectations

Booking is compulsory and difficult without a Chinese app; queues form even with tickets. The museum is very busy. English labelling is partial for such an important collection.

Nearby

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda lies east; the city wall is north.