Xi'an Banpo Neolithic Museum, China

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Banpo Neolithic Museum

The Banpo Museum is located to the east of Xi'an City as an authentic matriarchal clan community of Yangshao Culture. Discovery on the similar sites reached more than 400, along the Central Valley, Shaanxi Plain in the Yellow River Valley.

The Yellow River Valley has always enjoyed the reputation of being the birthplace of Chinese ancient culture. This primitive society's remains is the relics of the Chinese ancient civilization.

In 1953, during the construction of Baqiao power plant, worker accidentally discovered the remains of the Banpo Village. The village covers 50,000 square meters, mainly divided into three sections: the residential section, the Pottery-making Section and the Burial section. There are excavating area of 10,000 square meters.

The discoveries include 46 house remains, 2 pigsties, 200 cellars, 174 adult tombs, 73 child's burial urns (see in Addition 1), 6 pottery kilns and many production tools and living utensils. All these depict the production and lives of Banpo ancestors 6,000 years ago during the prosperous period of the matriarchal clan society.

In 1958, the Banpo Museum, the first on-the-spot museum in china was set up based on the archaeological excavation. The museum consists of the archaeological excavation, two exhibition rooms, and a great hall that houses the remains of the village.

The First exhibition room mainly displays the production tools of the Banpo ruins. These include stone implements, fishing tools, weaving wheels, stone pins, fishhooks, harpoons, etc. From this, we can understand the production activities of Banpo on different occasions.

The second exhibition room mainly displays relics, which show the social lives, culture art, and various inventions of the Banpo people. Most pottery vessels and ornaments come attended with designs of a fish with a human face. The design of a fish with a human face was a masterpiece painting discovered on the site, and reflected the artistic attainment of these early inhabitants.

Hundreds of pieces of pottery discovered at the Banpo ruins, and they are being exhibits in the second exhibition room. The tip-bottomed bottle (see in Addition3) and pottery steamers (see in Addition 4) are the most characteristic potteries. While these potteries were far away from men's life in modern life, they were the daily need of ancient men; each has the specific use and character.

Distinctly displayed in the museum great hall, are the Banpo ruin's landform, sitting of things, and integrated structure. Including the dividing ditch, storage pits, the site of half-subterranean rectangular house, the dividing ditch surrounding the dwelling area, the cemetery and the site of penned sty, etc.

Now modern citizens in fast rhythm life, always advocate for returning nature and expanding the width of the life space. While in this authentic matriarchal clan community, people can be touch by the slight breath of nature and will understand ancient peoples showing through all kinds of wisdom for subsistence, while restricted by nature. All these were the source of gestating Chinese culture.