Ningbo Museum

宁波博物馆

A signature work by Wang Shu, Pritzker Prize winner. Built from reclaimed tiles in the 'wa ban qiang' tile-wall technique to resemble a mountain, its galleries display Hemudu artifacts and Ningbo history, and the architecture itself is part of the exhibition.

The Ningbo Museum is on Shounan Middle Road in Yinzhou District. It opened in 2008 and was designed by Wang Shu, a professor at the China Academy of Art. Wang won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2012 for this work, becoming the first Chinese architect to receive it. The exterior walls use millions of old tiles and bricks salvaged from old houses demolished in Ningbo, laid in the traditional 'wa ban qiang' technique. Other sections are concrete cast with bamboo-strip formwork. The whole building resembles a cut mountain, with its upper section leaning outward and canyon-like courtyards and ramps inside. Architecture enthusiasts and general visitors alike will find it worth a close look. The permanent exhibition 'Oriental Divine Vessel: Ningbo Historical Relics' traces the story from the Hemudu culture (7,000-year-old stilt houses and rice-farming remains) through Yue celadon and the port of Mingzhou in the Tang and Song dynasties to the modern Ningbo merchant groups. It displays Hemudu bone spades, Yue kiln 'secret color' porcelain, Song seagoing ship components and other relics. 'Ala Old Ningbo: Folk Customs Exhibition' recreates old Ningbo street scenes, wedding customs and daily life, and showcases traditional crafts such as zhujin wood carving, nijin colored lacquer and gold-and-silver colored embroidery. The third floor hosts temporary exhibitions and themed displays of bamboo carving, calligraphy and painting. Admission is free, but reservations are required through the official WeChat account. The museum is closed on Mondays. A visit takes about 2 hours, and the exterior and courtyards are the highlights for photos. Getting there: Metro Line 3 Yinzhou District Government Station is about a 10-minute walk away. A taxi from downtown takes about 20 minutes. Notes: flash photography is prohibited inside. The museum sits in Yinzhou New City, where you can visit the Ningbo Academicians Park or eat at the Wanda shopping district nearby.

Ningbo Museum

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