Liaoning Provincial Museum

辽宁省博物馆

The first museum of New China, famous for calligraphy and painting from the Jin, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties, Hongshan culture jade and Liao-dynasty relics. Its national-treasure paintings and calligraphy, such as “Court Ladies Adorning Flowers” and “Auspicious Cranes,” rank among the finest collections in the country.

The Liaoning Provincial Museum traces its origins to the Northeast Museum, founded in 1949, and it was the first museum of New China. In 2015 it moved into a new building on Zhihui Third Street in Hunnan District, with a floor area of 100,000 square meters, making it the largest museum in Northeast China. Its collection numbers nearly 120,000 items. Its most celebrated holdings are ancient paintings and calligraphy that descended from the Qing imperial collection after it was dispersed. They include Tang painter Zhou Fang's “Court Ladies Adorning Flowers,” Emperor Huizong of Song's “Auspicious Cranes,” a Song-dynasty copy of Gu Kaizhi's “Nymph of the Luo River,” Tang calligrapher Zhang Xu's “Four Ancient Poems,” Ouyang Xun's “Mengdian Tie” and other national-treasure paintings and calligraphy. Because of conservation needs, most of these works are displayed on rotation, and their exhibitions often attract crowds. Other highlights include the Hongshan culture jade pig-dragon, one of the prototypes of the “first dragon of China” from 5,000 years ago; Khitan artifacts from the Liao dynasty, such as gilt masks and Khitan-script epitaphs; Qing imperial treasures; and an exhibition on Northeast folk customs. The permanent exhibition “Ancient Liaoning” spans five galleries and traces Liaoning's history from the Paleolithic to the Qing dynasty. It is a good introduction to the relationship between the Northeast and the Central Plains. Admission is free, but you must reserve in advance through the museum's official WeChat account, using your real name. The museum is closed on Mondays (except public holidays), and last entry is at 16:00. Free guided tours and audio guide rentals are available. Getting there: it is about a 15-minute walk from Olympic Sports Center Station on Metro Line 2, or about 5 minutes by taxi. From Shenyang North Station, a taxi takes about 30 minutes. Plan on 2 to 3 hours, focusing on the calligraphy and painting galleries and “Ancient Liaoning.” The Liaoning Provincial Library and the Science Museum are nearby and can be visited along the way. Notes: the calligraphy and painting galleries are very dim, and flash photography is prohibited. Reservations are hard to get during special exhibitions, so book early.

Liaoning Provincial Museum

Opening hours

Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby