Old Changsha Museum

Historically, Hunan is where the old Eastern Wu 东吴 dynasty was based. So many relics of that era were found here. So there are many museums in Changsha. During my visit in 2014, both Hunan Provincial Museum was closed for redevelopment. Changsha Museum was also closed for redevelopment. Hence some of the exhibits from the Hunan Museum was put in old Changsha Museum for temporary exhibitions.

Surroundings

Within the compound was the house of Yang Kaihui 杨开慧 and Mao Zedong 毛泽东. Yang was the first wife of Mao, and was martyred in 1930 by the Nationalists. This house later became the first CCP Branch of Hunan.

Hall of Mao Calligraphy

Here’s a collection of Mao’s actual calligraphy carved in marble. The calligraphies were collected from all around the country and then carved into marble tablets. It was actually quite modern. Mao’s writing style was actually quite acclaimed by those who studied it in the Chinese cursive style 草书. The Simplified Chinese form was developed from his calligraphy.

There’s another modern leader that left his calligraphy – Jiang Zemin 江泽民 wrote the entrance tablet although he wasn’t much of a calligrapher 🙂

Religious Relics

Drinking Vessels From Bronze Age

Ceremonial Vessels

Hunan Provincial Museum

Hunan Provincial Museum (Chinese: 湖南省博物馆) is the provincial museum of Hunan province in China built in 1951 and opened to the public in July 1956. It is located in the city capital of Changsha at No. 50, Dongfeng Lu next to the Revolutionary Martyr’s Park. It spans a total area of about 50,000 square metres (12 acres), with a constructed area of 20,000 square metres (4.9 acres).

The museum has a collection of more than 180,000 objects, including items found in the tombs of the Marquis of Dai and his wife in Mawangdui.

The museum was closed on 18 June, 2012 for redevelopment and expansion works and reopened on 29 November, 2017. It is closed on Mondays, and is opened from 9:00 am to 17:00 pm daily.

Changsha Museum

The Changsha Museum (Chinese: 长沙博物馆) is a history museum located at Beichen Delta in Kaifu District, Changsha, Hunan, China. It is adjacent to the Changsha Concert Hall, Changsha Planning Exhibition Hall and Changsha Library. It has a constructed area of 24,000-square-metre (260,000 sq ft).

The collections include Bronzes of Shang and Zhou dynasties, Chinese ceramics, and cultural relic of Changsha

Changsha Museum was reopened on 28 December 2015. Changsha Museum opens to visitors for free. It is closed on Mondays, and is opened from 9:00 am to 17:00 pm daily.

Date Visited : Feb 2014