Shanxi Museum 山西博物院

The land of Shanxi ignited the flame of civilisation as early as the Stone Age. Emperor Yao established his capital here, and the spirit of the Jin dynasty has continued for 600 years. Therefore, Shanxi has so many treasures, making it, like Henan, a favourite destination for tomb raiders.

Shanxi Museum, one of the first batch of national first-class museums, was formerly founded in 1919 as Shanxi Educational Book Museum and renamed Shanxi Museum 山西博物院 in 1953. The new building of the museum was completed in 2004 and open to public in 2005, covering an area of 168 Mu and a construction area of 52,000 sqm. In July 2019, Shanxi Bronze Museum 山西青铜博物馆, a branch of Shanxi Museum, officially opened.

Brief Introduction of Shanxi Museum

According to the data in July 2020, Shanxi Museum has a total collection of more than 500,000 pieces, including 40,282 pieces (groups) of precious cultural relics, among which 2,129 pieces (groups) are of first-class artefacts, and more than 110,000 volumes of ancient books. The collections mainly come from the archaeological excavation since 1920s and what has been collected in the past 100 years. There are many valuable bronze ware, porcelain, stone carvings, Buddhist statues, murals, calligraphy and painting, etc.

The main hall of Shanxi Museum is a 4-storey building endowed with the meanings of “dou” (a measure for grain) and “ding” (pot). In Chinese culture, “dou” symbolises the joy of harvest, and “ding” symbolises stability and auspiciousness. With the landscape design of pools, water, sculpture, outdoor exhibits, a rich cultural atmosphere is created here and the central hall imitates Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.

Permanent Exhibits of Shanxi Museum

Shanxi’s history can be traced back to the legend of “Nuwa mending the sky,” which took place in the Central Plains region of Shanxi. The Chinese people refer to themselves as “descendants of Yan and Huang,” and Shanxi was the main area of ​​activity for both the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor. Unsurprisingly, Yao, Shun, and Yu all established their capitals and dynasties within Shanxi. During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong considered Shanxi the “land of the dragon’s rise,” and designated Taiyuan as the Tang Dynasty’s “Northern Capital,” or “Beijing”—yes, Beijing.

The basic exhibition of Shanxi Museum, with the theme of “Jin Soul” (Shanxi is called Jin for short), consists of seven historical and cultural exhibits and five artistic ones. (Painting and Calligraphy exhibition was closed when I visited the museum.) It fully displays the history of Shanxi from Paleolithic age to modern times and its distinctive achievements in Buddhism, opera, business, architecture, etc.

Apart from the 12 basic exhibits of “Jin Soul” and the 3 exhibits in Shanxi Bronze Museum, there are occasional temporary exhibits cooperated with home or foreign individuals and organisations. The ground level is security, cafe and gift shop, with temporary exhibition and lecture halls.

• Level 2 holds the exhibition halls for Cradle of Civilization 文明摇篮, Trace of The Xia And Shang Dynasty 夏商踪迹, and Achievements of Jin Kingdom 晋国霸业, showcasing the relics and artefacts from prehistoric to Western Zhou periods.
• Level 3 holds the exhibition halls for Melting Pot of Different Nationalities 民族熔炉, The Relics of Buddhism 佛风遗韵, The Hometown of Operas 戏曲故乡 and Shanxi Merchants 天下晋商
• Level 4 holds the exhibition halls for Ancient Architecture 土木华章（古建）, Jade 玉韫华夏（玉器）, Painting and Calligraphy 翰墨丹青（书画）, Ancient Chinese Porcelain 瓷苑艺葩（瓷器） and Ancient Chinese Currency 方圆世界（钱币）, five different artistic themes.

Cradle of Civilization 文明摇篮

Shanxi, in the middle reaches of the Yellow River valley with its pleasant climate and abundant resources, has been regarded as a cradle of ancient humankind and civilisation.¹

The man-made stone implements from 2.430.000 years ago have been found in the Xihoudu 西侯度 village. Primitive human beings once lived, multiplied and left their traces of lite all over the Shanxi region, such as in the valleys of the Fen River, Sanggan River, Qin River and in the caves along the western foot of the Taihang Mountain. Life continued for more than a million years during this Paleolithic Age, therefore leaving behind the richest cultural remains in China.²

Around 10,000 years ago, our ancestors entered the Neolithic Age, developing slash-and-burn agriculture, domesticating animals, making pottery, building dwellings and forming group habitation. Through thousands of yeats of continued develop ment and integrating, agreat many tribal settlements thrived. Their interaction eventually sparked the rise of civilisation in the middle reaches of the Yellow River 4,300 years ago, the Taosi Culture 陶寺文化 rose consequently in southern Shanxi, marking the beginning of Chinese civilisation.³

The vessel above was unearthed from a late Taosi culture ash pit within the site of the inhabitant’s residence; it is now incomplete. On the belly of the drum-shaped vessel, a character “文” (wen) is inscribed in cinnabar, its structure closely resembling that of oracle bone script. On one side of the flat-bottomed vessel, two characters are inscribed in cinnabar, currently undecipherable; some scholars believe it to be “尧” (Yao), others “邑” (yi), and still others “唐” (Tang). A rim of cinnabar is applied around the damaged area, indicating the vessel was already broken when the inscription was lost. The strokes of the “撒” (sa) and “捺” (na) characters are clearly visible, suggesting the tool used for writing was a brush.⁴

The Xia And Shang Dynasty 夏商踪迹

Xia 夏, as the first dynasty in Chinese history was established in the 21st century BC. The social structure had gradually formed, as productive force developed greatly and social class divided intensively. Hence China has revealed the early stage of state-level society The core area of the Xia is mainly in the central and western He’nan and the southern Shanxi. Various cultural relics of the Xia period found in Shanxi identified that the southern Shanxi once was the Xia ruins in ancient historical records.⁵

Xia is the first hereditary dynasty in China. Its territory was divided into nine states geographically according the ancient Book of Documents, Shangshu Yugong 《尚书•禹责》. The southern Shanxi once was a part of Jizhou state. Meanwhile many old cities recorded in ancient literature. such as Anyi, where Emperor Yu once settled down. Tang⁶, Daxia and Xia ruins were all located in southern Shanxi.

As far as we known. there are more than 600 cultural heritages of the Xia period discovered in Shanxi, mostly of these historical remains gathered or distributed in Linfen and Yunchêng basins, in which the Dongxiafeng site in Xia county is the most important one In addition there are many archaeological finds in central and northern Shanxi province, such as Baiyan site in Taigu county. Dongtaibu site in Taiyuan city and Youyao site in Xinzhou city. The artefacts unearthed from these sites not only appeared the typical features of Xia culture. but also showed strong regional characteristics.⁷

Whereafter the Shang dynasty emerged, it tended to be more completed in state and social systems, as the agriculture, handicrafts and trade developed rapidly, its territory expanded as well Its degree of civilisation reached the first peak of Bronze Age. Abundant remains and cultural relics discovered in Shanxi presented the diverse cultural features of the Shang period. Shanxi once played very important and unique role during the Shang’s 500-year history.⁸

Achievements of Jin Kingdom 晋国霸业

In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Shu Yu 叔虞 was enfeoffed as Tang, residing east of the Fen River. Xie Fu 燮父 succeeded his father, changing the name of Tang to Jin, thus establishing the State of Jin. For nearly 300 years, successive rulers of Jin upheld their responsibility as a bulwark of the royal family, adhering to the governing strategy of “initiating with the policies of the Xia Dynasty and expanding with military force,” while being inclusive and enterprising. In 770 BC, Marquis Wen of Jin, along with other feudal lords such as Duke Wu of Zheng and Duke Xiang of Qin, assisted King Ping in moving the capital eastward, initiating the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. They then led campaigns on behalf of the king to consolidate the royal lineage. From then on, the State of Jin gradually moved to the centre of the historical stage.⁹

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou Dynasty declined, while the politics, economy, and culture of the vassal states continued to develop. The era in which rites, music, and military expeditions were initiated by the Son of Heaven gradually came to an end, and the rise of various feudal lords vying for hegemony became the theme of this era.¹⁰

From the time of Marquis Wen onwards, the State of Jin gradually became a key player in the Spring and Autumn Period’s struggle for hegemony. The replacement of Yi by Quwo injected new vitality into Jin’s development; Duke Wu and Duke Xian expanded the territory, conquering seventeen states and subjugating thirty-eight; Duke Wen convened the Jiantu Alliance, initiating his hegemonic ambitions; Duke Jing moved the capital to Xintian, further increasing the state’s power; Duke Dao convened the feudal lords nine times, spreading his prestige far and wide. The commands for conquest and warfare throughout the land originated from Jin.¹¹

The Partition of Jin was a pivotal event in Chinese history, marking the watershed between the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. In the late Jin period, the ducal house declined, and the six ministers held absolute power, with government control largely controlled by their own families.

In 453 BC, the three families of Han 韩, Zhao 赵, and Wei 魏 united to destroy the Zhi clan, dividing the Jin territory into three parts, rendering the Jin ducal house a mere shell. In 403 BC, King Weilie of Zhou enfeoffed Han Qian, Zhao Ji, and Wei Si as feudal lords, formally establishing the Warring States period with its seven major states. In 376 BC, Marquis Wu of Wei, Marquis Ai of Han, and Marquis Jing of Zhao divided the remaining lands of the Jin ducal house, deposed Duke Jing of Jin, and the state ceased to have ancestral sacrifices.¹²

The Warring States period was a time of great upheaval, with numerous states vying for power, a flourishing of diverse schools of thought, and significant social changes. Conquest and integration became the dominant themes of the era.¹³ Han, Zhao, and Wei, striving for advancement, implemented reforms to strengthen themselves, expanded their territories, and adapted to the changing times, inheriting the legacy of Jin and continuing the glory of the Three Jin states, thus propelling Chinese society towards unification.¹⁴

Melting Pot of Different Nationalities 民族熔炉

Shanxi, located in the ecotone between the agricultural area in the heartland of the Central Plains and the nomadic area in the steppes beyond the Great Wall, has been a ‘melting pot’ of ethnic integration since ancient times.

From the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.) to the Qin (221-206 B.C.) and Han Dynasties (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), the Central Plains dynasties and the Xiongnu power confronted each other for hundreds of years across the Great Wall. In the Wei, Jin, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties (3rd-6th centuries), the northern ethnic groups that moved to Shanxi rose in power and became dominant one after another.

At the end of the 4th century, the Tuoba tribe of the Xianbei ethnicity established the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), dominated Shanxi and promoted the Sinicisation. Later, it was split into Eastern and Western Wei, which in turn became Northern Qi (550-577) and Northern Zhou (557-581) respectively. The interaction and development among all ethnic groups gave rise to the fourishing of the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties.

Pingcheng in the Northern Wei Dynasty and Jinyang in the Northern Qi Dynasty were international metropolises at the eastern end of the ‘Silk Road’ in the Northern Dynasties period (386-581). Cultural exchange and trade between China and foreign lands prospered as never before.¹⁵

The Relics of Buddhism 佛风遗韵

Buddhism, originated in ancient India during the 6th century BCE is one of the three major religions in the world. It was introduced into China around the first century CE between the late Western Han Dynasty and beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Along with the process of multi-national communication and cultural exchanges in Southern and Northern Dynasties (ca. 4-6th centuries), Buddhist culture spread rapidly and reached its peak during the Sui and Tang Dynasties (ca. 7-9th centuries). China had become the center of the Buddhism that came from the north route and even the key area of Buddhist culture in the world. As the original Buddhism declined in ancient India, it had been sinicised and merged with Chinese culture gradually in China by the Song Dynasty (ca. 10-13th centuries). Eventually the Buddhist culture was completely integrated into the Chinese civilisation.¹⁶

The art of Chinese Buddhist sculptures in Early stage showed strong exotic charms. Later on, the Chinese features increased obviously. After the Tang Dynasty it gradually changed into Chinese common social customs. Shanxi is the core area where the Buddhist art developed, starting with the first five caves of Yugang Grottoes in Datong carved by a Buddhist monk, Master Tanyao. These marvelous Buddhist temples and pagodas had been built all over the urban and rural areas, Shanxi was well known for the splendid stone statues, beautiful murals and colorful sculptures, those were highlights of the fine art and traditional culture in ancient China. Therefore Shanxi also enjoyed the reputation as a treasure house of ancient arts.¹⁷

Religions might be mysterious while the art is actual in life. But the truth, merit and beauty are the eternal pursuits of mankind.¹⁸

The Hometown of Operas 戏曲故乡

Chinese opera is a kind of stage art composed of various performing forms, such as music, singing and dancing, dialogue and farce. It is an important component of Chinese excellent traditional culture. It is one of the most famous art treasures, through which countless touching Chinese stories have been showed with its unique art features, so that it has enjoyed as good reputation as the drama of ancient Greek and Sanskrit drama in Indian.¹⁹

The Chinese opera originated from the musical performance of singing and dancing in the sacrificial ceremonies dating back to the pre-Qin period. Experiencing this thousands of years development the stage art of opera performing formed during the Song and Yuan Dynasties (10-14th centuries). Especially the poetic drama of the Song and Jin laid the foundation of the poetic drama thriving in the Yuan dynasty, which marks the mature stage of Chinese opera.²⁰

As the birthplace of the Chinese opera, there are abundant of cultural relics remained, such as lots of ancient opera stages densely scattered, many famous poetic writers and dramatist once lived here and some classic works of local operas passed down through the ages. Therefore Shanxi enjoyed the international reputation as the Hometown of Chinese Opera.²¹

Shanxi Merchants 天下晋商

The term “Shanxi merchants”refers to the businessmen from Shanxi during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which were called the “three major business groups together with the merchants from Chaozhou and Huizhou contemporaneous.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Kaizhong law was issued and carried out so that merchants could get official permission of salt trade through transporting military supplies, such as grains to the northern border garrisons and forts. It triggered the trade of Shanxi merchants blooming in the beginning. Since then, their business were gradually enlarged and their footprints extended all over the country.

In the Qing Dynasty, Shanxi merchants established a ten-thousand-mile long trade route of tea mainly crossing the Europe and Asia. During the Emperor Daoguang’s period in the Qing dynasty, Shanxi merchants founded the draft banks for currency exchanging from home to abroad. Thus, Shanxi merchants had dominated the finance for nearly a century.

Shanxi merchants had been involved in the trade and banking business for about five hundred years, who left us tremendous cultural heritage and spiritual wealth.

Ancient Architecture 土木华章

There’s a saying, “地下看陕西，地上看山西” – if you want to see relics and artefacts, they are all buried underground in Shaanxi Province. But the relics and artefacts of Shanxi are all aboveground, in its ancient architectures and buildings scattered across the province.

Chinese ancient buildings are mainly earthen and timber structures, which is a unique system that is different from the western masonry structures. The Chinese architectures were built and ordered rigorous, on which the Chinese philosophical thoughts and aesthetic taste were abide of. And the Chinese architectures integrate the natural landscapes and cultural features. This unique system consists of the national characteristics and essence of Chinese civilisation experienced thousands of years, which are valuable cultural heritages of all mankind.²²

Shanxi is known as the ‘treasure house of ancient Chinese architecture’, because there are a large number of various ancient buildings well preserved, including many timber buildings earlier than Yuan Dynasty, which ranked the first in the whole country. Furthermore, the architectural accessories, such as painted sculptures, murals, tablet inscriptions, lintel plaques. and so on, are integrated with ancient buildings perfectly. All these formed a whole harmonious unity²³

The buildings of Yuan Dynasty, inherited and opted the techniques of reducing and shifting columns from the Liao and Jin Dynasties, are free and bold, those structures were usually made of large raw timbers. But the official building of the Ming and Qing are highly standardised and grandiose, as even the dwellings are assembled with concise single ones with exquisite and elaborate decorations. All these reflected highlight of the architectural art.²⁴

There are total 25,000 buildings of the Yuan, Ming and Qing preserved in Shanxi, including over 360 buildings of the Yuan Dynasty, ranking the first in the country. The architectural types are various and unique including the Great Wall passes, cities, dwellings, temples and opera stages in the Ming and Qing period.²⁵

Ancient Jade 玉韫华夏

Jades are generous gifts of the nature. As jades are glittering and translucent, elegant and pure, they are symbolised the essence of the mountains in the ancient mysterious Orient. The elaborated jade wares have been endowed with supernatural qualities and rich connotations, which could be used for offering to the gods as deity medium, wearing ornaments symbolising their noble quality, burial amulet for exorcising evil spirits, furnishing houses for revealing elegance and wealth. Jade wares are not only high quality objects our life, but also art works with pleasure mentally.²⁶

Jade ware contains a profound traditional Chinese etiquette culture, by which ancient people could communicate with the gods, show their own social status and keep themselves healthy physically and mentally.²⁷

Ritual jade wares originated as early as the late primitive society, and the ritual system of jades had not formed until the Western Zhou Dynasty: The jades had been widely used in ritual occasions, such as sacred ceremonies, pilgrimages, wedding and funerals, etc. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the connotation and functions of jades had developed gradually to its peak by thoughts from the Confucianism and other schools. Thus, jade ware became a unique symbol of Chinese traditional culture with profound and far-reaching influences.²⁹

Jades, representation of men’s nobility and sacredness, symbols of purity and beauty, are the vivid embodiment of the Oriental spirits and important material foundation of Chinese traditional culture.³⁰

Ancient Chinese Porcelain 瓷苑艺葩

Porcelain is a great invention of China, which is made of fine clay and glazed with mineral and plant pigments and then heated by the fire in kilns. The various elegant porcelain with graceful shapes and natural colours have made people’s life greatly improved and shown their art aesthetic appreciation as well.³¹

Porcelain is a symbol of China, which has witnessed the Chinese national spirit of pursuing excellence and continuous progress from the simplicity of céladon to the masterworks from the Jingdezhen. No matter the white porcelain from Xing kiln that spread over in vast areas or the blue and white porcelain exported overseas, porcelain is the most recognisable Chinese fashion.³²

Porcelain is a image of China, which has visited lots of countries and regions through the routes on land or marine. It crossed over the high mountains and oceans as a cultural ambassador, spreading the splendid Chinese civilisation to the world.³³

Ancient Chinese Currency 方圆世界

Currency is the product of commodity exchange. It was derived from the trade and separated from the process of commodity exchange and particularly acted as general equivalent goods³⁴

Ancient currency and money in China were mainly bronze coins originated in the Shang Dynasty (ca. 16th-11th centuries BC), which developed in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (ca.8th-3rd centuries BC) and was standardised as a unified form in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BCE). The currency had experienced several times of monetary reforms, such as from Qin Banliang coin to Han Wuzhu coin and then to Tang Baowen coin, down to the coinage system of Ming and Qing. The development sequence of Chinese ancient coins and currency is clear and continuous for almost 3000 years. It had not ended until the machine-made coins those were extensive used by the late Qing government.³⁵

There are a huge number of ancient coins and currencies collected in Shanxi Museum. Especially the bronze coins from Jin state and followed by three Jin states, Han, Zhao and Wei, are the most typical category. The collection system of ancient coins and currencies in Shanxi Museum is rather completed continuous, orderly, in which include some masterworks of coin art. These historical and cultural relics are sorts of valuable materials for studying the ancient society, politics, economy and culture, etc.³⁶

Top Ten List of Shanxi Museum 镇馆之宝

Shanxi, a place with an exceptionally long history, is hailed as the “cradle of Chinese civilisation” and is known as the “museum of ancient Chinese culture.” As the culmination of ancient culture in Shanxi, the Shanxi Museum houses 10 of the 12 national treasure-level cultural relics in Shanxi.³⁷ Arranged in chronological order.

About Shanxi Museum

• The opening hours are from 9:00 to 17:00 every day and closed on Mondays.
• The ticket is free and can only be reserved through the official WeChat account. Visitors can book tickets 3 days in advance and enter the museum according to the appointment time with their ID cards or reservation codes. Foreigners need to bring their passport as a proof of identity.

Shanxi Museum 山西博物院
No.13, North Section of Binhe West Road, Taiyuan City, Shanxi, China
山西省太原市万柏林区滨河西路北段13号

All photos taken at Shanxi Museum and Shanxi Bronzeware Museum Oct 2025, unless otherwise noted.

Footnotes :

1. 山西，地处黄河中游，气候适宜，物产丰饶，是远古人类和文明的摇篮。 ↩︎
2. 西侯度发现了243万年前的人工打制石器。汾河岸边，桑干河畔，沁河两岸，太行西洞穴内，原始人类生息繁衍，尼迹這布山西南北，留下了冠绝全国的旧日石器文化遗存。百余万年间，沧海桑田，生生不息。 ↩︎
3. 距今1万年前后，我们的先民进入新石器时代，刀耕火种，驯化动物，制作陶器，营建房屋，聚族而居。数干年血脉传承，多源流接续交融。部族聚落灿若星辰。各方文化相互激荡，满天星斗般的文明火花向黄河中游聚合。4300年前，陶寺文化在晋南兴起，华夏民族跨入文明之门。 ↩︎
4. 出士于居住遗址内一座陶寺文化晚期的灰坑内，已残。壶鼓腹部用朱砂写有一个“文”，与甲骨文形体结构十分相像。平腹的一面朱书两个字符，目前尚不能识读，有学者认为是“尧”，有学者认为是“邑”，还有学者认为是“唐”。沿破损处涂朱一周，表明在失书时此壶即己残破。撒、捺笔逢清晰，推测用来节写的工具应为毛笔。 ↩︎
5. 公元前21世纪，中国第一个王朝——夏建立，各项社会制度逐步形成，社会生产力有了很大发展，阶级分化日益加剧，中国进入早期国家阶段。夏王朝中心区域主要在河南中西部和山西南部。山西境内发现了众多夏时期文化遗存，山西南部有“夏墟”之称。 ↩︎
6. This “Tang” 唐 does not refer to the Tang dynasty but the state of Tang conferred to Shuyu 叔虞. Tang became Jin later in the history. ↩︎
7. 夏是中国历史上第一个世袭制王朝。《尚书•禹责》以地理为径，分天下为“九州”，山西南部”
   属“冀州”之地。文献记载的禹都“安邑”，以及“唐”“大夏”“夏墟”都在这里。山西已发现夏时期遗存600余处，以临汾和运城盆地最为集中，其中又以夏县东下冯遗址最为重要。山西中部的太谷白燕、太原东太堡和忻州游邀等遗址；既有典型夏文化的特点，又具浓郁的地方特色。 ↩︎
8. 继夏而起的商王朝，国家体制趋子完备，农业、手工业和商业得到进一步发展，政治地理疆域更为扩大，文明程度达到青铜时代的第一个高峰。山西已发现的诸多商文化遗存，呈现了商时期多元共融的文化面貌，反映了山西在商王朝500多年历史进程中的重要作用和独特地位。 ↩︎
9. 西周初年，叔虞封唐，居河汾之东。燮父承继父业，改唐为晋，肇创晋祚。近300年间，历代晋侯，坚守屏藩王室的责任与担当，坚持“启以夏政，疆以戎索”的治国方略，兼容并蓄，开拓进取。公元前770年，晋文侯携郑武公、秦襄公等诸侯，佐平王东迁，开启东周，代王征伐，巩固王统。从此，晋国逐渐走向历史舞台的中央。 ↩︎
10. 春秋时期，周室衰微，封国政治、经济.文化不断发展，礼乐征伐自天子出的时代渐告结束，诸侯纷起争霸成为这一时代的主题。 ↩︎
11. 晋国自文侯起，逐渐成为春秋争霸的历史主角。曲沃代翼，为晋国的发展注入新的活力；武公献公开疆拓土，灭国十七，服国三十八；文公践土会盟，开启霸业；景公迁都新田，国力益增；悼公九合诸侯，声威远播。天下征伐号令，自晋出焉。 ↩︎
12. 公元前453年，韩、赵、魏三家联合灭智氏，三分晋地，晋公室名存实亡；前403年，周威烈王册封韩虔、赵籍、魏斯为诸侯；前376年，魏武侯、韩哀侯、赵敬侯瓜分晋国公室剩余土地，晋静公被废，晋绝不祀。
    三家分晋是中国历史上具有划时代意义的重大事件，是春秋战国的分水岭。 ↩︎
13. 晋国晚期、公室衰微，六卿专权、政出家门。公元前453年，韩赵、魏三家分晋，揭开了列强兼并的历史序幕。公元前403年，周天子封韩、赵、魏为诸侯，战国七雄格局正式形成。战国时期，风云际会，群雄逐鹿，百家争鸣，社会变革。菜并与融合成为时代主旋律。 ↩︎
14. 韩、赵、魏奋勇争先，变法图强、辟地拓疆，顺应时势，承继晋国余烈.续写三晋辉煌，推动了中国社会走向大一统的历史进程。 ↩︎
15. 山西，地处中原腹地与塞外草原的农牧交错地带，自古就是民族融合的“大熔炉”。
    战国至泰汉，长城南北，中原王朝与匈奴对峙数百年。魏晋南北朝，内迁山西的北方各民族先后崛起，相继称雄。4世纪末，拓跋鲜卑建立北魏，雄踞山西，推进汉化。其后魏分东西，延及北齐、北周，各民族水乳交融，共同发展，催生了隋唐盛世。
    北魏平城、北齐晋阳，是北朝“丝绸之路”东端的国际大都市，中外文化交流和商贸往来空前繁荣。 ↩︎
16. 佛教是世界三大宗教之一，诞生于公元前6世纪的古印度地区。两汉之际传入中国，到南北朝，随着多民族交往、交融和中外文化交流的加深，佛教文化传播迅速。隋唐时达到鼎盛，并成为北传佛教乃至世界佛教文化的中心区域。宋以后，伴随着佛教在印度渐趋衰落，以及佛教在中国的广泛传播，与中国本土文化相互融合，逐渐中国化，佛教文化全面融入中华文化思想体系。 ↩︎
17. 早期佛教雕塑艺术外来风格浓郁，北朝至唐，民族风格日益明显，唐以后又逐渐走向世俗化。山西是佛教艺术嬗变的核心区域，以云冈昙曜五窟开凿为始，石窟、寺院、佛塔遍布城乡，石刻造像、壁画、彩塑异彩纷呈，被誉为古代艺术的宝库。 ↩︎
18. 宗教本虚幻，艺术却真实，真善美是人类永恒的追求。 ↩︎
19. 中国戏曲是由歌舞、说唱和滑稽戏等表演形式综合而成的舞台艺术，是中华优秀传统文化的重要组成部分。她以独特的艺术形式，展演中国故事，跻身世界舞台，与古希腊戏剧、印度梵剧一同成为世界古代文明中的艺术瑰宝。 ↩︎
20. 戏曲艺术最早可以追溯至先秦祭祀歌舞，经千百年的发展融合，至宋元时期形成完整的舞台艺术。特别是宋金时期的杂剧，从内容到形式为元杂剧奠定了基础。元杂剧的繁荣标志着中国戏曲艺术进入成熟阶段。 ↩︎
21. 山西作为中国戏曲的发源地之一，艺术传承经久不衰，精美文物层出不穷，神庙戏台星罗棋布，剧作名家灿若繁星，经典剧目千古传颂，被誉为“中国戏曲艺术故乡”。 ↩︎
22. 中国古代建筑自成体系。与西方传统建筑以砖石结构为主不同，中国古代建筑以士木结构为主体，规制严谨，构筑华丽，融合山水，交互人文，将中国人的哲学思想和审美情趣巧妙地熔于一炉。其中蕴含着独特的民族性格和文化体系，凝聚着中华文明的精髓，是全人类珍贵的文化遗产。 ↩︎
23. 山西素有“中国古代建筑宝库”之称。山西现存古建筑数量众多、时序完整、门类齐全、精品荟萃，元以前早期木结构建筑居全国之茼。附属其中的彩塑、壁画、碑刻、匾额等艺术珍品，与古建筑融为一体，珠联璧合。交相辉映。 ↩︎
24. 元代建筑承袭辽金减柱、移柱技术，梁架自然取材，多采用大额枋构架，风格自由奔放。明清官式建筑向高度标准化、定型化发展，组群宏大；民间建筑讲究组合，形体简练、装饰繁缛、工巧华丽，建筑艺术达到顶峰。 ↩︎
25. 山西现存元明清建筑25000余处，其中元代建筑360余处，居全国首位；明清建筑类型齐全，长城关隘、城池民居、寺观戏台等独具特色。 ↩︎
26. 玉是大自然的慷慨馈赠，吉老而神秘的山川之灵，晶莹其质，典雅淇色。 琢玉成器，中国人赋予它超乎自然的品质和丰富多样的内涵。以玉事神，祭祀天地四方，与人神共语；比德于玉，佩戴装饰，彰显身份德行；敛葬辟邪，希冀永恒不朽；陈设赏玩，追求高雅富贵；生活实用，享受愉悦温馨。 ↩︎
27. 玉器，承载着厚重的中国传统礼仪文化。沟通天地人神，彰显身份地位，护佑生命灵魂。 ↩︎
28. 镇馆之宝：六璜联珠串佩。山西省曲沃县北赵村晋侯墓地31号墓出土。出产于西周时期，丧葬玉，由408件玉饰组成。出于墓主的胸部，上端过颈，下端过腹。 ↩︎
29. 礼仪玉产生于原始社会晚期，西周形成制度。礼玉在祭祀、朝觐、盟誓、赏赐、丧葬等仪式中广泛使用。春秋战国以后，玉文化观念在“百家争鸣”和“独尊儒术”的过程中逐渐成熟，成为中国传统文化的独特标识，影响深远。 ↩︎
30. 玉，代表高贵与神圣，象征纯洁与美好，是东方精神生动的物化体现，是中国传统文化的重要载体。 ↩︎
31. 瓷器是中国的独创。挹水和泥、转土成器、木石为釉、薪火淬炼、金生五色，巧奇天工。瓷器的普及极大提高了人们的生活品质，在带来生活便捷的同时，也给予人们美的享受。 ↩︎
32. 瓷器是中国的符号。从原始背瓷的质朴无华，到景德镇瓷器的登峰造板，论器见证了中国人追求卓起，不断进取的民族精神。从邢密自瓷行销天下，到青花瓷器远销海外，瓷器构建了最具辨识度的中国风尚。 ↩︎
33. 瓷器是中国的形象。作为文化使者，无远非届。伴着驼铃，北通大漠；乘风破
    浪，远渡重洋，将灿烂的中华文明远播世界各地。 ↩︎
34. 货币，是商品交换的产物，是在商品交换过程中分离出来的固定地充当一般等价物的特殊商品。 ↩︎
35. 中国古代货币，以铜铸币为主体，萌芽于商，滥觞于东周，到秦一统为方孔圆钱的基本形态。经秦“半两”、汉“五铢”、唐“宝文”等数次变革，直到明清制钱体系的形成，发展脉络清晰。清末机制币出现后，流通近3000年的中国古代铸币体系走向终结。 ↩︎
36. 山西博物院藏有数十万件中国古代货币，尤以晋及三晋货币最具特色。院藏货币体系完整、绵延有序、品类齐全，不乏珍品，为研究古代社会、政治、经济、文化的发展提供了实物例证。 ↩︎
37. 稀世之珍 | 山西博物院“十大镇馆之宝” ，你见过几个？  
    2022-09-07 09:15. https://www.sohu.com/a/583061574_121199942, accessed 24 Feb 2026 ↩︎
38. 镇馆之宝：庙底沟彩陶罐。山西省垣曲县下马村出土。烧造于新石器时代，彩陶罐高45厘米，口径35厘米，腹径43厘米，底15.6厘米。泥质红陶，器表磨光。侈口，圆唇，短颈，宽肩，上腹突出，下腹内收，小平底，上腹部以黑彩绘以弧线和圆点等组成的花卉图案。体型硕大，器形完整无缺。属仰韶文化庙底沟类型的典型遗物。 ↩︎
39. 镇馆之宝：兽形觥。1976年灵石县旌介村出土。商代盛酒器。整体造型别致，采用三层花纹，纹饰精细繁缛，显示出殷商铜器神秘狞厉的时代风格。既具有商代晚期的特征，又有北方青铜文化的因素。它不但是一件实用器，也是一件艺术品。 ↩︎
40. 镇馆之宝：鸟尊。高39，长30.5厘米。出土于山西省曲沃县和翼城县交界处的天马。古代祭祀礼器中有所谓的“六尊六彝”，“鸟尊”即为其一。尊作伫立回首的凤鸟形，头微昂，圆睛凝视，高冠直立。造型写实生动，构思奇特巧妙，装饰精致豪华，是一件罕见的艺术珍品。 ↩︎
41. ↩︎
42. 镇馆之宝：侯马盟书。1965年在山西省侯马市晋国遗址出土。被称为是1949年以来中国考古发现的十大成果之一。晋国晚期，“公室衰微，六卿专权”。权卿们为寻求内部团结，打击敌对势力，“盟誓”尘埃频繁。侯马晋国遗址出土盟书5,000余件，文字可辨者650余件，学界称为“侯马盟书”。“盟书”亦称“载书”，辞文多以朱笔写于圭形玉石片上，内容分为主盟人誓辞、宗盟类、委质类、纳室类和诅咒类等。 ↩︎
43. 镇馆之宝：刖人守囿青铜挽车。1989年山西闻喜上郭村西周墓地出土。春秋时期的金属器，厢式六轮车。车厢顶有盖可启，蹲猴形盖钮，四角各立一只可转动的鸟。前有带活动插销的车门，门旁立一刖人(砍掉左脚的犯人)。车厢四角和侧面正中有伏兽。两小轮被伏虎抱于腹中。整器(似为“域养禽兽”的囿苑)有14种鸟兽形象，与《周礼》“刖人使守囿”的记载相吻合。全车能转动部位15处，构思奇特，制作精巧，十分罕见。 ↩︎
44. 镇馆之宝：汉胡傅酒樽。1962年右玉县大川村出土。通体鎏金加彩绘，技法十分罕见。器身彩绘虎、象、鹿、马等动物图案，形象生动。口沿刻铭文“勮（jù）阳阴城胡傅铜酒樽，重百廿斤，河平三年（公元前26年）造。 ↩︎
45. 镇馆之宝：彩绘雁鱼铜灯。1986年襄汾县吴兴庄出土。汉代的金属器，鸿雁伫立，回首衔鱼，雁颈与灯体以子母口相接，鱼身与雁颈、腹腔中空相通。圆形灯盘附柄，可自由转动，盘下圈足与雁背直口套合。 ↩︎
46. http://www.banyuetan.org/chcontent/wh/dt/2015915/151031.shtml ↩︎
47. https://en.chnmuseum.cn/collections_577/collection_highlights_608/archaeological_discoveries_609/202008/t20200806_246817.html ↩︎
48. 镇馆之宝：北魏司马金龙墓木板漆画。1965年出土于大同石家寨，北魏太和八年文物。前后彩绘历代高士、贤妇等宣教故事。残存5块，馆内存3块。画中人物神情俊朗，衣带飘逸，具有顾恺之画风，填补了北魏前期绘画实物的空缺。在工艺、绘画和书法上都有极高的价值。为国宝级珍品。 ↩︎
49. 镇馆之宝：虞弘墓石椁。1999年在山西省太原市晋源区王郭村一处隋代古墓出土，被评为1999年全国十大考古新发现之一，被誉为山西博物院的镇院之宝之一。该石椁雕造精美，是反映北朝和隋代中西文化交流的物证，具有很高的历史和艺术研究价值。 ↩︎