Xiangyang Museum 襄阳市博物馆

About Xiangyang Museum

Its collections trace regional history through bronzes, ceramics, stonework and other excavated objects. A life-size bronze horse from a Three Kingdoms burial is a particularly strong introduction to the scale and ambition of the local material culture. Check the current gallery plan before choosing favourite objects, and keep the new museum separate from the former exhibition location at Zhaoming Terrace.

Xiangyang Museum is designated a national first-grade museum. Construction of its current building, sited in the Fenghuangshan gully on the eastern side of Xian Hill in Xiangcheng district, began on 8 May 2013. The building covers 9,700 square metres, including 3,200 square metres of exhibition space arranged in five galleries that trace the region's history in chronological order from prehistoric times to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Alongside the Three Kingdoms bronze horse, its treasures include a Western Zhou bronze yan vessel with a ring-and-belt pattern and a Ming Hongzhi-era gilt bronze bell decorated with cloud-and-dragon motifs.

What to look for

• The Tang-inspired museum architecture in the southern hill setting.
• The Three Kingdoms bronze horse and the wider archaeological collections.

Location & getting there

Getting to Xiangyang Museum

Use No 228 Shengli Street in Xiangcheng District, opposite the Xianshou Mountain area. The museum’s own website confirms this address; the old No 1 North Street and Zhaoming Terrace location should not be used for the main collection visit.