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Explore the region
About Xi’an Museum
Models of successive capitals help explain why Han Chang’an, Tang Chang’an and the later walled city occupy different footprints. Bronze vessels, pottery figures and Buddhist sculpture give those plans a human dimension. The museum shares its grounds with Jianfu Temple and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, so an indoor history visit can continue directly into a surviving Tang landmark’s garden setting.
The museum opened on 18 May 2007. Architect Zhang Jinqiu (张锦秋) designed its main building around a combination of square and circular forms, expressing the traditional concept of a round heaven and square earth. A circular glass hall rises from a square base and museum block. Gilded lotus patterns decorate the glazing, which also brings natural light into the central space.
As of May 2022, the collection contained more than 110,000 objects, including over 14,400 cultural relics graded third class or above. The displays combine a permanent account of the city's history with specialist and temporary exhibitions. Specialist themes include Buddhist sculpture, calligraphy and painting, jade and seals. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda (小雁塔) within the grounds became part of the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor World Heritage property in 2014.
What to look for
- The ancient-capital displays and models comparing successive city layouts.
- Buddhist sculpture and objects illustrating life in the imperial capitals.
- The Small Wild Goose Pagoda within the same museum grounds.
Location & getting there
Getting to Xi’an Museum
The museum’s listed address is 72 Youyi West Road in Beilin District, in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda grounds.
- Nanshaomen is the named metro approach; use the museum’s current visitor entrance and booking information.
Combine your visit
Suggested order within this visit:
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Ancient-capital galleries
Understand the city’s changing plan before exploring outdoors.
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Buddhist sculpture displays
Connect the collections with Xi’an’s temple history.
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Small Wild Goose Pagoda小雁塔
Finish in the shared grounds at the Tang pagoda.
This sequence is an editorial suggestion based on the features described in the sources. Access to individual buildings or areas should be checked locally; no travel time or shared admission is implied.
Find Xi’an Museum
西安博物院 · 碑林区
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔
Less than 1 km awayThe Small Wild Goose Pagoda survives within the Jianfu Temple grounds administered by Xi’an Museum. Its closely spaced brick eaves give it a very different outline from the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in the early eighth…
View guide →Daxingshan Temple 大兴善寺
1 km awayDaxingshan Temple is an important site in the history of Buddhist translation and Esoteric Buddhism, surrounded today by the Xiaozhai shopping district. Its courtyards contain much later halls as well as the remains of a Tang…
View guide →Xi'an City Wall 西安城墙
2 km awayXi’an’s city wall encloses the later imperial city in a near-rectangular circuit. Its main fabric dates from the Ming period, built partly on earlier city foundations. The interest is in the whole defensive system: projecting…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94203932.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 5329865.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "西安博物院", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94203932.