Lüshun Museum 旅顺博物馆

About Lüshun Museum

Xinjiang material and the museum's ceramics, enamels and snuff bottles give the collections a wider reach than the immediate port district. The architecture itself is part of the visit, reflecting the institution's early twentieth-century origins and later changes. Choose a few currently open collection rooms rather than expecting every historic gallery description to match the day's display.

The museum was established in 1915 during the Japanese occupation of Dalian, initially as the Manchu-Mongol Products Exhibition Hall (满蒙物产陈列所) in the former Lüshun branch of the Russo-Chinese Bank (俄清银行旅顺分行). Work on its present building began in 1917 on the foundations of a planned Russian officers' assembly hall. The museum moved into the completed building in 1918 and took its current name, Lüshun Museum (旅顺博物馆), in 1934.

The museum reopened in 1972 and was rated a national first-grade museum (国家一级博物馆) in 2008. The museum holds more than 60,000 objects, chiefly relics from Dalian and Xinjiang together with historical art, arranged across twenty galleries, including collections of ceramics and mummies, the last including specimens collected by Kozui Otani during expeditions to Central Asia between 1901 and 1910.

The building, constructed in a Renaissance-eclectic style, is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (国家重点文物保护单位); a China-Soviet Friendship Tower (中苏友谊纪念塔) stands in the square in front of it, surrounded by cherry trees. The museum has organised research publications since 1988 and has collaborated with Japan's Ryukoku University (龙谷大学), and in June 2006 the Dalian Institute of Historical Relics (大连市历史文物研究所) was formally established, sharing its premises and taking part in the national Qing history compilation project.

What to look for

• The historic main building and its European architectural composition.
• The museum's Xinjiang and decorative-art collections, including ceramics, enamels or snuff bottles where displayed.

The surrounding area

Southern coastal city base with a specific waterfront focus around Xinghai Bay, Xinghai Square and selected Binhai Road walking sections. The Changshan Islands require an additional island travel plan.

Location & getting there

Getting to Lüshun Museum

Use 42 Liening Street in Lüshunkou District for the main museum. Confirm which building houses your chosen exhibition before visiting, as the museum has several associated sites.