Three Gorges Museum 重庆中国三峡博物馆

About Three Gorges Museum

The Three Gorges gallery includes a model of the dam, while Ancient Ba-Yu introduces the area before the modern metropolis. Outside, sloping walls and a large glass dome make the museum recognisable across People’s Square. Pair one regional-history section with the city displays to connect the river landscape with Chongqing’s urban development.

The museum's predecessor was the Southwest Museum, established in March 1951 and renamed Chongqing Museum in June 1955; the State Council approved its reorganization as the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum in September 2000, and the new building opened on 18 June 2005. It comprises four parts: the main building, the Baiheliang Underwater Museum (白鹤梁水下博物馆), the former headquarters of the China Defense League, now the Soong Ching-ling Former Residence Exhibition Hall, and the Tushan kiln site (涂山窑遗址).

Designated a national first-grade museum by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, it can hold up to 300,000 relics and currently holds more than 170,000, including over 3,000 precious relics of grade two or above excavated from the Three Gorges region as part of dam-related rescue archaeology. The main building measures 157.3 by 98.085 meters, stands 32 meters tall, and has more than 40,000 square meters of floor space.

Since 2015 the museum has operated a branch system; by January 2021 six museums, including those in Wushan, Yunyang and Kaizhou, had become branches of the Three Gorges Museum, with a further branch planned at Baguocheng. It also maintains themed galleries covering historical painting and calligraphy, porcelain, currency and Han dynasty sculpture.

What to look for

• The Three Gorges gallery includes a model of the dam and material about the valley.
• Ancient Ba-Yu and the city-history displays present contrasting periods of local life.

Location & getting there

Getting to Three Gorges Museum

The main museum is at 236 Renmin Road, Yuzhong, opposite the Great Hall of the People across People’s Square. Zengjiayan station is a named rail approach in the city’s visitor guidance.