PLACE GUIDE

Tang West Market Museum 大唐西市博物馆

Datang Xishi Bowuguan

Tang West Market Museum was built over excavated remains of Chang’an’s western market.

Southeast entrance of the Tang West Market Museum · 大唐西市博物馆
Southeast entrance of the Tang West Market Museum · 大唐西市博物馆 Photograph date recorded by the source: 2011-07-21 10:31:19. · 猫猫的日记本 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo adjustments

Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.

Explore the region

Shaanxi · 陕西省 →Xi’an · 西安市 →Lianhu District · 莲湖区 →

About Tang West Market Museum

The original crossroad, wheel ruts, shop foundations and drainage works are the essential exhibits, showing how a commercial district functioned on the ground. Galleries place those remains in the wider exchange of goods and cultures along the Silk Roads. The museum’s modern setting can be misleading from outside; begin with the archaeological floor before the collected objects upstairs.

The museum originated in a 2001 decision by the Xi'an municipal government to have a private company restore the West Market ruins. During the project workers discovered the market's north-east crossroads remains, prompting the developer to invite archaeologist An Jiayao (安家瑶) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to lead excavations, which also uncovered Tang-era wells, stone receptacles, workshops and wheel ruts. Following a policy of sealing, protecting and displaying the remains in place, the developer invested 320 million yuan to build the museum, with a floor area of 35,000 square metres.

Designed by architect Liu Kecheng (刘克成) of Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, the museum has four storeys above ground and two below, with an exhibition area of 11,000 square metres arranged around the themes of Silk Road and commercial culture. Its collection exceeds 20,000 relics, drawn mainly from the market excavation and from the personal collection of the museum's founder, Lü Jianzhong (吕建中).

In 2017 the museum was named one of China's third batch of national first-grade museums (国家一级博物馆), the first privately run museum in China to receive that status. Its holdings include part of the base and epitaph of the tomb of An Bei, a sixth-century Sogdian merchant and official in China who followed Confucian principles of filial piety while practising Zoroastrianism.

What to look for

  • The excavated northeastern crossroad, wheel ruts and shop foundations preserved in place.
  • Stone-bridge and drainage remains, followed by displays of market and Silk Road commerce.

Location & getting there

Getting to Tang West Market Museum

Go to 118 Laodong South Road in Lianhu District, within the Tang West Market development.

  • Fengqing Gongyuan and Xibei Gongye Daxue are named metro approaches; select the walk that best serves the museum entrance.
General visit reminders

Choose the building, exhibition or part of the historic area you most want to see, then leave time to explore its setting. Check the venue’s current opening and reservation arrangements directly; a place appearing on the map does not mean every building or gallery is accessible on your travel date.

Combine your visit

Suggested order within this visit:

  1. Archaeological display floor

    Read the street and shop remains before viewing portable finds.

  2. Silk Road and commerce galleries

    Connect the local market plan with longer-distance exchange.

  3. Craft-themed displays

    Continue with the material processes behind traded goods.

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.

Museums, art & science · 博物馆／艺术科技 →

Find Tang West Market Museum

大唐西市博物馆 · 莲湖区

Amap · 高德地图Approximate pin · 近似位置Apple Maps · 苹果地图

The pin marks the area, not the entrance.

More places nearby

Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.

Xi’an City God Temple 西安都城隍庙

3 km away

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Xi’an Museum 西安博物院

3 km away

Xi’an Museum places the city’s changing form at the center of its collection. Models of successive capitals help explain why Han Chang’an, Tang Chang’an and the later walled city occupy different footprints. Bronze vessels…

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Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔

3 km away

The 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…

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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 94136288.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 5329865.

Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "大唐西市博物馆", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94136288.

Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Tang West Market Museum", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1303159189.

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