Liangzhu Museum 良渚博物院

About Liangzhu Museum

Its long, stone-clad volumes, courtyards and water setting were designed by David Chipperfield’s practice. The exhibitions move between daily life, the ancient city and the meaning of jade, making this a useful counterpart to the open archaeological park. Focus first on the objects, then notice how the building’s bridges and courtyards frame the visit.

The museum's predecessor, the Liangzhu Culture Museum, opened in 1994. Construction of the new building began in March 2005, opened in October 2008, and its name plaque was inscribed by Jiang Zemin (江泽民). Following new archaeological findings, the museum's core exhibition was renovated and reopened in June 2018. A second-phase project, designed by the Zhejiang University Architectural Design and Research Institute (浙江大学建筑设计研究院), with a total floor area of about 65,000 square meters, is planned for completion in 2027.

The building was designed by the architect David Chipperfield (戴卫·奇普菲尔德) on the concept of 'a jade cone scattered on the ground.' It comprises four not-quite-parallel rectangular blocks with three atrium courtyards set between them, and its outer walls are faced with yellow travertine. The new building covers 40,000 square meters, with a floor area of 10,000 square meters and an exhibition area of more than 4,000 square meters, and holds three regular galleries, one temporary gallery and relic storage rooms.

The core exhibition, titled 'Liangzhu Culture as Evidence of Five Thousand Years of Chinese Civilization,' is arranged in three linked halls: 'Discovery and Verification' (发现求真), 'The Ancient State of Liangzhu' (良渚古国) and 'Liangzhu Civilization' (良渚文明). It displays more than 1,000 relics from the Liangzhu culture period, including jade, pottery and lacquerware.

What to look for

• Liangzhu jade objects and associated pottery and stone tools.
• The stone-clad museum volumes, courtyard spaces and bridge approach over water.

Location & getting there

Getting to Liangzhu Museum

Go to No 1 Meilizhou Road in the Meilizhou Park setting of Yuhang. Specify Liangzhu Museum rather than the ancient-city park; they have different visitor entrances.