Xi'an
Shaanxi History Museum
Treasures from the Zhou to the Tang, and Tang tomb murals
Photo (cropped and resized): Danielinblue, CC BY-SA 3.0
Why it's worth the trip
Around Xi'an, emperors lie under man-made mounds and whole hillsides, and the Tang capital is buried beneath the modern city. This museum is where you see what came out of that ground. Shaanxi was home to the capitals of the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang. About 3,000 objects take you through their story in three halls, from the first humans here to 1840. Walk it once in order, and the tombs and ruins you visit afterwards each find their place in time.
The most unusual collection is downstairs. Nearly 600 murals, over 1,000 square metres in all, were taken from the walls of more than 20 Tang tombs, among them those of princes and a princess. In them, Tang court life comes back in colour: hunting parties setting out, palace women, musicians and dancers. Painted on earth walls, they flake easily, so they are kept in a gallery of their own, in sealed cases that hold temperature and humidity steady.
The museum has two sites. This page is about the Main Building in central Xi'an; the newer Qin-Han Gallery is a separate venue out in Xixian New Area. You will know the Main Building by its shape. The architect Zhang Jinqiu designed it as a pared-down Tang palace, a central hall with a tower at each corner. She dressed it in grey, white and black instead of imperial red and yellow. Basic entry is free with a reservation. The mural gallery costs extra, and it is the part to add if Tang life is what you came for.
Don't miss
A land deal cast in bronze
In the first hall stands a plain bronze cauldron, the Wusi Wei ding, with 207 characters cast inside. They record how, nearly 3,000 years ago, a man named Qiu Wei swapped fields with a neighbouring lord, and the king's ministers sent officials to mark the new boundaries. Its exact date, the fifth year of King Gong of Zhou, makes it a yardstick for dating other bronzes of its time.
A band riding a camel
In the third hall, a Tang three-colour camel carries a whole band on its back: seven seated men with foreign instruments, and a woman standing in the middle, singing. Nearby, a Five Dynasties green-glazed ewer from the Yaozhou kilns has a lid that never opens and a nursing lioness for a spout. It was filled through a plum-blossom hole in its base and does not leak when set upright.
Envoys and polo in the mural gallery
In the mural Reception of Envoys, from Prince Zhanghuai's tomb, three Tang officials receive three foreign envoys. The one in the middle, with two feathers in his cap, is most often read as an envoy from Silla in Korea, though some scholars say Goguryeo. From the same tomb comes a polo match more than six metres long, with some twenty riders chasing the ball at full gallop.
Fitting it in
- Time to give it
- Ninety minutes takes you once through the three halls in order; two to three hours lets you read as you go. The mural gallery needs its own paid ticket; give it about an hour more.
- When to go
- If you can, come before the Terracotta Warriors, so the Qin section gives you the background for the pits. The summer holidays, the Spring Festival and the national holidays are the hardest dates to book.
- Pair it with
- The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is about two kilometres south-east, half an hour on foot or a short taxi ride. It was built in 652 to hold the scriptures the monk Xuanzang brought back from India. Keep the Terracotta Warriors for another day; both in one morning means rushing each.
- Who can skip it
- If museums tire you, or your Xi'an days are already full with the Terracotta Warriors and the wall, leave it out. For Tang Chang'an in a smaller dose, the Hanguang Gate museum in the city wall shows a Tang gate on the spot where it stood.
Questions travellers ask
Is the Shaanxi History Museum worth visiting?
Yes, especially before you see Xi'an's tombs and ruins. About 3,000 objects in three halls take you from the region's first humans to 1840, with the weight on the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang, whose capitals were here. Basic entry is free with a reservation, and 90 minutes covers the main story.
How long do you need at the Shaanxi History Museum?
About 90 minutes to walk the three halls once in order, or two to three hours to read as you go. Add about an hour for the Tang mural gallery, which has its own ticket. Arrive well before your time slot, because the queue, security and passport check take time.
Do I need to book the Shaanxi History Museum in advance?
Yes. The main museum is free, but every visitor needs a real-name booking with the passport they will carry that day. Summer holidays and national holidays are the hardest to get, so book as soon as your date is fixed; we can also book it for you with your own passport.
Is the Tang mural gallery worth the extra ticket?
Yes, if Tang life is what interests you. The museum holds nearly 600 murals from more than 20 Tang tombs, over 1,000 square metres in all, shown in sealed, climate-controlled cases. Look for the polo match, more than six metres long, and the foreign envoys, one of them most often read as an envoy from Silla in Korea. Give it about an hour on top of the main halls.
Should I see the Shaanxi History Museum before the Terracotta Warriors?
Yes, if your days allow it. The museum's Qin section gives you the background for the pits, and its three halls place the First Emperor among the dynasties before and after him. Keep the two on separate days, because the Warriors take most of a day on their own, with about three hours on site.
Sources: Shaanxi History Museum: about the museumShaanxi History Museum: the basic exhibition, Ancient Civilization of ShaanxiShaanxi History Museum: Tang Dynasty Mural Treasures GalleryShaanxi History Museum: the Wusi Wei dingShaanxi History Museum: visiting the Main Building (English)
Booking at a glance
From our attraction-booking rules.
Shaanxi History Museum (incl. Tang mural gallery)
- When tickets open
- 5 days ahead at 17:00 (checked 12 August 2026)
- Passport accepted
- Yes
- Real name
- Yes
- Face value
- Free, reservation required
We do not resell tickets: basic admission stays free, our fee is for the reservation work, and we submit it on the museum's official WeChat system in your own passport name. The Tang mural gallery is a separate paid ticket, charged at face value. No-shows get a 180-day booking restriction. You can also book it yourself with our travel article.
Checked
Book this with us
More in Xi'an
Terracotta WarriorsThe buried army of China's first emperor
Xi'an City WallWalk a stretch on top, or cycle the whole loop
Photo (cropped and resized): Terracotta Warriors (BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Rather not deal with bookings?
Attraction booking is USD 7 per person per sight, plus any ticket at face value. Or add a private guide, or hand us the whole trip.
All private tours