Museum of Chinese Writing in Anyang

The National Museum of Chinese Writing is China’s first museum dedicated solely to the evolution of the country’s writing system.

Type: Museum
Chinese Name: 安阳中国文字博物馆
Opening Hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 9 am - 5 pm
Admission Ticket:Free visit with valid certificate
Recommended Travel Time: 2-3 hours
Location: East Renmin Road, Wenfeng District, Anyang City(安阳市文峰区人民东路)

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Why is Museum of Chinese Writing so special?

The National Museum of Chinese Writing is China’s first museum dedicated solely to the evolution of the country’s writing system. With the theme of Chinese characters, this museum aims to protect China’s traditional cultural heritage and make enough room for protection and cultural research of ancient Chinese civilization. The museum houses more than 4,000 items, divided into sections like the history of Chinese calligraphy, the development of script from prehistory to modern times, and the various writing systems of China’s 55 ethnic minorities.

Main Attractions of Museum of Chinese Writing

Museum of Chinese Writing covers 143 acres, 34,500 square meters of construction size and a total investment of 537,510,000 yuan. You can see a huge Chinese character “字” of inscription on an oracle bone in front of the square, which was discovered in the Shang Dynasty. And the model of the Chinese Character Museum has been drawn from the character “墉” of hieroglyphs; The main building uses a ‘gulosity mark’ and ‘panchi mark’ pattern of sculpture in the roof from the Yin and Shang periods; it is a postmodernism construction that has both modern architectural and Yin/Shang palace styles. It is divided into four floors, the first and the second floor mainly show the development of Chinese characters displayed with relics. The main museum seems grand and like a golden imperial palace under the lights at night.

One of the most prominent pieces on show is the Simuwu Ding, a four-legged bronze ritual vessel from the late Shang Dynasty that was excavated in Anyang in 1939. The precious artifact weighs 875 kilograms and reveals previously unknown clues to unveiling technology, design and production techniques of ancient times. It is the largest bronze relic ever to be unearthed in China.

Anyang is home to the ancient oracle bone scripts, or Jiaguwen, the earliest record of ancient Chinese characters, written on animal bones and turtle shells. The scripts are direct ancestors of modern Chinese writing and are considered as key relics in the study of Chinese etymology. The museum shows the evolution of Chinese characters since ancient times, showcasing cultural relics including rubbed stone inscriptions, bronze vessels of the Shang (1600-1046 BC) and Zhou (1046-256 BC) Dynasties, Chinese seal engraving, ancient coins, writing bamboo and silk, and calligraphy work from different dynasties.

How to Get to Museum of Chinese Writing?

Travel with China Dragon Tours (top recommended)

If you want to get rid of hustle of transportation and troublesome navigation, you can book a private tour package which covers visiting, dining and transfer from us. Our local tour guide and driver will escort you to Museum of Chinese Writing with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on travel.