Shaanxi Qinqiang Museum

The Shaanxi Qinqiang Museum was jointly established by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Xi’an Jiaotong University in 2009. This museum showcases the history of Qinqiang, with exhibits including images, artifacts, costumes, musical instruments, historical documents, and information about famous performers, playwrights, and Qinqiang troupes. It also displays cultural artifacts and artworks such as Shaanxi shadow puppets and Shaanxi puppets. The museum is equipped with multimedia listening zones and interactive theater demonstration areas where visitors can dynamically experience and even participate in Qinqiang performances.

Location

The Shaanxi Qinqiang Museum is located at the Xi’an Jiaotong University Art Museum, 28 Xian Ning West Road, Beilin District, Xi’an City (西安市碑林区咸宁西路28号西安交通大学艺术博物馆).

Opening Date

The museum officially opened on September 26, 2009, becoming the first Qinqiang museum in China.

Exhibits

The museum has over 500 exhibits, divided into 13 sections, including an overview and performance repertoire, providing a comprehensive display of the ancient art of Qinqiang to the public.

History and Development

The Shaanxi Qinqiang Museum officially opened on September 26, 2009, and is the first Qinqiang museum in China.

Exhibition Content

The Shaanxi Qinqiang Museum mainly presents the static display of cultural relics, with exhibits including a manuscript of “Hui Fu Ci Zi” (回府刺字) from the third year of the Qianlong reign (1738) in the Qing Dynasty, printing tools, original costumes and props from the Minzhong Theater Troupe, photos of famous old artists, costumes from the Republican period, four sets of Qinqiang face masks, and more. The museum’s central small stage is also used for live demonstrations of Qinqiang skills by performers.

Overview

The Shaanxi Qinqiang Museum showcases Qinqiang’s historical evolution, costumes, musical instruments, historical documents, and information about famous performers, playwrights, and Qinqiang troupes through images, physical artifacts, and multimedia presentations. It also features Shaanxi shadow puppets and Shaanxi puppets, offering visitors the chance to interact with and experience the performing arts of Qinqiang.

Important Collections

The museum’s collections include items such as the phoenix crown, small scholar towels, cloud shoes, female mantles, cloud shoulder accessories (for female mantles), cushions, cushion flags, whips, banhu (a type of Chinese musical instrument), sanxian (a three-stringed instrument), ban drums (or drum boards), shadow puppetry manuscripts, a hand-copied manuscript of “Jin Wan Chai” (金琬钗), a printed Qinqiang script for the play “Sun Furen Jijiang” (孙夫人祭江), a manuscript of the Qinqiang script “Yi Jian Qianqiu” (一剑千秋), and puppets for the play “Da Deng Dian” (大登殿), as well as characters such as Wang Baochuan (王宝钏) and Xue Pinggui (薛平贵).