Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou

Why is Zhejiang Provincial Museum So Special?

One of China’s oldest museums, Zhejiang Provincial Museum was founded in 1929 as the West Lake Museum of Zhejiang Province. Over the past eight decades, it has become the largest comprehensive museum for the humanities in Zhejiang. It is also a first-class National Museum that was developed jointly by central and local government. The Zheijiang Provincial Museum is a major museum that showcases Chinese art. It is considered as the most important art museum in the West Lake area of Hangzhou, China.

Brief Introduction of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

First constructed in 1929, the Zhejiang Provincial Museum was originally named ‘Zhejiang Provincial West Lake Museum’. It is the largest human and scientific museum in Zhejiang Province, with a collection of more than 100,000 cultural relics. It is divided into the Solitary Hill Branch, the Wenlan Pavilion, the West Lake Gallery, the Wulin Branch, the Memorial Hall of Huang Binhong, and the Former Residence of Sha Menghai.

Main Attractions of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

West Lake Gallery

Located to the east of the Solitary Hill Branch, the West Lake Gallery was built on the site of the State Academy of Fine Arts in October, 1999. In the 1930s, a group of scholars and artists established a Gothic gallery here to sort out Chinese fine art works, to introduce western arts, to integrate domestic and foreign arts, and to create fine arts of the times. The present three-storey gallery consists of a reception room, a hallway, and four exhibition halls. It shows the masterpieces of great artists, introduces the trend of arts, and stages academic exchange seminars.

Solitary Hill Branch

The Solitary Hill (Gushan) Branch of Zhejiang Provincial Museum is situated to the south of the Solitary Hill of the West Lake. It covers a total area of 20,400 square meters (6 acres). It mainly consists of the Main Hall, the Lv Xiaguang Art Gallery, the Chang Shuhong Gallery, the Historical and Cultural Relics Gallery, the Celadon Gallery, the Ancient Currency Hall, the Painting and Calligraphy Hall, and the Hall of Furniture of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Wulin Branch

The Wulin Branch of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum is located on the West Lake Cultural Square, covering a gross area of 20,991 square meters (5.2 acres). Some temporary exhibitions are held on the floor below the ground. On the three floors above the ground are some permanent exhibitions.

On the first floor above the ground is an exhibition on the history and culture of Zhejiang Province. It is named the ‘Epic of the Land of Yue’. There are various relics from the Neolithic Age about 18,000 years ago, including pottery, lacquer wares, wooden wares, bone objects and ivories of the Hemudu Culture, and the jade and silk of the Liangchu Culture. People can also find many kinds of bronze weapons, bronze farm tools, and preliminary porcelain of the Yue State in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC).

Wenlan Pavilion

Situated to the southwest of the Solitary Hill Branch of Zhejiang Provincial Museum, the Wenlan Pavilion is a typical courtyard in south of the Yangtze River. The corridors, pavilions, ponds, bridges, and artificial hills are connected with one another. It was renovated in 1974, 1984, 1993, and 2006. The Wenlan Pavilion is renowned as a former storehouse of the largest collection of books in Chinese history, the Complete Library in the Four Branches of Literature. The three-storey pavilion is modeled after the Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo. There is an Imperial Stele Pavilion to the east. The stele bears the inscriptions of ‘Wenlan Pavilion’ by Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty.

Recommended Tour Packages

Best Seasons to Visit Hangzhou

  • Many people in China believe that spring and autumn are the two best seasonsto visit Hangzhou, specially late March-May and September-mid November.
  • In these seasons, temperature is warm but not hot. Daytime temperature ranges from mid 10s to mid 20s centigrade, and night time temperature ranges from low 10s to low 20s.
  • Spring is the best season to visit the West Lakebecause all kinds of flowers are blossoming that time. In order: plum blossom, peach blossom, and cherry blossom.
  • Autumn is also very nice and my favorite because of the yellow and red leaves.
  • However, I suggest avoiding the last week of September and the first 2 weeks of October because that’s when the city becomes packed with tourists from the golden week holidays.

How to get to Zhejiang Provincial Museum From Hangzhou

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If you want to get out of the traffic and hassle of navigation, you can book a private tour package that includes visiting, dining and transfer from us. Our local guide and driver will escort you to Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou in the fastest and most convenient way and take care of all the details. You just have to focus on the visiting.

Independent Traveler

To the Solitary Hill Branch, the Wenlan Pavilion, and the West Lake Pavilion:
Take bus line Y10, and get off at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum Station.

 To the Wulin Branch:
1. Take metro line 1, get off at the West Lake Cultural Square, leave from Exit C, and walk westward.
2. Take bus line 19, 30, 38, 67, 203, 206 or 7b, get off at the Xihu Wenhua Guangchang, and walk southwest to get there.

To the Memorial Hall of Huang Binhong
Take bus line 7, 27, 51, 52, or 118, get off at Yuemiao Station, and walk northwest to the hall.

To the Former Residence of Sha Menghai
1. Take metro line 1, get off at Fengqi Road, leave from Exit C1, and walk to the residence.
2. Take bus line 7, 10, 16, 25, 27, 49, 51, 102, 103, 103b, or 118 to Qiantangmen Wai Station, and walk northeast to the residence.

Useful Travel Tips

  1. Avoid visiting during school holidays and Golden Week in October as there will be large numbers of local tourists.
  2. Accommodation
    There are hotels both inside and outside the scenic area. It’s close to West Lake. You can also choose to book a hotel near West Lake.
  3. Ticket Price:

    Zhejiang Provincial Museum: RMB 10 for adults, RMB 5 for students
    West Lake Gallery: Additional RMB 15 for adults, additional RMB 4 for students
    Set tickets: RMB 15 for adults, RMB 7 for students

Nearby Attractions

Edited by Bella Ren/任新月

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