Hubei Provincial Museum
Hubei Provincial Museum
4.5
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
This museum contains more than 140,000 artifacts, mainly excavated from a large tomb more than 2,400 years old.
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4.5
475 reviews
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Rafiq in Wuhan
Wuhan, China16 contributions
Jan 2020
I am a native of Wuhan, and I often take some foreign guests to visit Wuhan. For me, Hubei Provincial Museum is: If you want to know the history of Wuhan, we will recommend you to Hubei Provincial Museum. The treasure of the treasures in the Museum are the bamboo slips used in the Qin Dynasty, the Sword of Goujian, the Chime bells from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State, and the Blue and White plum vase of the four loves in Yuan Dynasty. It is worth mentioning that, the chime of Marquis Yi is the most complete one in China. You can enjoy the rare chime show if you are lucky enough.
Written 15 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike X
Chicago, IL3,689 contributions
Dec 2023 • Business
Lots of ancient musical instruments. They have shows periodically that you need to reserve tickets for. There is one sword on the 2nd floor that you should head up to see first because a line forms really early though the day.
Written 12 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
Jan 2019 • Friends
Hubei Provincial Museum is located in beautiful buildings and has a collection of over 200,000 exhibits and artifacts. The more prized pieces include: an ancient Bianzhong (chime bells), which is a set of bronze bells used as a musical instrument; the Sword of Goujian, which is believed to have been made prior to 400 BC; 1,000 pieces or sets of First Grade Cultural Relics; prized artifacts of the Chu Kingdom from the period 770 BC to 476 BC, which I found of particular interest as I have been studying the history of the Chu dynasty; beautiful Chinese porcelain; and much more. The artifact descriptions are in Chinese and English.
Written 29 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
berwicker
Tenerife Canary Islands2 contributions
This is a superb museum for anyone interested in archaelogy in any shape or form. It contains the artefacts excavated from the tomb of a Marquis who lived in the area about 2300 years ago. The star exhibit is a musical instrument rather like a giant upright xylophone. The climax of my visit was a concert given by local musicians using instruments reconstructed from the originals found in the Marquis' tomb. The concert consisted of Chinese music of that period, music which he might have heard, and finished with a rendition of part of the great Choral symphony of Beethoven. The effect on the audience was unbelievable - seven musicians sounding even more wonderful than a modern orchestra. Perhaps the novelty made a great impression on me.
The other exhibits are interesting as well. The Catafalque of the nobleman had a resemblance to Egyptian burials of that period - he was enclosed in a double inscribed coffin - although Tutankhamen was inside three.
Please go and visit this museum if ever you are in this area - I am sure you will be enthralled and fascinated, and find the unexpected treasures of this museum to be one of the highlights of your visit to China, as I did.
The other exhibits are interesting as well. The Catafalque of the nobleman had a resemblance to Egyptian burials of that period - he was enclosed in a double inscribed coffin - although Tutankhamen was inside three.
Please go and visit this museum if ever you are in this area - I am sure you will be enthralled and fascinated, and find the unexpected treasures of this museum to be one of the highlights of your visit to China, as I did.
Written 5 August 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fireman452
Tallahassee, FL1,486 contributions
Sept 2019 • Couples
We were in this museum for 4 hours and only saw about 1/3 of the exhibits. You probably need to arrive early in the morning and leave when it closes.
The bronze exhibits are particularly interesting. Read up on it before you get there. The original bell set has been played 3 times since it was uncovered.
The bronze exhibits are particularly interesting. Read up on it before you get there. The original bell set has been played 3 times since it was uncovered.
Written 19 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
goodgenes5
Chicago, IL258 contributions
Jul 2012 • Friends
This is a wonderful museum with an impressive collection. One of the most spectacular exhibits in the museum is the 2400-year old tomb of Marquis Yi unearthed in 1978. Inside the tomb is an incredible collection of bronze, lacquer and jade artifacts that display an extraordinary level of artistry. In addition to the superb technical execution of the artifacts, I was struck by how modern some of the designs look today. There are jewelry made of colored glass beads not unlike what you will find in arts and crafts fairs today. After 2400 years they look fresh and up-to-date. More gruesome is the list of >20 young women who were buried (probably alive) with the Marquis to serve his afterlife. The exhibits are well put together and easy to follow.
Written 6 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex W
Singapore, Singapore1,426 contributions
Dec 2017 • Solo
To get to the Hubei Provincial Museum, take the metro line 4 (light green line) to Dongting station. Go up to street level using Exit A or B, both of which delivers you to Huangli Road. Walk southeast along Huangli Road for about 1 km, and you will come to a major expressway. The museum is on the opposite side of the expressway. To cross over, use the underground passageway that is on your left (the passageway is directly facing the Hubei Museum of Art, which is almost next door to the Hubei Provincial Museum).
Entry to the museum (except the concert) is free. It closes at 5pm.
This is a very good regional museum of manageable size. Best to allow 3 hours (including the concert).
The middle plains of the Yangzi valley have been peopled for a very long time -- thousands of years. This region, which includes the province of Hubei, has a rich material history, from the prehistoric to the modern.
Its exhibits are largely built around archaeological finds in Hubei province, of which there are a two significant ones. The first is from about 430 BCE, providing a wonderful collection of bronzes from a certain local king’s (Marquis Yi of Zeng) tomb.
The second is another tomb (a Ming dynasty prince) almost 2,000 years later, from the 15th century, with exquisitely beautiful works.
Another gallery displays some Homo erectus remains from about a million years ago, and stone tools from the Paleolithic to Neolithic. There is an attempt to put these finds into some sort of evolutionary story of humans, but since there is no expert consensus among evolutionary biologists, it is left unresolved.
A particularly well-curated gallery tells the story of porcelain in China, with emphasis on the Yangzi valley region. Clearly-presented sections, supported by beautiful examples of work, tell the story chronologically, of how unpainted celadons got better and better through the centuries – with some bowls looking positively modern in their aesthestic style, and then from around 1200 CE, came a burst of painted porcelain. At first monochromatic, by the Qing dynasty (17th century onwards) they were positively technicolour. Even then, some works remained single-coloured, but the glaze and thinness of the porcelain mark them as superb examples of craftsmanship.
Not to be missed is the bells concert, based on a set of bells and other musical instruments unearthed from Marquis Yi’s tomb. Tickets for the concert (only 25 minutes) can be bought about one hour before concert time. The auditorium is in a separate building from the main building. It is to your right as you face the main building while standing in the forecourt.
Concert time in the winter season is 11am and 3pm everyday (except Mondays when the museum is closed) with an extra 2pm concert on Saturdays and Sundays. One of my photos gives the full schedule.
Entry to the museum (except the concert) is free. It closes at 5pm.
This is a very good regional museum of manageable size. Best to allow 3 hours (including the concert).
The middle plains of the Yangzi valley have been peopled for a very long time -- thousands of years. This region, which includes the province of Hubei, has a rich material history, from the prehistoric to the modern.
Its exhibits are largely built around archaeological finds in Hubei province, of which there are a two significant ones. The first is from about 430 BCE, providing a wonderful collection of bronzes from a certain local king’s (Marquis Yi of Zeng) tomb.
The second is another tomb (a Ming dynasty prince) almost 2,000 years later, from the 15th century, with exquisitely beautiful works.
Another gallery displays some Homo erectus remains from about a million years ago, and stone tools from the Paleolithic to Neolithic. There is an attempt to put these finds into some sort of evolutionary story of humans, but since there is no expert consensus among evolutionary biologists, it is left unresolved.
A particularly well-curated gallery tells the story of porcelain in China, with emphasis on the Yangzi valley region. Clearly-presented sections, supported by beautiful examples of work, tell the story chronologically, of how unpainted celadons got better and better through the centuries – with some bowls looking positively modern in their aesthestic style, and then from around 1200 CE, came a burst of painted porcelain. At first monochromatic, by the Qing dynasty (17th century onwards) they were positively technicolour. Even then, some works remained single-coloured, but the glaze and thinness of the porcelain mark them as superb examples of craftsmanship.
Not to be missed is the bells concert, based on a set of bells and other musical instruments unearthed from Marquis Yi’s tomb. Tickets for the concert (only 25 minutes) can be bought about one hour before concert time. The auditorium is in a separate building from the main building. It is to your right as you face the main building while standing in the forecourt.
Concert time in the winter season is 11am and 3pm everyday (except Mondays when the museum is closed) with an extra 2pm concert on Saturdays and Sundays. One of my photos gives the full schedule.
Written 22 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SFBayAreaTrekker
San Francisco Bay Area (CA)563 contributions
Jun 2013 • Friends
Second museum of the tour. Thought seen one, seen them all. Wrong.
The Hubei Provincial Museum provides provincial history that many other museums and history books overlook. It has well explained narratives in both English and Chinese.
Artifacts in suitably lit displays that provide enough light to see (and photograph) the object, but not harm the artifact. They make good use of replicas (fully disclosed), when the original is damaged or in critical danger of further damage being on display.
Their art collection is pleasing to all ages.
The Hubei Provincial Museum provides provincial history that many other museums and history books overlook. It has well explained narratives in both English and Chinese.
Artifacts in suitably lit displays that provide enough light to see (and photograph) the object, but not harm the artifact. They make good use of replicas (fully disclosed), when the original is damaged or in critical danger of further damage being on display.
Their art collection is pleasing to all ages.
Written 2 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathryn A
Vancouver, Canada11 contributions
Jun 2012 • Friends
The Taoist and Buddhist exhibits were excellent as was the ceramics. I didn't get to the lacquerware in four hours!! The top floor was all 20th C., political heroes, okay. the photography with landscapes (i forgot the correct name) was beautiful. Definitely go to the antique music concert in the adjacent building, 10 Yuan.
Written 30 June 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FamilySpringBreak
Winnipeg, Canada283 contributions
Aug 2012 • Family
One of the better museums to view bronze age relics. The intact bell chimes are incredible.
Also a collection of gold and jewlery from a Prince's tomb is terrific. The Chime Bells Ochrestra was worth seeing as it gives you an idea how these old musical instruments work toegther. They're presently building a new auditorium for them to perform in.
Also a collection of gold and jewlery from a Prince's tomb is terrific. The Chime Bells Ochrestra was worth seeing as it gives you an idea how these old musical instruments work toegther. They're presently building a new auditorium for them to perform in.
Written 6 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thinking of visiting the Hubei Provincial Museum in Sept. '17. I am curious as to how many permanent exhibitions are open? The museum website says there are 11, but I noticed the museum is going through renovations/expansions. Thank you
Written 23 May 2017
I'm sorry, but don't know how many will be open during renovations, but by my point of view museum is always good to visit even if some are closed
Written 3 July 2017
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