Three Gorges Museum

The Three Gorges Museum (Chinese: 重庆中国三峡博物馆) is a museum in the Yuzhong District of Chongqing, about the Three Gorges and Chongqing.[1] It is one of the largest museums in the country.

View of the museum building.

View outside the museum.

Atrium of the Three Gorges Museum.

Three Gorges gallery display in the museum.

Traditional costumes display in the museum.

Fish rock carving from Baiheliang on display in the museum.

The museum opened in 2005, replacing the former Chongqing Museum.[2] It is located near the Chongqing People's Hall.[3] It aims to undertake education, preservation, and scientific research with respect to cultural heritage and the natural environment in Chongqing and the Three Gorges region of the Yangtze River.

The exterior of the museum has sloping walls and is topped by a large glass dome.[4] There are bronze sculptures, large reliefs, and 1-km (1,094 yards) long "Ecological Corridor".

The museum covers an area of 42,497 m² (c. 50,828 square yards). The exhibition hall covers 23,225 m² (c. 27,778 square yards). There are four main displays:

1. Glorious Three Gorges
2. Ancient Ba-Yu – early history of Chongqing
3. Chongqing: the City Road – 20th century history
4. The Anti-Japanese War (1937–1945)

Further displays include:

• Painting and calligraphy
• Porcelain
• Coins
• Sculpture from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE –220 CE)
• Folk customs of southwest China
• Cultural objects given by Li Chuli

Another major exhibit is a 180° panorama of wartime Chongqing when it was the provisional capital of Free China and was subjected to Japanese bombardment. There is also a 360° cinema showing the natural and social scenery of the Three Gorges before the dam was constructed. A 1st-floor exhibition on the Three Gorges includes a model of the Three Gorges Dam.[5]