Baoji’s bronze culture, folk culture and industrial heritage offer different perspectives on the city’s history, alongside Chinese Shigu Park. Visitors planning their trip around these themes can explore exhibitions on the Zhou and Qin periods, historic industrial sites and insights into regional customs.
Bronze Culture and Folk Life
The Baoji Bronzeware Museum is located at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, on the south bank of the Wei River, within the national 4A-rated Chinese Shigu Park. It is under the administration of the Baoji Cultural Heritage Bureau and is classified as a national first-class museum. Its work focuses on collecting, researching and exhibiting the bronze culture of the Zhou and Qin periods.
The permanent exhibition “Bronze Cast Civilization” is divided into four halls: “Land of Bronze Vessels,” “Land of Zhou Rites,” “Path of Qin’s Beginnings” and “Light of Wisdom.” It features more than 1,100 high-quality bronze objects excavated in Baoji. The four thematic sections provide a clear cultural and historical journey—from bronze vessels and Zhou rites to early Qin and research findings.
The Baoji Folk Museum at 12 Xibao Road offers a different perspective. Its permanent exhibition, “Baoji Folk Culture,” is divided into “West Fu Life” and “Baoji Customs.” Collection objects, multimedia presentations and reconstructed scenes introduce the region’s customs and cultural traditions. The specialist museum is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and researching regional folk culture; it holds around 1,252 exhibits or groups of exhibits.
Shigu Park and Its Views
Chinese Shigu Park is located on Shigu Mountain in Baoji’s Weibin District, at the site where the Shigu stone drums were found, described as “China’s first ancient cultural relic.” The park is a national 4A-rated tourist attraction. Covering 462 mu, it brings together cultural relic exhibitions, presentations on Shigu culture, garden visits and leisure facilities. More than 87 percent of its area consists of green space.
A prominent building in the park is the Chen Cang Shigu Pavilion: it is 56.9 meters tall, covers 7,200 square meters and follows an architectural style from the Qin and Han periods. Inside, visitors can see the Shigu stone drums and research findings on Shigu culture. Visitors can climb the pavilion for views of the Qinling Mountains, the landscape along the Wei River and the cityscape. The park thus offers two distinct visitor experiences: cultural presentations and views from the building.
Industrial History and Cultural Heritage
Changle Yuan Anti-Japanese Industrial Heritage is an industrial wartime heritage site centered on the former location of the Shenxin Textile Factory, founded in 1938. The site includes the cave factory, the Fuxin-Shenxin Administration Building, Lenong Villa and the Shell Workshop, among other structures. Phase I is located on Bao-Shi Road in Jintai District.
During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the cave factory was the largest underground factory. It produced large quantities of cotton yarn and cotton fabric for military and civilian use, making an important contribution to victory in the war. The heritage site has been recognized as a national key cultural relic protection unit and as part of the first batch of national industrial heritage sites. It has also been designated a first-batch provincial-level cultural experience park in Shaanxi and a patriotism education site.
Xifu Old Street in Jintai District, on Beipo-Shengliyuan, also places intangible cultural heritage at its heart. It is a 4A-rated scenic tourist area, a characteristic street for intangible cultural heritage and a provincial-level tourist leisure street. It is also Baoji’s largest cluster of intangible cultural heritage offerings.
Stone Inscriptions and Planning Your Visit
The Stele Forest of Jintai Temple is the site with the greatest variety of collected stone inscriptions in Baoji’s urban area. The complex covers 150 square meters and contains 116 stone inscriptions; it was built in two phases over two years. This glimpse into Baoji’s history is distinguished by its collected inscriptions, setting it apart from the museums’ thematically organized presentations.
The Baoji Bronzeware Museum’s visiting hours are as follows: closed on Mondays and open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; last admission is at 4:30 p.m. The museum requests that visitors make an advance reservation through its WeChat account. As visitor information may change, check the details before planning your visit.
Discover more destinations: Yuncheng, Linfen, Hanzhong, Xianyang, Tongchuan, Taiyuan, Shuozhou, Yangquan
For the broader travel overview: Shaanxi.
