Guanghan Sanxingdui Museum
Guanghan Sanxingdui Museum
4.5
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Guanghan Sanxingdui Museum
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Attractions
10 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
186 reviews
Excellent
129
Very good
45
Average
10
Poor
0
Terrible
2
乐 乐
Darwin, Australia32 contributions
May 2022
To travel to Sichuan, you must go to Sanxingdui, Sanxingdui is 20 minutes from Chengdu high-speed train. Sanxingdui's bronzes are well worth seeing, bronzes of various shapes. It is also to experience a very different traditional Chinese culture.
Written March 25, 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.
MattwalesNorthWales
Chengdu, China2,424 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
This museum might be a little tricky to find but once you're there they are ready for you. Two main exhibition halls house the fascinating history and artifacts of the Shu people who were super good at manufacturing metal and earthenware articles and were indigenous to this part of Sichuan. Visit here and come face to face with alien art!
I would recommend the hand held Nintendo switchesque exhibit guide. A little fiddly to use but a mine of information that you might otherwise miss.
I would recommend the hand held Nintendo switchesque exhibit guide. A little fiddly to use but a mine of information that you might otherwise miss.
Written January 6, 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.
MWCL
Canberra, Australia41 contributions
Dec 2021 • Couples
Superb....about an hour north of Chengdu, well worth the time and effort. The museum and site provides an insight into the history of the Sanxingdui Culture from 12-11 century BCE. The museum is new and well designed with 6 areas describing the artefacts, including an interesting comparison or analysis with similar archaeological and historical finds worldwide. There are photos of the Yan family who resided on the site when artefacts were first discovered in 1929 - this is an interesting historical perspective. The park in which the museum is sited is pleasant and relatively quiet...so enjoy...and learn.
Written November 19, 2022
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.
Beatrix F
Berlin, Germany18 contributions
Jun 2021
I had no idea what this was all about but WOW, I'm still at awe. Shame on me, having studied China studies and 1 semester of archaeology. But hey, this is a site that was discovered when I started to study. So no information available.
And that is the curious point about Sanxingdui, it changed the narrative of ancient Chinese history.
I don't want to give away too much but it is a must go for anyone interested in China, archaeology, history and something so outstanding that it for me overshines the terracotta army in Xi'an.
Much older and much more beautiful in versatility.
We used the audio guide in German language which was easy to use. The German translation could use some tweeks and a better narrator for Gallery 1 but it's ok.
You get a lot of information to a beautifully curated exhibition. One of the best I ever saw.
And that is the curious point about Sanxingdui, it changed the narrative of ancient Chinese history.
I don't want to give away too much but it is a must go for anyone interested in China, archaeology, history and something so outstanding that it for me overshines the terracotta army in Xi'an.
Much older and much more beautiful in versatility.
We used the audio guide in German language which was easy to use. The German translation could use some tweeks and a better narrator for Gallery 1 but it's ok.
You get a lot of information to a beautifully curated exhibition. One of the best I ever saw.
Written June 19, 2021
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
Apr 2020
Well organized collections of fine ancient Chinese artifacts made of gold, jade, bronze, porcelain, clay, and others. My favourite piece was the Shang Dynasty bronze mask with golf foil.
Written April 5, 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.
Giantpandalover
Tokyo, Japan162 contributions
It is very sad to see while so many people look forward to seeing giant pandas in Chengdu, so few people know about Sanxingdui Museum. The museum was built on the excavation site. It was about 16 Century B.C. Same period as Egyptian Civilization. The bronze masks look very sophisticated but at the same time so strange. (You should find out how starange they are for yourselves.) The reason why the museum is not so popular may be because it has been recently built and many guidebooks have not updated information. To be honest, I can not think of any other reasons. It is a must-see in Chengdu second only to giant pandas. I guarantee.
Written May 7, 2006
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.
uiuc
chengdu, china12 contributions
This museum houses an impressive display of artifacts from Sichuan's Bronze Age (ca. 1300-300 BC), most excavated from the Sanxingdui site itself. The material is striking for its radical difference from other Bronze Age cultures found in the region we now call China. The word "mystery", far too often applied regarding things ancient, is appropriate here. The buildings are well maintained and the grounds beautiful as well.
The only down side is its distance from the city center. To get there on a budget, take a bus from Chengdu's Zhaojuesi bus station to Guanghan. At Guanghan's bus station, transfer to a minibus to Sanxingdui, the total trip is about an hour and a half, so a visit will take the most of a day. If money is not a problem, you might arrange transportation through your hotel.
If you have the time, do not be tricked into visiting the considerably less impressive, but much hyped collection at the Jinsha museum. Their best items are borrowed from Sanxingdui.
The only down side is its distance from the city center. To get there on a budget, take a bus from Chengdu's Zhaojuesi bus station to Guanghan. At Guanghan's bus station, transfer to a minibus to Sanxingdui, the total trip is about an hour and a half, so a visit will take the most of a day. If money is not a problem, you might arrange transportation through your hotel.
If you have the time, do not be tricked into visiting the considerably less impressive, but much hyped collection at the Jinsha museum. Their best items are borrowed from Sanxingdui.
Written July 10, 2008
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.
DALee8
Shanghai392 contributions
Jinsha Relicsite Museum, opened less than a year ago, is related to, and less well known than Sanxing Dui Museum. But it is likely to become just as important a tourist site for culture and history lovers. Although located inside a major city, the carefully-preserved relic site is situated in a park-like setting . The museum complex is made up of several well-designed, state-of-the-art exhibit halls. Admission is 60 RMB. The 4-D show, starting every 30 minutes and charging 20 RMB, is quite fun and a nice way to enjoy a short rest. Also worth visiting is the museum gift-shop, which is well-stocked with tastefully chosen items. The museum's own DVD, with English subtitles, is a good buy at 30 RMB. Finally, the museum is easily reached by taxi from the centre of Chengdu. (The trip takes 15-20 minutes and should cost around 20 RMB).
Written February 21, 2008
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.
21stcenturytravel
All Over the Globe9 contributions
Dec 2011 • Friends
These days everyone has a vision of "Chinese" style - Chinoiserie, theme parks, photos from trips to China, coffee-table books, living in China, being Chinese - regardless of where your impressions of China come from there is and underlying aesthetic that can instantly be identified as "Chinese". And yet here are the SanXingDui people - the "Three Star Mound" site unearthed in the 80's that shook the archaeological record of what China's early civilizations look like. The complexity and unfathomable mystery of the bronze masks, ranging from life-sized to sofa-sized; the intricacy of the jade tools and jewellery; the complete lack of written words; the implications of sacrifice; the ritual and symbolism of human figures; all these suffused with an "alien" quality. Angular features, protruding eyes, pointed ears, painted faces, gold-leaf on beaten bronze, Celtic-looking geometric figures in threes, Scandinavian -looking tree figures, Aztec-looking square carvings, none of it seems to make sense in the context of what we think of as "Chinese" and yet here it is.
The Museum itself is actually a thorough anthropological study, placing the SanXingDui people and their artifacts within the context of a Chinese and a global timeline. The layout is chronological, starting you out with the most ancient relics from the area, giving you a sense of what late neolithic and early bronze cultures were making when the SanXingDui people first emerged. Then you are led to the main hall where you are confronted with the truly unique style of the SanXingDui. It's like nothing you've ever seen before - or it reminds you of things you've seen on other continents. Fascinating stuff here, and definitely worth the two-hour drive to get to. Hire a car (or join a tour group then ditch them at the gate) and get yourself out there for a look at something that can't be found anywhere else in the world.
The Museum itself is actually a thorough anthropological study, placing the SanXingDui people and their artifacts within the context of a Chinese and a global timeline. The layout is chronological, starting you out with the most ancient relics from the area, giving you a sense of what late neolithic and early bronze cultures were making when the SanXingDui people first emerged. Then you are led to the main hall where you are confronted with the truly unique style of the SanXingDui. It's like nothing you've ever seen before - or it reminds you of things you've seen on other continents. Fascinating stuff here, and definitely worth the two-hour drive to get to. Hire a car (or join a tour group then ditch them at the gate) and get yourself out there for a look at something that can't be found anywhere else in the world.
Written January 12, 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
My overall score for this place is five stars. It means: You must be crazy to give this a miss if you’re anywhere near here. The only one of its kind in the world.
This museum isn’t easy to get to if you’re not staying in Guanghan town itself – and since there’s nothing else to do in Guanghan beyond the Sanxingdui Museum, there isn’t enough reason to stay in Guanghan at all. I made this a daytrip from Chengdu only about 40km away, but it took me nearly three hours to get to the front door of the museum from the hotel in downtown Chengdu.
However, it was worth the trouble. The Sanxingdui culture was virtually unknown as recently as 30 years ago. The first few pieces of jade and bronze were accidentally discovered in the 1920s – being only a few pieces, they didn’t make a lot of sense. It wasn’t until the 1980s that systematic excavation began, and much more were found, in the vicinity of Guanghan town -- that's why the museum is in this hard-to-reach location. There is still much mystery about the culture and its history.
It’s a culture that lasted about 2,000 years, with some of the finest bronzes dating from about 1200 BCE. There are finely polished tools and religious objects in jade and precious stones, lots of pottery, some gold and plenty of fantastically skilled bronze pieces. They’re huge too. There’s a man standing full height, and a bronze tree decorated with birds about 15 metres tall – the tree, not the birds.
The massive shamanistic bronze masks are the highlight. You have to see them to truly appreciate the scale.
Until recently the Chinese narrative has been of a Han civilisation developing in the Yellow River basin over thousands of years that became today’s Chinese culture – a relatively linear story. Recent discoveries such as that of the Sanxingdui culture have thrown this narrative into doubt. Quite unique cultures and ethnic groups have apparently existed in what is today’s China. To what degree have they blended into the Han civilisation? Or have they been obliterated as the Han expanded and supplanted them?
OK, it's fascinating, but how to get there if you're travelling independently?
From downtown Chengdu, I took the metro line 3 to Zhaojuesi Road South station, then walked about 1km eastwards to the Zhaojuesi bus terminal. Long distance buses to the northeast depart from here. The ticket for Guanghan town cost 17 yuan. Make sure you have your passport with you; you must show your passport to buy a long-distance bus ticket. Buses leave regularly (maybe 2 or 3 per hour) and you can hop onto the next one leaving (unless it is full).
It took about 35 minutes to reach Guanghan’s bus terminal. Outside the bus terminal, local buses stop and wait. The notice board here said that the routes of local bus #6 and #10 terminate at Sanxingdui Museum, but while I can vouch for #10, I don’t think #6 runs anymore. Unfortunately, it took a long while (about 45 minutes) before a #10 bus showed up. I had almost given up, and was very tempted to use one of the waiting taxis.
It took another 30 minutes for the #10 bus to reach Sanxingdui museum. Fare:2 yuan. You can’t miss the museum, as the bus route ends there.
I noted that the bus information board at the museum only mentioned #10. There was no mention of #6 bus. Frustratingly, there was no information about bus timings.
Adult entry to the museum was 80 yuan. It’s set in a park, with three separate buildings. The first one housed Sanxingdui pottery, stone and jade artefacts. The second one housed a temporary exhibition – the bronzes from Shaanxi (then the centre of the Chinese state) from 2,000 – 3,000 years ago, including some magnificent bells. The third building housed the bronze masks, trees and birds of the Sanxingdui culture, and told the story of their discovery. Make sure you don’t miss the third building. The buildings are located some distance from each other, obscured by trees.
I spent about two and a half hours at the museum.
Getting another #10 bus to go back to Guanghan’s bus terminal was a challenge again. After waiting 30 minutes outside the museum, I gave up and used a tuktuk instead. Cost me 20 yuan to Guanghan’s bus terminal. I did however get a snack from one of the food carts near the museum’s parking lot while waiting, so it wasn’t a total waste of time.
Given the long travelling time, this should be considered a whole-day day trip. It was sunset by the time I got back to Chengdu’s Zhaojuesi bus terminal. But it’s a must-do for Chengdu.
This museum isn’t easy to get to if you’re not staying in Guanghan town itself – and since there’s nothing else to do in Guanghan beyond the Sanxingdui Museum, there isn’t enough reason to stay in Guanghan at all. I made this a daytrip from Chengdu only about 40km away, but it took me nearly three hours to get to the front door of the museum from the hotel in downtown Chengdu.
However, it was worth the trouble. The Sanxingdui culture was virtually unknown as recently as 30 years ago. The first few pieces of jade and bronze were accidentally discovered in the 1920s – being only a few pieces, they didn’t make a lot of sense. It wasn’t until the 1980s that systematic excavation began, and much more were found, in the vicinity of Guanghan town -- that's why the museum is in this hard-to-reach location. There is still much mystery about the culture and its history.
It’s a culture that lasted about 2,000 years, with some of the finest bronzes dating from about 1200 BCE. There are finely polished tools and religious objects in jade and precious stones, lots of pottery, some gold and plenty of fantastically skilled bronze pieces. They’re huge too. There’s a man standing full height, and a bronze tree decorated with birds about 15 metres tall – the tree, not the birds.
The massive shamanistic bronze masks are the highlight. You have to see them to truly appreciate the scale.
Until recently the Chinese narrative has been of a Han civilisation developing in the Yellow River basin over thousands of years that became today’s Chinese culture – a relatively linear story. Recent discoveries such as that of the Sanxingdui culture have thrown this narrative into doubt. Quite unique cultures and ethnic groups have apparently existed in what is today’s China. To what degree have they blended into the Han civilisation? Or have they been obliterated as the Han expanded and supplanted them?
OK, it's fascinating, but how to get there if you're travelling independently?
From downtown Chengdu, I took the metro line 3 to Zhaojuesi Road South station, then walked about 1km eastwards to the Zhaojuesi bus terminal. Long distance buses to the northeast depart from here. The ticket for Guanghan town cost 17 yuan. Make sure you have your passport with you; you must show your passport to buy a long-distance bus ticket. Buses leave regularly (maybe 2 or 3 per hour) and you can hop onto the next one leaving (unless it is full).
It took about 35 minutes to reach Guanghan’s bus terminal. Outside the bus terminal, local buses stop and wait. The notice board here said that the routes of local bus #6 and #10 terminate at Sanxingdui Museum, but while I can vouch for #10, I don’t think #6 runs anymore. Unfortunately, it took a long while (about 45 minutes) before a #10 bus showed up. I had almost given up, and was very tempted to use one of the waiting taxis.
It took another 30 minutes for the #10 bus to reach Sanxingdui museum. Fare:2 yuan. You can’t miss the museum, as the bus route ends there.
I noted that the bus information board at the museum only mentioned #10. There was no mention of #6 bus. Frustratingly, there was no information about bus timings.
Adult entry to the museum was 80 yuan. It’s set in a park, with three separate buildings. The first one housed Sanxingdui pottery, stone and jade artefacts. The second one housed a temporary exhibition – the bronzes from Shaanxi (then the centre of the Chinese state) from 2,000 – 3,000 years ago, including some magnificent bells. The third building housed the bronze masks, trees and birds of the Sanxingdui culture, and told the story of their discovery. Make sure you don’t miss the third building. The buildings are located some distance from each other, obscured by trees.
I spent about two and a half hours at the museum.
Getting another #10 bus to go back to Guanghan’s bus terminal was a challenge again. After waiting 30 minutes outside the museum, I gave up and used a tuktuk instead. Cost me 20 yuan to Guanghan’s bus terminal. I did however get a snack from one of the food carts near the museum’s parking lot while waiting, so it wasn’t a total waste of time.
Given the long travelling time, this should be considered a whole-day day trip. It was sunset by the time I got back to Chengdu’s Zhaojuesi bus terminal. But it’s a must-do for Chengdu.
Written December 17, 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.
bonjour faut il prendre un billet en avance pour eviter la queue et comment?
a t on le droit de faire des photos?
merci
Written December 2, 2020
bonjour comment se rendre sur place en transport svp ? uber possible ? merci pour votre retour :)
Written April 13, 2019
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing