🏛️ Fengyang Museum (Branch of Anhui Provincial Museum)

The Eye of "Ming Zhongdu," the Heart of Huai River Cultural Heritage
——A national-level thematic museum preserving six centuries of imperial memory and Jianghuai civilization

📍 Basic Information

Official Name: Fengyang Museum (Branch of Anhui Provincial Museum)
Address: No. 88 Donghua Road, Fucheng Town, Fengyang County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province (adjacent to the National Archaeological Site Park of Ming Zhongdu Imperial Capital)
Opening Hours: 9:00–17:00, Tuesday through Sunday (admission closes at 16:30); closed on Mondays (except public holidays)
Admission Policy: Free entry, requiring real-name reservation (available via “Wanshitong” app or WeChat official account “Fengyang Museum”)
Contact Number: 0550–6722018
Transport Tips: Take bus lines 1 or 5 from Fengyang Bus Station to “Museum Stop”; a taxi ride from Fengyang High-Speed Railway Station takes approximately 15 minutes

📜 Historical Development: From Local Cultural Relics Protection Office to Provincial Branch

1984: The Fengyang County Cultural Relics Management Office was established, initially focused on protecting the Ming Zhongdu site
2008: Fengyang Museum officially opened, initially housed within the Ming Zhongdu Drum Tower, serving as a county-level comprehensive museum
December 2021: Approved by the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, the museum was officially designated as the “Anhui Provincial Museum Fengyang Branch”, becoming the first city-level branch in the province operating under a centralized “head-branch system” with a provincial museum
2023: The new museum building completed and fully opened to the public, marking a new era of professionalization and systematic development for cultural heritage in Fengyang

✅ Authoritative Recognition: National Grade II Museum | One of the first pilot units for China’s “Museum City” initiative | Anhui Provincial Patriotic Education Base | Anhui Provincial Social Science Popularization Base

🏯 Architectural Features: A Fusion of Past and Present – The "Zhongdu Imagery"

Designed by the Tongji University Architectural Design & Research Institute, the new building draws inspiration from Ming dynasty official architecture while integrating modern exhibition concepts:

Overall Layout: Embraces the traditional “one axis, three courtyards, front hall, rear garden” structure, echoing the symmetrical planning of the Ming Zhongdu Imperial City
Facade Design: Features gray-tiled roofs, blue-brick walls, overhanging eaves with dougong brackets, and decorative elements such as dragon-patterned bricks and cloud motif window grilles—typical features of the Ming Zhongdu architectural style
Spatial Narrative: The entrance replicates the grand “Wu Men” gate corridor of the Ming era; the central atrium dome displays a large-scale copper relief map of the Ming Zhongdu Imperial City; roof-mounted skylights shaped like the “Zhongdu Star Chart” symbolize the ancient concept of harmony among heaven, earth, and humanity
Ecological Integration: The museum extends southward into the scenic belt of the Ming Zhongdu moat, forming an integrated cultural space of “museum-site-garden”

🏺 Highlights of the Collection: Centered on “Ming Zhongdu,” Expanding Across the Huai River Basin

The museum houses over 12,000 artifacts (sets), including 17 national first-class relics and 83 second-class relics. Its core collections are organized around three main themes:

🔹 Ming Zhongdu Special Exhibition (Core Display)

Physical Evidence of Ming Zhongdu Construction:
- The only surviving stone stele fragment of the “Wan Sui Shan” (Ten Thousand Years Mountain) inscription from Ming Zhongdu (Year 8 of Hongwu, 1375)
- A coiled dragon imperial road stone carving unearthed at the Wu Men foundation site (5.2 meters long, weighing over 8 tons; featuring two-horned dragon heads and powerful five-clawed limbs—earliest known Ming dynasty royal pathway element)
- Premium Glazed Architectural Components: Yellow-glazed dragon-patterned water spouts, green-glazed phoenix-patterned roof finials, and peacock-blue glazed ridge beasts—all excavated from the Ming Zhongdu Imperial City ruins
Artifacts of the Zhu Yuanzhang Family:
- Double-edition casting molds for “Hongwu Tongbao” coins (“Da Zhong” and “Hongwu” versions), discovered at the Fengyang smelting site
- Hand-copied draft manuscript of the Fengyang Prefecture Gazetteer (Qing Qianlong revised edition), containing original records of Zhongdu construction

🔹 Prehistoric to Song-Yuan Civilization of the Huai River Region

Neolithic Period: Painted ceramic cylindrical jars excavated from the Weichi Si site (dated 4,800 years ago, representative artifact of northern Anhui’s “Oriental Jericho”)
Han Dynasty Treasures: Bronze mirrors inscribed with “Longevity and Prosperity for Descendants” and lacquer ear cups unearthed from the Linhuiguan Han tombs (remarkably preserved, with vibrant lacquer finish)
Song-Yuan Ceramics: White-bodied black-decorated pillow ceramics from the Fengyang kiln site (featuring children playing scenes, reflecting popular aesthetics of Northern Song folk culture)

🔹 Modern and Contemporary History of Fengyang

Witnesses to Xiaogang Village Reform: Replicas of the original contract documents signed by the eighteen pioneers of the 1978 “Large Contract System,” along with samples of the first harvest rice
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Fengyang Flower Drums: Wooden carvings of flower drums from the Qing Dynasty, master recordings of the “Fengyang Song” from the Republican era, and video archives of national inheritors

🌟 Cultural Significance: An Irreplaceable Historical Anchor of the Early Ming Three Capitals

Uniqueness: The only museum nationwide systematically collecting, researching, and exhibiting artifacts unearthed from the Ming Zhongdu site. Though never formally activated, Ming Zhongdu’s urban planning profoundly influenced both Nanjing’s Ming Palace and Beijing’s Forbidden City. Renowned architectural historian Fu Xinian has hailed it as the “living gene bank of Ming official architecture.”
Academic Strength: Actively involved in the National Cultural Relics Administration’s major project “Archaeology China: Research on Civilizational Patterns in the Lower Yangtze Region”; collaborates with the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, conducting ongoing excavations at the Zhongdu site. Recent discoveries have been selected among the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in Anhui.”
Cultural Bridging Role: As a branch of Anhui Provincial Museum, it enables shared resources in artifact conservation, academic research, and digital data; regularly hosts signature programs such as the “Zhongdu Lecture Series” and “Ming Style Elegance Gatherings,” promoting creative transformation of Ming cultural heritage.

🎟️ Visitor Guide & Signature Experiences

| Feature | Description | |--------|-------------| | Permanent Exhibitions | ▪ Foundations of an Empire – Exhibition on the History of Ming Zhongdu (Main Hall, First Floor) ▪ Treasures of the Huai River Banks – Exhibition on Ancient Civilization of Fengyang (Second Floor) ▪ Source of Reform – Exhibition on Modern and Contemporary History of Fengyang (Third Floor) | | Digital Services | ✔ Scan QR codes for AI-powered multilingual audio guides (Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean) ✔ “Ming Zhongdu VR Full-Scale Exploration” system (immersive recreation of the imperial capital’s splendor) ✔ High-resolution database of museum collections (open for search on the official website) | | Educational Programs | • Weekly “Young Archaeologist” simulation excavation experience (Saturdays) • “Zhongdu Brick Inscription Rubbing” intangible heritage workshop (requires advance booking) • Annual special exhibition: International Academic Symposium on “Zhongdu Imprints” (now in its fifth year) | | Visitor Facilities | Fully accessible pathways | Nursing rooms | Luggage lockers | Cultural merchandise shop (featuring IP series inspired by “Zhongdu Dragon Patterns” and “Fengyang Flower Drums”) Temporary exhibition café (theme combining Ming-style lattice windows and Huai River imagery) |

🌐 Recommended Extended Itineraries (Fengyang Cultural Golden Triangle)

5-minute walk → National Archaeological Site Park of Ming Zhongdu Imperial Capital (UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List site, featuring remnants of Wu Men, Xihua Men, Chengtian Men, and the foundation of Wan Shou Palace)
10-minute drive → Ming Emperor’s Mausoleum (National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, burial site of Zhu Yuanzhang’s parents; the scale of its spirit way stone carvings ranks second only to the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum)
15-minute drive → Xiaogang Village “Large Contract System” Memorial Hall (the birthplace of China’s rural reform, a classic red tourism destination)

🌟 Visitor Tip: Allocate at least 3 hours for your visit; wear comfortable flat shoes (some exhibition areas feature reconstructed terrain); flash photography and tripods are prohibited inside.

Sources: Fengyang County Chronicles (1990–2010), Archaeological Report on the Ming Zhongdu Site (2015–2022), Anhui Provincial Museum Official Website, Fengyang Museum 2023 Annual Operational Report, and field research materials.
Updated: June 2024

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