The second stop of the Shanxi ancient architecture tour: Taiyuan Northern Qi Mural Museum (1).

During this trip to Shanxi, we chose two very distinctive on-site protected museums (built above the archaeological excavation area), one is the Northern Qi Mural Museum in Taiyuan, and the other is the Jin State Museum in Linfen. Northern Qi was one of the regimes in the late Northern Dynasties. The collision and integration of economy, culture and ethnicity strongly promoted the "Han-Tang Change" in history; the frequent flow of people and trade promoted political, economic and cultural exchanges, and foreign people, materials, ideas and art were widely absorbed; the scene of the prosperous Tang Dynasty was already showing signs of dawn. Jinyang (today's Taiyuan) was known as "Bafu" and "Xiedu" during the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties. For half a century, it was the place where the powerful and wealthy gathered and issued government orders. There was an aristocratic class that lived a luxurious life, a cultural circle that attached itself to the powerful and wealthy, and a cultural atmosphere that pursued splendor. As an important node at the eastern end of the Silk Road, Jinyang was also the center of commercial trade between northern countries and ethnic groups at that time. The Taiyuan Northern Qi Mural Museum started construction on October 26, 2020 and will open to the public on December 20, 2023. The museum has murals from the tombs of Lou Rui and Xu Xianxiu in Taiyuan, as well as murals from Jiuyuangang in Xinzhou and Shuiquanliang in Shuozhou. These murals tell the story of the early unity of the Chinese nation and the evolution of the diverse integration of farming culture and nomadic culture. They are irreplaceable treasures for studying the history and culture of the grassland, and a model for the exchange and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations. We can see from the murals and cultural relics in the museum’s collection a large number of images of Hu people with characteristics from the Western Regions and other places, as well as artistic modeling and expressions that are different from those of the Han people in the Central Plains. I think this may be the reason why this new museum has been so popular since its opening: it is full of exotic atmosphere and unique. When you come to Taiyuan, don't miss this museum! Absolutely amazing! Gate tower image: Late Northern Dynasties, mural tomb of Jiuyuangang in Xinzhou (Fig. 7, 8) Camel caravan and horses, return image: First year of Wuping in Northern Qi (570), Tomb of Lou Rui in Northern Qi. (Figure 9) Northern Qi People's Picture: Image of Hu People (Figure 10) Picture of Horseback Riders: One of the first batch of cultural relics prohibited from leaving the country. In the first year of Wuping in the Northern Qi Dynasty (570 AD), the tomb of Lou Rui of the Northern Qi Dynasty. The original is in the Shanxi Museum. (Figures 11-14) Robber holes; earthen mounds at the archaeological site. (Figure 4) The passageway to Xu Xianxiu’s tomb. Can't go down. (Figure 5) It is nearly 1,500 years old and has been robbed five times. It was one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in the country in 2002.