Chengdu Museum: Official Visitor Routes and Attraction Guide

Chengdu Museum is located at 1 Xiaohe Street, Qingyang District, Chengdu, on the west side of Tianfu Square and easy to reach by public transport. Visitors can take Metro Line 1 or Line 2 to Tianfu Square Station and walk approximately 3 minutes from Exit West 1 North or Exit West 1 South. Alternatively, buses on routes 13, 30, 43, 47, 64, and 78 stop at West Imperial Street Station, from which the museum is about 20 meters away on foot.

Visitor Notes (Responsible Travel):

Opening Hours:

• Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry at 4:30 PM)
• Friday and Saturday: 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM (last entry at 8:00 PM)
• Closed on Mondays (except public holidays)

Admission: Free, but advance reservation with ID verification is required. Foreign visitors may book using their passport via the museum's official website or WeChat account, or register in person at the entrance.

• Reservations: Foreign visitors can make reservations through the Chengdu Museum official website or WeChat public account ("Chengdu Museum"), or register with their passport at the entrance.
• Guided Tours: Free scheduled guided tours are available — groups form at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM on the second floor. Bilingual Chinese-English audio guides are also available for rent at 40 yuan per unit.
• Interactive Experiences: The shadow puppet and marionette exhibition on the fifth floor features interactive performances. It is recommended to check performance times in advance and plan your visit accordingly.
• Rest Areas: Rest areas are available throughout the museum for visitors to take a break at any time.
• Dining: No food or drinks are sold inside the museum apart from water. Visitors are encouraged to eat beforehand at the Tianfu Square food court or at nearby restaurants.

Based on the official recommended route, visitors are advised to tour the museum in the following floor order for the best experience:

Basement Level → First Floor → Second Floor → Third Floor → Fourth Floor → Fifth Floor → Sixth Floor

Detailed Guide to Each Gallery

Basement Level: Humanity and Nature — The Bering Donation Exhibition

Location: Basement Level Theme: Exploring global biodiversity and natural ecosystems Highlights: Chengdu Museum's first nature-themed exhibition, featuring more than 300 animal specimens representing species from all five continents. The exhibition is divided into three sections — "A Journey Through the World's Nature," "Nature and Us," and "Respect and Conservation" — using vivid specimen displays to help visitors understand the ecological characteristics of different continents and the importance of biodiversity.

This exhibition is particularly well suited to families with children. Through hands-on specimen displays, foreign visitors can gain insight into China's wildlife conservation efforts and the global importance of protecting biodiversity. Interactive Q&A elements help visitors better understand the concept of living in harmony with nature.

First Floor: Special Exhibition Hall (Temporary Exhibitions)

The special exhibition hall on the first floor hosts a variety of high-caliber temporary exhibitions, such as international art shows and historical artifact displays. Exhibition content rotates regularly according to season and theme, so there is always something new to discover at Chengdu Museum.

Temporary exhibitions typically carry significant international prestige and academic value, with many produced in partnership with leading museums abroad. Through these exhibitions, visitors can explore Chengdu's history and culture from fresh perspectives and trace its connections to civilizations around the world.

Second Floor: Splendor of the Brocade City — Chengdu History and Culture (Ancient Period)

Chengdu's historical development from pre-Qin times through the Northern and Southern Dynasties

This exhibition is divided into two sections — "Nine Heavens Open One Chengdu: Chengdu in the Pre-Qin Era" and "West Shu, Land of Abundance: Chengdu from the Qin-Han Era through the Northern and Southern Dynasties" — presenting more than 240 selected artifacts that reveal the deep historical roots of ancient Shu civilization.

This gallery is the ideal starting point for understanding Chengdu's history and culture. Through these precious artifacts, visitors can appreciate the splendor of ancient Shu civilization and the prosperity of Chengdu during the Han dynasty as the "Land of Abundance." The stone rhinoceros and the lacquered acupuncture figure are among the museum's most treasured masterpieces and should not be missed.

Third Floor: Splendor of the Brocade City — Chengdu History and Culture (Sui-Tang through Ming-Qing Period)

Chengdu's historical transformation from the Sui-Tang era through the Ming and Qing dynasties

This exhibition is divided into two sections — "A Renowned Metropolis: Chengdu during the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, and Yuan Periods" and "Evening Glow on Red Towers: Chengdu during the Ming and Qing Dynasties" — displaying more than 600 artifacts and sets that illustrate the thriving prosperity of Chengdu as a great southwestern city.

This gallery uses a wealth of artifacts and reconstructed scenes to present Chengdu's glorious history from the Sui-Tang era through the Ming and Qing dynasties. The model of a Sichuan jacquard loom in particular gives visitors a vivid sense of the extraordinary craftsmanship behind ancient Shu brocade, and the enduring appeal of China's silk culture.

Fourth Floor: Splendor of the Brocade City — Chengdu History and Culture (Modern and Folk Culture Period)

Chengdu's modern history and its distinctive folk culture

This gallery is divided into two sections. The "Modern Period" section covers Chengdu's historical transformations from the First Opium War of 1840 through to liberation in 1949, while the "Folk Culture" section showcases Chengdu's unique cultural character and community spirit.

The Modern Period section helps visitors understand Chengdu's important role in China's recent history, particularly its contributions during the Railway Protection Movement and the War of Resistance. The Folk Culture section uses richly reconstructed scenes and authentic objects to immerse visitors in Chengdu's distinctive street life and daily rhythms, capturing the magic of "old Chengdu."

Fifth Floor: Shadows in Motion, Puppets Through the Ages — Chinese Shadow Puppet and Marionette Exhibition

Traditional Chinese shadow puppet and marionette art, with interactive experiences

Highlights: Chengdu Museum also operates under the designation of the Chengdu Chinese Shadow Puppet Museum, making it Sichuan's first and Chengdu's only nationally designated museum of its kind, and currently the museum with the world's largest collection of shadow puppets in terms of quantity, variety, and quality. The exhibition is divided into two sections — "Shadows in Motion: Chinese Shadow Puppet Exhibition" and "Puppets Through the Ages: Chinese Marionette Exhibition" — featuring close to 2,000 selected artifacts and sets that chart the full development of Chinese shadow puppet and marionette art.

Chinese shadow puppetry was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011. This exhibition not only showcases a rich collection of shadow puppets and marionettes, but also offers interactive experiences where visitors can try operating the puppets themselves or take part in weekend shadow puppet performances and experience this traditional Chinese art form firsthand.

Sixth Floor: Museum Shop and Viewing Terrace

Chengdu Museum gift shop and panoramic views of Tianfu Square

The sixth floor is home to the museum's gift shop and viewing terrace. The shop offers a wide range of creative products inspired by the museum's prized collections, such as stone rhinoceros blind-box figures, glazed rhinoceros ornaments, and glazed entertainer figurines. There is also a viewing terrace with a panoramic view of Tianfu Square.

The gift shop is the ideal place to take a piece of Chengdu Museum's cultural heritage home with you. The products are beautifully designed, combining practical appeal with cultural meaning. The viewing terrace gives visitors the chance to admire the sweeping scenery of Tianfu Square from above, bringing the entire museum visit to a satisfying close.