Night scene of the Three Gorges Museum

The Three Gorges Museum is in the western part of Chongqing People’s Hall, also called Chongqing Museum. It is public premises for the long-term preservation, history education and scientific research in respect of cultural relics and the natural environment of Chongqing and the Three Gorges. The exterior of the museum has cambered walls and vitreous dome, representing the historical culture of Three Gorges and their origins. In addition, there are large-scale bas-reliefs, bronze sculptures and the Ecological Corridor that is one kilometer in length (about 1,094 yards).

The museum is a part of the huge project of the Three Gorges Dam, where there are 1,087 relic sites to be submerged in water. China’s 68 scientific institutions have been excavating heritage and researching the sites in the Three Gorges area for ten years. They have successfully completed 338 archeological projects and made many discoveries. All the invaluable relics are carefully moved to the exhibition halls in the Three Gorges Museum. The staffs in the museum compiled and categorized these archeological discoveries, and then made volumes of catalogue for the convenience of scientific research and public easy access.

The Splendid Three Gorges reflects the history and culture in the area, Far-Ancient Ba Yu introduces the origin of local history, The Urban Development of Chongqing demonstrates the transitional process of Chongqing and Anti-Japanese Days tells the stories occurred during the war in China between 1937 and 1945.

Sculptures of ancient Yangtze people

There also are other six specialized exhibitions, Paintings and Calligraphies in Different Historical Periods, The Currencies in Different Periods of Chia, The Sculpture in Han Dynasty, Cultural Relics Donated by Mr. Li Chuli, Minority Nationality Custom in Southwest China, and Ceramics in Different Periods of China. The Three Gorges Museum has the Round-screen Cinema that shows the natural landscape and people’s daily life in the Three Gorges area before the construction of the dam. The Semi-scene picture “Big Bombing in Chongqing” represents the five years’ continuous bombing in Chongqing as the temporary capital of China during World War II. The museum equips an International Academic Hall, an Audience Activities Center and three temporary Exhibition Halls that enriching functions for social service as well.