Gansu Provincial Museum, Provincial museum in Lanzhou, China.
The Gansu Provincial Museum is a large building in Lanzhou with two main sections dedicated to history and natural science. The collections include bronze sculptures, painted pottery, Buddhist artwork, and objects that show the culture along ancient trade routes.
The museum began in 1939 as an educational institution and grew into a major cultural institution after significant renovations in the 1950s. These improvements allowed the collections to expand and become accessible to the wider public.
The museum displays artworks and objects that tell the spiritual and material story of the region across different periods. You can see how Buddhist traditions and Silk Road trade shaped the artistic expression of local craftspeople.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, so plan your visit for these days. It makes sense to allow enough time for both exhibition sections and to explore the displays at a comfortable pace.
The most notable piece is an ancient bronze horse from the 2nd century balanced on just one hoof in an unusual way. This sculpture demonstrates the technical skill of craftspeople from that era and is one of the most famous works of Chinese bronze art.
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