National Museum of Chinese Writing, National museum in Anyang, China

The National Museum of Chinese Writing is a museum in Anyang dedicated to the development of Chinese characters. It displays exhibitions showing how writing evolved from oracle bone inscriptions to contemporary forms across its halls.

The museum was established in 2009 near the Yin Ruins, where archaeologists found ancient oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty. Its location connects it directly to the origins of Chinese writing culture.

The entrance is guarded by two golden xuan birds, recalling the Shang myth of the swallow that laid the egg from which Qi, ancestor of the Shang, was born. Beyond them stands a gate shaped like the bronze-script character zi, and 28 bronze oracle-bone stelae line the plaza. The museum's name was written by former president Jiang Zemin.

The main building has four floors, with exhibition halls on the first three. The entrance faces People's Avenue; the golden birds and the character-shaped gate stand before the plaza, whose two sides hold 28 bronze oracle-bone stelae. The site covers 143 mu, with 34,500 square metres of floor space.

Eight Western Zhou bronzes with inscriptions are the museum's signature pieces, kept in good condition with clear forms and script. Among them is the Taishi Cuo gui, a food vessel 20.7 cm high and 30.2 cm wide, whose lid and base carry a matching 70-character text recording King Zhou's gift of a tiger-skin robe.