The museum is in Harbin in Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang is China's northernmost province and is north of North Korea. It has been a site for the region's power struggles for thousands of years between the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Mongolians, several tribes and Russians. Harbin itself began as a Russian city. The region was the base territory of two war-like tribes that conquered China and founded two of China's dynasties. One tribe conquered northern China and founded the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 AD); and later, the Manchus conquered China and founded the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). So historians, anthropologists, and archeologists who specialize in the history of this region must understand the relevant cultures in the area. There are tens of thousands of ancient pieces of literature and relics, and tens of thousands of fossils of dinosaurs, ancient people, plants and animals. The museum is a research center for scholars, and also a popular place to visit in the Harbin area to enjoy the exhibits and to learn about history.
Features
- The biggest museum in Heilongjiang Province.
- Jin Dynasty relics.
- Qing Dynasty relics.
- Russian relics.
- Japanese and WWII relics.
- Cool architecture: The large building was once a department store that was built about the year 1906. It was called Moscow Department Store, and it has red domes. It is now one of Harbin's most important preserved historical buildings.
Collections
The museum has a visitor area and a collection storage area. The visitor area has three exhibition halls:
- One hall displays historical relics of Heilongjiang Province, including coins from China's dynasties, silk fabric from the Jin Dynasty, and Russian and Japanese relics. The museum was first operated by Russians, and then by Japanese.
- The second hall has an exhibition of the region's animals and fossils of local animals.
- The third hall is an exhibition of dinosaur fossils and extinct animals and plants. There is a good display of a duck-billed dinosaur fossil, a mammoth fossil, and a woolly rhinoceros fossil.
Travel Essentials
- Opening Hours: 09:00-16:00 (closed on Monday)
- Address: 50 Hongjun Street (红军街50号)
- Admission: free of charge (visitors need to present their passport or ID card at the entrance)
