Flying Horse
Second-century bronze.
三猎 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 幽灵巴尼 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 三猎 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · 三猎 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0
The home of the Flying Horse of Gansu, the second-century bronze of a galloping horse balanced on one hoof on a bird in flight; it was found in 1969 in a Han-dynasty tomb at Leitai near the city of Wuwei, was chosen in 1984 as the emblem of tourism in China, stands just 34.5 centimetres tall, and the museum also shows the procession of bronze horses and chariots found with it. The museum's roots go back to 1939; it was formally founded in 1956, was ranked among China's first-class museums in 2012 and holds more than 350,000 objects, its best-known gallery being the painted pottery made by Neolithic cultures on the banks of the Yellow River thousands of years ago, with elegant swirling patterns. The Silk Road gallery tells the story of Gansu as a corridor between China and Central Asia, with written wooden slips from the Han dynasty and coins, jewellery and objects that came with the caravans, while the fossil hall shows skeletons of the prehistoric animals that lived in this land. Entry is free with advance real-name booking using the visitor's name and passport number through the museum's official account on the WeChat app; it opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00 and closes on Mondays, per visitor guides. Book a few days ahead for holidays, and carry your original passport to get in.
Second-century bronze.
From the Neolithic.
Han-era slips.
3 Xijin West Road, Qilihe District, Lanzhou
Yes, entry is free but needs advance real-name booking with your passport number through the museum's official WeChat account, and the museum is closed on Mondays, per visitor guides.