[Photo from tylyhy.cn]

Shanxi Art Museum is the predecessor of Department II of the Shanxi Museum and is situated in the Pure Sun Palace – also known as Lv Zu Temple, which is a Taoist temple enshrining the Tang Dynasty monk Lv Dongbin. It was built during the Wanli Period in the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620), with three floors added as the Wei Pavilion during the Qianlong reign (1736-1795) in the Qing Dynasty, forming a unique building cluster.

Starting from the gate, there are four courtyards in the Pure Sun Palace. The main buildings include the Lv Zu Hall, a square shaped three-room and two-storey pavilion and the Wei Pavilion. They were built on the axis line, surrounded by side rooms and brick caves. Pavilions and halls are staggered side by side, with upturned eave brackets overlapping corbel brackets , and an enclosed verandah is twisting and turning and the decoration is beautiful and majestic. In the yard, rockeries and flowers form attractive scenery. The beautiful ancient architecture and rich historical and cultural relics gather together to reflect one another, making the museum one of the places of interest in Taiyuan.

In the museum, over 800 exhibits are displayed under the ten subjects of ceramics, bronze ware, azure stone, sculpture, calligraphy and painting, embroidery, enamel, lacquer ware and rubbings, etc. These precious relics are of high historical and artistic value, and reflect the brilliant and splendid Chinese culture from one side.

The museum has 20 newly added galleries of steles, displaying such stone carving works as epitaph, Joss Statues, Dharani pillars, steles, etc.

Address: No. 5, Qifeng Street, Taiyuan

Tel: 0351-2029217