Officially certified local expert guide (with wireless headsets for up to 12 people) - Recommended 3hr in-depth tour of the Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrine Ruins + Yinxu Museum (saves both time and money)
Yin Xu is the first late Shang Dynasty capital site in Chinese history that has been documented and verified through archaeological excavations and oracle bone inscriptions. The Yinxu Museum was built in 2005 with an exhibition area of 1,500 square meters. It is a single-story underground structure standing 8 meters high—1 meter above ground and 7 meters below—covering a total area of 5,000 square meters and featuring an exhibition space of 1,800 square meters, including galleries, artifact storage rooms, research facilities, and an auditorium. From a top-down view, its design resembles the oracle bone script character for "Huan," symbolizing its connection to the Huan River and highlighting the river's vital role in nurturing Shang civilization. As archaeological discoveries at Yin Xu continued to expand, the original museum could no longer meet preservation and display needs. In November 2020, construction began on the new Yinxu Museum, which opened in February 2024. The new museum spans three above-ground floors with eight exhibition halls, serving as a national-level thematic museum that panoramically showcases Shang civilization. It is also one of the key projects of the Yellow River National Cultural Park, displaying nearly 4,000 sets of artifacts, including bronze ware, pottery, jade, and oracle bones.
Anyang Yin Xu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the protected area of the Yin Xu ruins spanning 29.47 square kilometers. The completion and opening of the new Yinxu Museum not only comprehensively summarizes and showcases the existing archaeological research achievements of Yin Xu, but also marks a new starting point for the protection and utilization of Yin Xu in the new era, carrying significant transitional importance.
