Atlas of China
Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital 二里头夏都遗址博物馆Èrlǐtóu Xiàdū Yízhǐ Bówùguǎn
4A scenic area · National heritage site · Luoyang, Henan
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Luoyang
- Region
- Henan
- Type
- Heritage
- Listed as
- 4A scenic area, National heritage site
About Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital
A large museum opened in 2019 next to the Erlitou site, the Bronze Age settlement that many Chinese archaeologists identify as a capital of the Xia dynasty, a link the museum's own name asserts but which remains unproven. Five permanent galleries show the finds from six decades of digging, including turquoise-inlaid bronze plaques with animal masks, early bronze ding and jue vessels and large jade blades. The building, clad in rammed earth and aged copper, was designed by a team from Tongji University; the excavated site beside it is laid out as a national archaeological site park.
How to get to Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital
In Zhaizhen town, Yanshi District, about 25 km east of central Luoyang by road; the excavated site, where the foundation of Palace No. 1 can be seen, lies about 300 m to the north. Closed on Mondays except public holidays and during the Luoyang Peony Festival.
Nearby
- White Horse Temple 白马寺 under 10 km
China's first Buddhist temple, with Thai, Indian and Burmese halls beside it - Longmen Grottoes 龙门石窟 20 km
Some 100,000 Buddhas carved into riverside cliffs, watched over by a serene giant - Shaolin Temple 少林寺 30 km
The cradle of Chan Buddhism and kung fu, at the foot of Mount Song
Also within 20 km: Main Hall of Xingfu Temple, Yanshi 偃师兴福寺大殿 (under 10 km), Yanshi Shang City Site 偃师商城遗址 (under 10 km), Old City of Luoyang (Han–Wei Luoyang) 汉魏洛阳故城 (under 10 km), Gongling Mausoleum of the Tang 恭陵 (10 km), Haoze International Tulip Park 豪泽国际郁金香花海欢乐城 (20 km), Shuiquan Grottoes 水泉石窟 (20 km).
On the map
Open Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it and what else is close, and to add it to a trip.
Open Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital on the map