New museum brings Shijiahe civilization to life

Hubei's main venue event for the 2026 International Museum Day was launched on Monday at Shijiahe Site Museum in Tianmen city, Hubei province, which also marked the museum's official opening ceremony.

Archaeologists believe that the Shijiahe site in Tianmen, which spans a period from around 6,000 to 4,000 years ago, is the largest and most enduring prehistoric settlement complex discovered to date in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The Neolithic site is known for its large sacrificial areas, a large number of exquisite jade artifacts and red pottery cups.

With a floor area of 11,500 square meters, the museum's design incorporates the jade phoenix, an iconic cultural motif of Shijiahe, and houses five exhibition halls.

"We uphold the vision of letting the world know Shijiahe. Using the museum as a core platform, we will press ahead with project development, revitalize and utilize cultural relics, and continuously enrich our exhibitions, so as to bring Shijiahe culture to life, make it tangible and dynamic," Ji Daoqing, Party secretary of Tianmen, said in his speech.

Wang Wei, a veteran archaeologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the museum's opening carries great significance and far-reaching impact.

According to him, the museum not only systematically presents Shijiahe's archaeological findings and restores the outlook of the Neolithic city settlement, but also serves as an important platform to interpret the civilization in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and popularize the results of a national-level project tracing the origins of Chinese civilization.

"We will leverage technology to develop a smart museum and use digital tools to revitalize cultural relics. We will also integrate the museum with tourism, study tours and science popularization to build it into a beloved cultural landmark," said Chen Fei, head of Hubei's provincial bureau of cultural heritage.

"The museum will act as a bridge connecting history and the future, Hubei and the world, as well as cultural relics and the public."