Xi'an Banpo Museum
Xi'an Banpo Museum
4
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
376 reviews
Excellent
111
Very good
170
Average
77
Poor
13
Terrible
5
Michael H
Perth, Australia43 contributions
Sep 2012 • Friends
If you go to Xian you will probably be taken to the "Banpo Museum and Archeological site". The museum is interesting and not overly politically correct as far as reference to the communistic tendencies of people who lived 6000-7000 years ago. The claim that it is the actual site is absolute nonsense though. Inside a large covered structure you will be told that what you see is the actual archeological site, but you will in fact be looking at a good recreation of the real site. Please know that it is not the real one. I first went to Banpo nearly 35 years ago and remembered well that it is some distance east of the city in the direction of the hot-springs and on the way to the terracotta army. So I was greatly surprised when on a trip there this time my guide said that the museum was also the site of the archeological dig. A quick look at the surrounding out to reveal that it is not, but I think the guide, along with many other guides, really thought it was.
If you read the archeological reports it is clear that the site is on the Wei River, east of Xian (check it out on Google Earth). Compare that site with the located site for the museum and you'll see they are in very different locations. Well does it matter? Yes it does. If the Chinese had any real academic respect for their history, why make up such a lie? Well I suppose it's easier to take people to the museum than out to the real site, they might get in the way of the scientists, and hardly anyone would know better anyway. Anyone seriously interested in history and archeology should know the truth about this I believe.
If you read the archeological reports it is clear that the site is on the Wei River, east of Xian (check it out on Google Earth). Compare that site with the located site for the museum and you'll see they are in very different locations. Well does it matter? Yes it does. If the Chinese had any real academic respect for their history, why make up such a lie? Well I suppose it's easier to take people to the museum than out to the real site, they might get in the way of the scientists, and hardly anyone would know better anyway. Anyone seriously interested in history and archeology should know the truth about this I believe.
Written November 11, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luxecarol
Sydney, Australia4,235 contributions
WE found the display very interesting. Don't be put off by negative reviews. The display here is just as worthwhile as the Terracotta Warriors. The fact is you will find remarkable the technological achievements of the human race from 5000 years ago. If you don't like history then perhaps stay away.
Written October 15, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki L
Levin24 contributions
Oct 2011 • Couples
We were not sure about going to the Banpo Museum as we had seen mixed reviews, however we thoroughly enjoyed it. There are the excavation sites, but also reconstructions of the village. There are many artefacts and there is information about everything, but not too much. There is plenty of English. The whole area is clean and attractive and the exibits are appealing. Well worth a visit.
Written November 2, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ChrisMcMillan
Chengde, China200 contributions
Banpo Neolithic Village was never going to be my favourite visit in Xi'an. I am not an archaeologist, nor a historian. But the thing about China is that if you find one aspect of a visit you're not keen on, within a few minutes you will find something that will stay in your memory.
For me this was the landscape. Its absolutely beautiful: and so peaceful. One downside to China is that there is as yet very little in the way of on site information. One gets so used to having 'labels' everywhere in the UK: so sadly I do not know who the statue belongs to in the pond close to the Banpo ruins building.
There is little to see immediately obvious in the ruins themselves if one is not trained in such matters. I suspect a museum of the Yangshao culture itself would be a lot more revealing - but we did not stay long enough on our guided tour to see this. If you are of a nervous disposition, avoid looking at the pit where there's a child's burial jar. I would have missed this but one of my friends pointed it out to me so that I didn't miss it.
Maybe there is more in my photos than I could see. I found the sun/shade combination rather bleached any detail that might of been there.
However, other buildings within the complex were of great interest. Nearby there is a shop selling silk clothing. Not too crowded, *no* hard sell by the staff whatsoever (a rarity in my opinion throughout N China).
Just beside this building is a small stall selling a particular traditional musical instrument. the salesman demonstrated it to me, gave me one to have a go with, but sadly I couldn't get the 'knack' of blowing across the top. But I was very keen to buy one and no doubt I should have bartered but didn't. It was still a v ery reasonable price. ALSO it comes with reasonable English instructions if you are a performer - which I am not.
As with other attractions in Xi'an, it was all very peaceful - particularly noticeable when you are staying opposite a building site which is being worked on all night.
For me this was the landscape. Its absolutely beautiful: and so peaceful. One downside to China is that there is as yet very little in the way of on site information. One gets so used to having 'labels' everywhere in the UK: so sadly I do not know who the statue belongs to in the pond close to the Banpo ruins building.
There is little to see immediately obvious in the ruins themselves if one is not trained in such matters. I suspect a museum of the Yangshao culture itself would be a lot more revealing - but we did not stay long enough on our guided tour to see this. If you are of a nervous disposition, avoid looking at the pit where there's a child's burial jar. I would have missed this but one of my friends pointed it out to me so that I didn't miss it.
Maybe there is more in my photos than I could see. I found the sun/shade combination rather bleached any detail that might of been there.
However, other buildings within the complex were of great interest. Nearby there is a shop selling silk clothing. Not too crowded, *no* hard sell by the staff whatsoever (a rarity in my opinion throughout N China).
Just beside this building is a small stall selling a particular traditional musical instrument. the salesman demonstrated it to me, gave me one to have a go with, but sadly I couldn't get the 'knack' of blowing across the top. But I was very keen to buy one and no doubt I should have bartered but didn't. It was still a v ery reasonable price. ALSO it comes with reasonable English instructions if you are a performer - which I am not.
As with other attractions in Xi'an, it was all very peaceful - particularly noticeable when you are staying opposite a building site which is being worked on all night.
Written April 22, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sherpa16725
Atsugi, Japan7 contributions
Poor exhibits, little to no connection with the rest of chinese imperial heritage. Axes and fish hooks are about five minutes worth of interesting packed into an hour. Skip it.
Written April 30, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lyanna T
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia56 contributions
May 2018
A visit to the Banpo village was part of the Terracotta day tour – it was on the way back into Xi’an city. It was just so amazing to think that we could visit a 6,000 year old village, but of course after the splendour of the Terracotta warriors we need to adjust our expectations. The museum was a simple site, built at the base of the excavations itself and was opened to the public in 1958.
The first part of the hall showed some simple weapons, urns, urns and more urns. The urns were utensils and also used to bury babies. The adult remains were buried further from the settlements, but the baby remains were placed in urns and placed near the huts.
A typical example of what you see on the site:
Round base with post holes , containing a fireplace, or a square base with post holes, containing a fireplace. These bases were either on ground level, or dug 2 feet underground.
There were many round storage holes – Neolithic refrigerators. The entire settlement was protected within a moat, as there were hyenas during that time.
There was a video showing how they think the huts were made – they dug post holes around the perimeter of the hut, put the poles in all converging at the center, and filled up all the spaces with mud. They would then make a fire in fireplace in the hut and the smoke would harden the walls and make them waterproof. Pretty neat!
There were a lot of skeletons and burial items, and also a mass grave where 4 skeletons were placed together haphazardly. The guide said these would likely have been murdered. There was a special one – a little girl’s skeleton which was buried in an adult grave.
The first part of the hall showed some simple weapons, urns, urns and more urns. The urns were utensils and also used to bury babies. The adult remains were buried further from the settlements, but the baby remains were placed in urns and placed near the huts.
A typical example of what you see on the site:
Round base with post holes , containing a fireplace, or a square base with post holes, containing a fireplace. These bases were either on ground level, or dug 2 feet underground.
There were many round storage holes – Neolithic refrigerators. The entire settlement was protected within a moat, as there were hyenas during that time.
There was a video showing how they think the huts were made – they dug post holes around the perimeter of the hut, put the poles in all converging at the center, and filled up all the spaces with mud. They would then make a fire in fireplace in the hut and the smoke would harden the walls and make them waterproof. Pretty neat!
There were a lot of skeletons and burial items, and also a mass grave where 4 skeletons were placed together haphazardly. The guide said these would likely have been murdered. There was a special one – a little girl’s skeleton which was buried in an adult grave.
Written May 31, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chet s
Luzhai County, China47 contributions
Feb 2018
An off the popular tourist trail but fascinating excursion for those really interested in ancient culture. This is an actual archeological dig site for the Banpo people that lived about 5000 years ago! The site is well preserved and provides a good day out in a peaceful setting. The gift shop is filled with peasant watercolor artwork that is also quite good and reasonably priced. Also easily reachable by subway line 1. A short walk from station.
Written February 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mel7155
Singapore, Singapore1,344 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
2nd time visiting this site. The last visit, this site is a lot more accesible, contains a lot more interactive displays of what the stone age civilisation looked like and the exhibits and artifacts are very interesting and educational. The site is on the way to the terracotta warriors and would be good to combine this site with a visit to this place. You can go on your own without tour guides as the displays are pretty interactive. Worth an hour to visit this site to get a real historical insight on stone age technology. Entrance fee was around 65rmb a person. Worth the price of the admission.
Written June 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DevMehra1988
Baoji, China755 contributions
Sep 2015 • Friends
This place is nice to visit for those who have great interest in exploring history and ancient sites. The Xi'an Banpo Museum (Chinese: 西安半坡博物馆) is a museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. The museum houses artifacts from the archaeological site of Banpo. The museum gives access to the excavated buildings, has a collection of artifacts from the site, and also has several reconstructed houses designed to resemble the Neolithic settlement.
Banpo (Bànpō) is an archaeological site discovered in 1953 and located in the Yellow River Valley just east of Xi'an, China. It contains the remains of several well organized Neolithic settlements carbon dated to 5600–6700 years ago. The area of 5 to 6 hectares (12 to 15 acres) is surrounded by a ditch, probably a defensive moat, 5 to 6 meters (16 to 20 ft) wide. The houses were circular, built of mud and wood with overhanging thatched roofs. They sat on low foundations. There appear to be communal burial areas.
Banpo is the type site associated with Yangshao Culture. Archaeological sites with similarities to the first phase at Banpo are considered to be part of the “Banpo phase” (7th millennium BC) of the Yangshao culture. Banpo was excavated from 1954 to 1957.
The settlement was surrounded by a moat, with the graves and pottery kilns located outside of the moat perimeter. Many of the houses were semisubterranean with the floor typically 1 meter (3 ft) below the ground surface. The houses were supported by timber poles and had steeply pitched thatched roofs.
According to the Marxist paradigm of archaeology that was prevalent in the People's Republic of China during the time of the excavation of the site, Banpo was considered to be a matriarchal society; however, new research contradicts this claim and the Marxist paradigm is gradually being phased out in modern Chinese archaeological research. Currently, little can be said of the religious or political structure from these ruins from the archaeological evidence.
The site is now home to the Xi'an Banpo Museum, built in 1957 to preserve the archaeological collection.
Banpo (Bànpō) is an archaeological site discovered in 1953 and located in the Yellow River Valley just east of Xi'an, China. It contains the remains of several well organized Neolithic settlements carbon dated to 5600–6700 years ago. The area of 5 to 6 hectares (12 to 15 acres) is surrounded by a ditch, probably a defensive moat, 5 to 6 meters (16 to 20 ft) wide. The houses were circular, built of mud and wood with overhanging thatched roofs. They sat on low foundations. There appear to be communal burial areas.
Banpo is the type site associated with Yangshao Culture. Archaeological sites with similarities to the first phase at Banpo are considered to be part of the “Banpo phase” (7th millennium BC) of the Yangshao culture. Banpo was excavated from 1954 to 1957.
The settlement was surrounded by a moat, with the graves and pottery kilns located outside of the moat perimeter. Many of the houses were semisubterranean with the floor typically 1 meter (3 ft) below the ground surface. The houses were supported by timber poles and had steeply pitched thatched roofs.
According to the Marxist paradigm of archaeology that was prevalent in the People's Republic of China during the time of the excavation of the site, Banpo was considered to be a matriarchal society; however, new research contradicts this claim and the Marxist paradigm is gradually being phased out in modern Chinese archaeological research. Currently, little can be said of the religious or political structure from these ruins from the archaeological evidence.
The site is now home to the Xi'an Banpo Museum, built in 1957 to preserve the archaeological collection.
Written September 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew_Alin
Greater Adelaide, Australia1,626 contributions
Unless you're really interested in archeology, or have a guide with you, there's not much to see here.
The displays really need more descriptive labels on them beyond just their chinese names.
Give this a place a miss, and save your time for elsewhere.
The displays really need more descriptive labels on them beyond just their chinese names.
Give this a place a miss, and save your time for elsewhere.
Written February 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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