An ethnic cultural relic in the collection of Guizhou Provincial Museum. 

Humans inhabited the mountainous region of Guizhou Province in southwest China hundreds of thousands of years ago, and over the past millennia, the area has been home to numerous ethnic minority groups. 

During this time, the region also witnessed the exchange and integration between the ancient Central Plains civilization and southwest cultures, as well as China’s epic Long March in the 1930s – which saw soldiers of the Red Army, the frontrunner of the People’s Liberation Army, fording rivers without boats, climbing towering mountains, and traversing human-sucking bogs. 

Across this long historical period, many relics have survived, with some of the finest of these now exhibited in the Guizhou Provincial Museum, bearing testimony to the province’s rich cultural legacy. 

The Guizhou Provincial Museum houses more than 80,000 artifacts, making it the largest comprehensive museum in the province in terms of its collection size. Its most distinctive exhibits include bronzeware, Miao ethnic clothing, and revolutionary relics from Guizhou. Among its most prized treasures are the Eastern Han Dynasty Bronze Carriage and Horse, the Ming Dynasty Batik Top and Skirt with Egret Patterns, the Ming Dynasty Gem-inlaid Gold Crown with Five Pheasant Decorations, and the No. 4 Proclamation of the Revolutionary Committee of the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Soviet Republic from the Long March Period. 

The Ming Dynasty Gem-inlaid Gold Crown with Five Pheasant Decorations on display at the Guizhou Provincial Museum. 

Eastern Han Bronze Carriage and Horse 

In the Guizhou Provincial Museum gallery, a bronze chariot and horse set from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) attracts the attention of many visitors. This first grade cultural relic was unearthed from an Eastern Han tomb in the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province. It is the most complete and finely crafted bronze chariot and horse ensemble discovered from the Eastern Han period to date.

The vehicle consists of two main components: one carriage and one horse, 112 cm long and 88 cm high. It contains more than 300 individual parts. The lifelike bronze horse was assembled using 11 separately cast components. When excavated, remnants of silk fabric were found on the carriage, indicating that curtains and drapery were originally used to cover the carriage. Experts therefore concluded that this vehicle was typically used by female family members of officials during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220).

This relic gives a vivid representation of the horse-drawn chariot styles and the transportation system of the Eastern Han period. Its production involved a series of advanced techniques at that time such as mold casting, copper foil hammering, and gilding, reflecting the level of bronze-casting technology in the Guizhou-Yunnan region during the Qin and Han dynasties.

The relic further demonstrates the close cultural ties between the southwest region and the Central Plains during the Han Dynasty. In 135 BCE, Han Emperor Wu brought the region under direct imperial administration. By the early Eastern Han period, the region had already become a center for the dissemination of Central Plains culture on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The bronze chariot and horse serves as an example of the unity within the diversity of the Chinese civilization.

The Warring States Period Bronze Yue with Birdmen Patterns on display at the Guizhou Provincial Museum. 

The Skirt Hidden in a Cave 

Nestled amid the towering hills in Guizhou, there are some mysterious tombs hidden in high caves in the area. In 1987, a remarkably well-preserved colorful batik skirt was discovered in a Miao ethnic cave burial site in Taohua Village, Guizhou. This garment is made of cotton, hemp, and silk and integrates weaving, embroidery, and batik techniques. Experts believe it was made during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), making it the earliest surviving example of a colored batik skirt in Guizhou. It provides valuable physical evidence for the study of Guizhou’s batik history and the evolution of ethnic clothing in the region.

When the skirt was discovered, a wax knife used for dyeing was found tucked into its waistband. Experts speculate that the wearer was an adult woman, possibly a batik master. The skirt may have been one of her most treasured creations during her lifetime.

Guizhou has long been one of China’s major centers of batik craft, and the Miao people have long kept a rich batik tradition. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, batik techniques flourished throughout the region. Even today, Guizhou remains an important production area for batik textiles. Traditionally, wax is applied as a resist agent, and patterns are drawn onto cloth with a wax knife. After repeated dyeing and wax removal, distinctive blue-and-white or white-on-blue designs emerge. Crack-like patterns often form naturally while the fabric is dyeing, making each batik piece unique.

The skirt is primarily decorated with colorful egret motifs. The Miao people have a distinctive bird culture, where birds are regarded as sacred beings that connect heaven and earth. They are believed to carry messages from the human world to ancestors and are closely associated with fishing, water, and daily life. As a result, bird patterns symbolize peace, safety, and abundant harvests, expressing the Miao people’s aspirations for a prosperous and happy life.

The Ming Dynasty Pottery Figurines from Yang Hui’s Tomb on display at the Guizhou Provincial Museum serve as first grade cultural relics. 

Hierarchy-Challenging Gold Crowns 

In the 1950s, a large number of gold and silver artifacts were unearthed from a Ming Dynasty tomb in Zunyi City, Guizhou. Among them, the most striking discoveries were two gold crowns, known by experts as the “Gem-inlaid Gold Crown with Five Pheasant Decorations,” which are now housed in the museum.

These 400-year-old crowns were crafted with an array of goldsmith techniques such as hammering, filigree work, engraving, gemstone inlaying, and forging. The dragon, pheasant, flower, and butterfly decorations on the crowns are exceedingly exquisite. Among them, the larger crown measures 29.1 cm in height, 38 cm in width, and weighs over one kilogram, inlaid with more than a hundred gemstones. At the front of the crown is a huge, richly layered six-petal floral ornament, exuding an air of grandeur. Above the flower stand five pheasant, while three dragons are featured at the very top of the crown.

According to historical records, these two gold pheasant crowns were made by the Yang tusi chieftain for his wife and concubine. This display of wealth not only reflects the burial customs of the Yang clan in Bozhou (present-day Zunyi), but also reveals the absolute weight of local tusi authority.

The “five pheasant and three dragons” design was, according to official Ming documents, reserved for the highest-ranking ladies (women who were granted titles by the imperial court for their husbands’ or sons’ achievements in official positions). There is a rank system for the titles. However, the Yang tusi chieftains – whose designated rank was only equivalent to the third rank – violated these regulations, reflecting the strength of local power.

Throughout China’s ancient history, the tusi system had deep roots, with hereditary chieftains exercising absolute authority within their territories. The Yang clan tusi of Bozhou began governing there from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and ruled for 29 generations until the Ming Dynasty. In the mid-to-late Ming period, as imperial power declined, violations of court dress regulations became increasingly common, as in Yang tusi’s case.

The Eastern Han Dynasty Bronze Carriage and Horse is recognized as a national treasure for its historical value. 

Red Footprints 

In contemporary China, many historic moments took place in Guizhou. Among them, between 1930 and 1936, the Chinese Red Army left indelible footprints across the mountainous region’s 68 counties, forming a major force to save China from Japanese aggression.

In February 1936, the 2nd and 6th Army Corps, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), arrived in Dading (present-day Dafang County), Guizhou and held a meeting, attended by both the military representatives and local residents, where several important announcements were made: the establishment of the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Revolutionary Commission of the Chinese Soviet Republic was founded and the release of the No.4 Proclamation by the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Revolutionary Commission of the Chinese Soviet Republic was made. The Proclamation, later certified as a first grade cultural relic, is now displayed at the museum.

The Proclamation stipulates a seven-point guideline: first, building a united national force against Japanese aggression; second, organizing a military force against Japanese aggression; third, eliminating excessive taxes across the board; fourth, improving people’s living standards; fifth, securing the supplies of the Red Army and local residents, protecting and enhancing production; sixth, raising local literacy rate; and seventh, punishing anti-revolutionists and traitors to the nation.

The the 2nd and 6th Red Army corporation then began to develop the northwest Guizhou revolutionary base, extending the influence of the CPC and the Red Army in the process. According to surveys, in Guizhou’s Bijie City alone, more than 5,000 people joined the red army. Residents of all ages also gave all-out support to the Red Army’s campaigns.

Public Education 

Guizhou Provincial Museum regularly organizes themed programs centered on local history and the cultures of the province’s many ethnic groups. Using artifacts from its collection as entry points, the museum offers special lectures, interactive Q&A sessions, model displays, and hands-on activities, allowing participants to gain a better understanding of Guizhou’s rich and diverse ethnic cultures and historical heritage.

In recent years, the museum has developed a volunteer docent program that engages people of different age groups. A senior’s team, composed of members above 58 years old, has completed more than 500 free guided tours and served over 30,000 visitors since its establishment in 2024. In addition, the museum has also launched a teenager program to develop young cultural communicators.

Meanwhile, the museum’s education team has collaborated with primary and secondary schools across Guizhou to offer interdisciplinary museum-school courses. Programs such as Guizhou Culture in Food, Clothing, Housing, and Transportation and the History of Currency Development and Financial Literacy, teach students about local history and traditional handicrafts..