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The Dunhuang Museum in 2015

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Dunhuang Museum

敦煌市博物馆 Dunhuang Museum · Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Gansu, China

Photo: Hiroki Ogawa · CC BY 3.0

In the castle-like city museum, use Han bamboo slips, silk and pottery to understand "a metropolis where Chinese and western peoples met".

Know before you go

  • Do not touch the display cases or relics
  • do not use flash on sutra manuscripts and silk textiles
  • do not run or make noise in the galleries

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

Dunhuang Museum was founded in 1979, and its current building, completed in 2011, blends elements of the Great Wall, beacon towers and fortress-style architecture. Its collection of more than 13,000 items (sets), including stone tools, pottery, bronzes, porcelain, silk, Han bamboo slips and carved bricks, spans from the Neolithic to the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is richest in Han and Tang relics. The permanent exhibition, themed "A City Where Chinese and Foreign Cultures Met," is divided into six galleries showing Dunhuang's history as a key hub of the ancient Silk Road; the museum also displays manuscripts and other relics from the Library Cave of the Mogao Grottoes and replicas of the caves. The museum has offered free admission since 2008 and was rated a National Second-Class Museum in 2020.

Local customs

  • The museum is moderate in size and is usually visited on the way to or from the Mogao Caves or Mingsha Mountain. The galleries are arranged chronologically
  • focus on the Han bamboo slips, silk textiles and painted bricks. The cave reconstructions help you understand the layout of the Mogao Caves.

Religion & beliefs

  • The exhibits include religious artifacts such as Buddhist sutra manuscripts and statues, carrying Dunhuang's thousand-year Buddhist faith
  • please view them quietly, don't imitate or clown around in front of Buddha statues, and follow the museum's signs on photography. Don't photograph sutra manuscripts and Buddhist artworks at close range or touch the display cases.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: At Qingming tomb-sweeping, no burning paper or open flames in wooded areas

Do

  • Check whether the cemetery requires a reservation before you go
  • Stay quiet while laying flowers, bowing and observing silence
  • Consider flowers, tree planting or online memorials instead of burning paper
  • Dress soberly for tomb-sweeping
  • Take offering wrappers and rubbish with you when you leave

Don’t

  • Don't burn paper, incense or candles, or set off firecrackers, in woods or grassland
  • Don't talk loudly or joke around in the cemetery
  • Don't block cemetery paths for long to take photos

During fire-prevention periods, burning paper, incense and candles is strictly banned in forest and grassland fire zones, and anyone who starts a wildfire may be held legally liable. Whether and where a cemetery allows burning is set by its own rules on site.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Xinhua: Two departments deploy safety measures for the Qingming holiday

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Go through security before the metro, and park shared bikes in marked zones

Do

  • Cooperate with the security check at the entrance and put bags through the scanner
  • On the platform, wait beside the doors and let passengers off first
  • Register with your real name in the app before riding a shared bike
  • Park in a marked bay or an app-designated spot, and make sure the lock clicks shut
  • If the brakes or lock don't work, switch bikes and report it in the app

Don’t

  • Don't linger in the doorway or force your way through closing doors
  • Don't leave bikes in traffic lanes, fire lanes or on tactile paving
  • Don't let children under 12 ride shared bikes

If you refuse the security check you will not be let into the station. Badly parked bikes are removed, and riders may face action under local rules and the operator's terms.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: People's Daily Online: Beijing issues standards for shared bike technology, services, parking

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: No smoking anywhere on high-speed trains, and no phone calls in quiet carriages

Do

  • Sit in the carriage and seat shown on your ticket
  • Put large luggage in the racks at the carriage ends or overhead
  • Use headphones for videos and music
  • In a quiet carriage, step outside to make or take calls
  • Before getting off, check around your seat and take your rubbish and belongings

Don’t

  • Don't smoke anywhere on the train, including toilets and vestibules
  • Don't take someone else's seat
  • Don't choose a quiet carriage when travelling with babies or toddlers (12306 advises against it)

Smoking on a bullet train can set off smoke alarms and slow or even stop the train. Smokers are fined by the police and, according to reports, may also be barred from buying bullet-train tickets; official rules prevail. If someone breaks the quiet-carriage rules, tell the train staff.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Travel China Guide: Smoking on Chinese trains

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Stay on open sections of the Great Wall and never carve the bricks

Do

  • Walk only on open sections and marked routes
  • On steep stretches, stop and steady yourself before taking photos, and watch your step
  • Wear non-slip shoes, carry enough water, and turn back if you are tired
  • Carry your rubbish down or put it in a bin
  • Check opening arrangements before you go; official announcements prevail

Don’t

  • Don't carve, write on or prise loose the bricks
  • Don't climb over fences or onto closed, crumbling walls and watchtowers
  • Don't run or push on steep sections

Carving the Great Wall counts as damaging a cultural relic: one visitor who carved his name at Badaling was given administrative detention and a fine by the police and was blacklisted by the scenic area. Closed sections are not maintained and can be dangerous.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China News Service: Man detained for five days and fined 200 yuan for carving on the Badaling Great Wall

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: book popular sights in advance, under your real name, through official channels

Do

  • Check the booking rules on the site's official website, mini program or account before you go
  • Enter every companion's ID details in advance and pick an entry time slot
  • Children, seniors and others with free or reduced tickets also book as required and show ID
  • Book early for holidays and summer; popular dates often fill quickly

Don’t

  • Don't trust third parties offering to grab tickets or sell 'insider' tickets
  • Don't assume a free ticket means no booking is needed
  • Don't count on buying tickets at the gate on peak days

Once a popular date is fully booked, you may be turned away. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires sites to keep in-person ticket windows and to accommodate seniors and others, but on-site quotas are limited; booking windows, release times and visitor caps are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China Daily: Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires all scenic areas to keep ticket windows

Essential restrictionsEntryCountry-wide guidance · China

China: set up mobile payment before you go; hotels and tickets are booked under your passport

Do

  • Link a foreign bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before departure
  • Carry some cash in yuan for small stalls, remote areas or payment glitches
  • Expect real-name checks at hotels, for train tickets and popular sights; use your passport
  • Make sure the name and number on bookings match your passport exactly
  • If a station gate cannot read your passport, use the staffed lane

Don’t

  • Don't wait until you arrive to set up payment; verification can take time
  • Don't assume cash alone or a bank card alone will work everywhere
  • Don't book with details that differ from your passport

Without a working payment method, or with mismatched ID details, you may be unable to check in, buy tickets or enter sights. Payment limits, fees and platform rules are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Gov.cn: Payment services for foreign visitors to China

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Queue, don't smoke where banned, and never carve on heritage sites

Do

  • Wait your turn in line, and follow staff directions when it's crowded
  • On buses and the metro, let passengers off first and offer seats to those in need
  • Book popular sights and museums in advance, under your real name, through official channels
  • Sort your rubbish into the right bins
  • Use serving chopsticks and spoons, and order only what you can eat

Don’t

  • Don't cut in line or walk side by side blocking the way
  • Don't smoke where it is banned; many cities ban smoking in indoor public places and on public transport
  • Don't carve or write on historic buildings or ancient trees, or climb on or touch relics
  • Don't use flash or tripods in exhibition halls
  • Don't talk loudly or play music out loud in public places

Staff will stop you from queue-jumping, smoking where banned or marking relics, and smoking in no-smoking areas or damaging relics can also lead to fines under the law. Fine amounts, booking methods and opening hours are as officially announced.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Palace Museum official site: Visit

Don’t DON'T

  • Do not touch the display cases or relics
  • do not use flash on sutra manuscripts and silk textiles
  • do not run or make noise in the galleries
  • do not lean on the walls of the replica cave models
  • do not eat or drink inside
  • do not film in front of exhibits where photography is prohibited
  • do not let children climb the display platforms

Locals appreciate DO

  • Learn about Dunhuang's historical background before visiting the Mogao Caves
  • look closely at the writing and post-station records on Han dynasty bamboo slips
  • see the patterns on silk and painted bricks
  • learn about cave structure in the cave replica area
  • combine with the night market and the Shazhou ancient town area
  • pick up Dunhuang-pattern souvenirs in the cultural products area

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • Allow 1–1.5 hours. The museum is in downtown Dunhuang, reachable by taxi or on foot from the city center, and not far from the direction of Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring. It is free
  • opening hours, whether reservation is needed and closing days are subject to the museum and official Dunhuang channels, and it gets busier in the peak tourist season (summer and autumn). Visit on the same day as Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring and the Shazhou Night Market, or come here the day before visiting the Mogao Caves Digital Exhibition Center and the caves to build a historical framework
  • summer noons are hot, so you can use the museum to escape the midday heat. Dunhuang is dry with intense sunshine, so carry water and sun protection. Exhibits rely mainly on text labels, and a guided tour helps you understand the Han-dynasty bamboo slips better.

Photos

Photos

The Dunhuang Museum in 2015
The Dunhuang Museum in 2015
Hiroki Ogawa · CC BY 3.0
A reconstruction of a Mogao cave in the Dunhuang Museum in 2015 (a replica, not the original cave)
A reconstruction of a Mogao cave in the Dunhuang Museum in 2015 (a replica, not the original cave)
Laika ac from UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
Sources & verification notes

The Paper (Government affairs: Dunhuang Culture and Tourism): Dunhuang Museum rated a National Second-Class Museum in the fourth batch (December 2020)

Wikipedia: Dunhuang Museum

Ycwb.com (China News Service): Featured Dunhuang relics from Gansu on display (May 2022)

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