For a long time, Xi'an remained the largest city not only in China but also in the whole world. It is not surprising that it repeatedly became the capital of the kingdoms of different dynasties and emperors since it is more than 3000 years old. Even in the times of Ancient China, it was the cultural and historical center of the empire due to its strategic location on the Great Silk Road. Hundreds of tombs of rulers and local nobles were found in its vicinity, including the world-famous Terracotta Army of the great Emperor and founder of the Qin dynasty. Xi'an is also home to one of the country's two largest museums – the Shaanxi History Museum.

The construction of the Shaanxi Museum lasted for 8 years, and its grand opening took place in 1991. A magnificent example of architecture in the style of the Tang dynasty with an area of 65 thousand square meters has become a permanent home for almost 400 thousand exhibits dedicated to the beautiful culture of the ancient civilization. Its extensive collections are represented by artifacts from different historical periods in chronological order. Collections range from Stone Age tools to household and cultural items from the 19th century. All of them are divided into three parts according to the number of floors in the museum.

On the first floor, there are exhibits of ancient China and the earliest Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, up to the famous Qin dynasty that initiated the construction of the Great Wall of China. There you can see stone tools of cavemen, bronze vessels, and primitive ceramic dishes.

On the second floor, there are exhibits that date back to the historical period before the Sui dynasty. This is the time of an important invention which was paper. The central place in this hall belongs to paper objects – letters and documents, as well as early scroll paintings which later became widespread in Japan.

The third floor represents the cultural heritage of the Tang, Ming, and Qin dynasties which were the most important periods in the development of Chinese culture. There you can find royal porcelain, silver and gold household items, fragments of tombs, frescoes, and clay statues including many statues of the Buddha.

The most valuable exhibits of the museum are the fossils of the Lantian man which are about a million years old, the jade seal of the first Chinese Emperor, and the famous seal with the image of a deer of the Qin dynasty.