Chongqing Museum of Jianchuan: a museum built in the bomb shelter

The scene inside Chongqing Museum of Jianchuan (Photo by Chen Xin)

A grenade on display in the museum (Photo by Chen Xin)

The guns on display in the museum (Photo by Chen Xin)

The photo wall in the museum shows the life of Chongqing people in the history (Photo by Chen Xin)

Chongqing Museum of Jianchuan is located at Xiejiawan Area, Jiulongpo District, Chongqing City. It was open to the public on June 18, 2018. Since opening, the museum has been exhibiting and showing the history and culture of Chongqing, and has attracted over 1 million tourists.

"It is a museum built in the bomb shelter," said Zhao Xing, one of the staffs in the museum. The museum includes eight theme halls, which consist of 24 bomb shelters. The museum has over 40 thousand pieces of cultural relics, including 67 pieces of First Grade Cultural Relics. “The museum is located at the former site of Chongqing Anti-Japanese War Ordnance Industry. Therefore, the museum has been integrated with the bomb shelters, which makes the museum a very unique one nationwide.

Among eight theme halls, Chongqing Story Museum can best represent the features of Chongqing, and show the characteristics of Chongqing people. "The exhibitions, from the aspects of folk memory, have been systematically shown the folk culture of Chongqing represented by the tractor's chant and the wharf diet. These exhibitions have completely illustrated the development and advancement of Chongqing in various fields." Zhao Xing said that the traditional folk culture had been influencing many generations in Chongqing, and resulting in the openness, inclusiveness, and frankness in Chongqing people’s personality.