Gansu Provincial Museum: Home of the Galloping Horse (2026)

Gansu Provincial Museum: Home of the Galloping Horse

In the heart of Lanzhou sits the Gansu Provincial Museum — home to one of the most famous objects in Chinese archaeology: the Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow (马踏飞燕), also known as the Bronze Galloping Horse. Unearthed in 1969 from the Eastern Han tomb of a general in Wuwei, this small bronze masterpiece — a horse frozen mid-gallop with one hoof landing on a swallow — has become the symbol of China's tourism industry. The museum that holds it is the best one-stop introduction to Gansu's Silk Road history anywhere in the province.

Exhibition and entry details verified August 2026.

The Galloping Horse: Why It Matters

• Perfect balance — the entire horse is supported on a single hoof point; its weight distribution is so precise that the sculpture stands on the swallow's back with almost no visible support
• Symbol of China tourism — in 1983, the image was chosen as the logo of China's National Tourism Administration, and it still appears on China's tourism branding worldwide
• Art and science — art historians praise the motion and energy; engineers admire the static balance. It is a Bronze Age masterpiece on every level
• National treasure — designated a "no-export" first-class national treasure, it rarely leaves Gansu

What Else to See in the Museum

• The Silk Road exhibition — artifacts from the corridor cities: trade goods, Buddhist relics, pottery and tomb goods from Han to Tang
• The Gansu archaeology hall — including the Yangshao painted pottery that gives Gansu one of China's oldest ceramic traditions
• Bronzes from the Zhou and Qin — ritual vessels and weapons from the early states that arose in Gansu
• The Buddhist art collection — carvings and paintings reflecting the corridor's role in spreading Buddhism eastward

Practical Information

• Entry — free entry with ID/passport registration; bring your passport as a foreign visitor
• Hours — typically 9:00–17:00, closed Mondays (check current schedule)
• Time needed — 2–3 hours for a thorough visit; the Galloping Horse hall is unmissable
• Location — in Lanzhou city center; combine with the Zhongshan Bridge and White Pagoda Mountain for a full day in Lanzhou