The Guangxi Museum, on Minzhi Road in the centre of Nanning, covers regional history from the neolithic through to the twentieth century. It is a different institution from the Nationalities Museum (which focuses on living ethnic cultures) — this museum focuses on archaeological finds and historical artefacts, and its collection of bronzes from the ancient Ou-Yue people who inhabited the region before Chinese expansion southward is genuinely significant.
The Han dynasty section is strong, reflecting the archaeological finds made in Guangxi during the construction boom of the 1970s and 1980s. The ethnographic wing has textiles, silver jewellery, and ceremonial objects from the Zhuang, Miao, and Yao minorities. Admission is free, and the building — 1970s socialist-realist architecture given a recent renovation — is at least interesting from the outside. The museum sits conveniently close to Renmin Park and the old commercial district around Zhongshan Road.